LANGLEY — The city’s small police force will have to wait for relief.

City officials have decided to push off talk about restoring the Langley Police Department to a four-man force and the city council has given its initial approval to a 2012 budget that would pay for only three officers.

The city’s police department has had a four-officer force for 15 years, but dropped down to three officers when Bob Herzberg retired as chief earlier this year.

The department has been providing police coverage with just three officers since March.

But that’s led to some officers working seven, eight, 11 or 21 days in a row without a day off, as well as some days when a single officer has had to work a 24-hour shift, or times when the city has had no officer on duty during the day, or at night.

Police Chief Randy Heston asked the council to restore his fourth officer position at a recent budget workshop, to no avail.

“I’m disappointed because it makes it harder for us,” Heston said this week. “It spreads us a little thin.”

Even so, he said his department would do what it takes to make the staffing situation work, which may include scheduling officers for longer shifts but fewer days.

“All three of us are going to work our tails off to make sure the citizens are protected,” Heston said.

The city council voted unanimously to approve next year’s $5.5 million budget Monday and is expected to take a final vote on the city’s 2012 spending plan at its first meeting in December.

An earlier draft of the 2012 budget included funding for a fourth officer, but Mayor Paul Samuelson noted the council’s earlier request to have that position removed from the budget.

He said there wasn’t enough time to have the budget changed to restore funding for the fourth officer, and said the council should devote plenty of time for more talk on the issue in the future.

That could include a series of workshops, and Samuelson also said the community should be involved in the discussion.

“We need to have a thorough conversation,” Samuelson said.

Councilman Hal Seligson said he was hoping city officials could review side-by-side, cost-benefit comparisons of the three-officer versus four-officer department, and added that a budget amendment could be possible next year if the current plan doesn’t pan out.

Hiring a new officer would mean costs for police academy training, unless the new hire is a transfer from another department. Next year’s salaries for officers are also a question mark right now. The city’s officers voted earlier to form a union, and a collective bargaining agreement is expected to be presented to the city council before the end of the year.

According to city budget records, Langley has already surpassed its budget for overtime in the police department for 2011.

City officials earmarked $12,000 for police overtime this year. Langley has spent  $13,360 on overtime for officers through last week.

Langley has set next year’s budget for overtime at $20,000.

The Village by the Sea has endured several tough budget cycles in recent years, with reductions in service at city hall, salary cuts for employees and staff reductions.

Next year’s budget is much improved, however, with an overall increase of 8.75 percent over the 2011 budget.

The city also expects to finish the 2012 year with more than $300,000 in carryover funds.

City officials said the return of a fourth officer to Langley’s force goes beyond money.

Larry Kwarsick, the city’s incoming mayor, said scheduling and police coverage are important concerns.

“I think that it’s actually more about the level of service than the money part,” he said.