From now through December, the City Council, Mayor John Suthers and other city officials will mull over a $1 billion-plus budget proposal.

While budgets seem boring and mundane, they play a major role in defining our communities. Cities that spend big money trying to save the planet get a lot of near-empty buses and commuter trains. Cities that buy excessive acreage for parks spend a lot of money dumping water and chemicals on grass. Cities that build “free” housing attract a lot of people experiencing homelessness.

Cities that invest in public safety attract good families, high-end employers, artists, investors and all varieties of intellectual, racial and ethnic diversity. Safe environments incubate success.

Going forward, the money Colorado Springs spends on public safety will determine whether our city continues growing in stature as a world-class city – the most desirable major city in the United States as determined four years running by U.S. News & World Report.

Cities that have monetarily deprioritized and otherwise demoralized law enforcement have become places people want to leave and avoid. We don’t hear the masses wishing they could move to Chicago or New York. Instead, residents and coveted corporate headquarters are leaving in droves.

When our systems of law enforcement break down, it puts extraordinary strain on fire and medical rescue responders who put themselves in danger by responding to shootings, domestic disturbances and all assortment of crimes that relate to illicit drugs use. That’s why cities with high crime rates can’t attract adequate numbers of EMTs, paramedics and firefighters.

To avoid the diminishing reputations of Portland, Ore., Seattle, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, New Orleans and Denver (which we suspect will improve), Colorado Springs should invest in public safety like never before when adjusted for inflation. Americans want peace. Public safety, health and welfare are the highest priorities of local governments. Great cities are safe cities.

Our city’s above-average mayor and council seem to understand this. The new one-year budget proposes funding for 15 new police officers and 32 new firefighters and several new fire stations. Throughout his two terms, Suthers has prioritized growing the police force and fire department. The City Council – which controls the budget – has worked with him in a refreshingly apolitical manner.

If city officials can make the numbers work, they should consider increasing from 15 and 32 the number of new cops and firefighters. Find the money to make Colorado Springs the safest city in the country – the most likely place to survive a heart attack, the least welcoming environment for criminals and the place that fully prosecutes drug crimes.

Nature has blessed metropolitan Colorado Springs with an enviable climate, an educated populace and some of the world’s best scenery. As the economy and population grow, the city attracts more art and cosmopolitan amenities.

The formula for maintaining our success could not be simpler. Keep the city safe, hostile to drug dealers, and ready to respond quickly to all crises that threaten property and lives.

That means prioritizing spending on cops and firefighters, while much of the rest of the country goes the other way. If we continue doing so, Colorado Springs will set the standard of excellence for cities nationwide.

Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial Board