Committee reviews 2026 police and dispatch budget shifts, uniform and IT costs

At the Aug. 27 meeting, the Public Safety Committee heard a first reading of the police and emergency communications operating budget proposals for 2026, describing how the department would use a 3% levy-guideline increase and internal reallocations to cover rising uniform, equipment and licensing costs. The Police Chief said professional-development funding remains in place alongside $15,000 in referendum training funds, and that the department is shifting more law-enforcement-specific office and equipment costs from the dispatch budget into the police operating budget so dispatch — which has a tighter margin — is not overburdened. “We were using dispatch funding for things that were primarily law enforcement. So we're doing sort of a switch,” the Police Chief said. Why it matters: the proposed reallocations…