The City Commission approved Wednesday a $1.2 million contract to resurface nearly 20 miles of neighborhood streets throughout the city, using federal block grant money.

The road resurfacing is the second such contract approved this year for neighborhood streets. City staff has told the commissioners the the resurfacing will target streets where resurfacing was postponed because of tight budgets during the Great Recession.

The commissioners also OK’d a contract between the Police Department and the Oregon District Business Association for the association to pay the city up to $11,100 for two additional police officers. The officers, on overtime, would patrol the district on Friday and Saturday nights between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., beginning the first weekend in September through the end of the year.

Both police and the Oregon association said the additional officers were not in response to any increase in crime.

“We’ve contracted with the department before for special events,” said Mike Martin, association president. “We wanted to continue to ensure that we have a safe environment.”

The association considered hiring a private security firm but “we wanted uniformed police officers who are respected,” Martin said.

“This is to increase economic development by making the citizens feel safe when they they are downtown,” said Maj. Larry Faulkner, commander of the Central Business District.

In other action, the commissioners:

• Approved the purchase 10 Ford Taurus police cars and three police utility vehicles for a cost of $395,110.
• Heard an update on city finances that showed revenues to the General Fund, which funds the city’s day-to-day operations, were up 3.1 percent from last year through the first seven months of the year compared to 2011. Expenditures from the fund were down 2.7 percent comparing the same time period in 2011. That gives the city a $10.6 million excess for the year. City staff, however, cautioned that expected increase in expenses and lower revenues for the remainder of the year would shrink that amount.