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Council approves new communications training operator; police and fire staffing requests split council
Summary
Council voted to add a communications training operator (shared cost with county). Separately, a request to reinstate an assistant fire chief was deferred and a motion to add one police officer passed after debate about recruitment and state tax effects.
Council members approved an improvement request to add a full-time communications training operator for the regional communications center. The city's share of the position was reported as roughly $69,585 (about 69.8% of the total), reflecting the intergovernmental funding split for that center. Councilmembers praised the communications staff’s workload and said the additional trainer will provide needed redundancy and support for onboarding and retention.
Public safety staffing was otherwise mixed. Fire Chief Ryan Collins requested reinstating an administrative assistant fire chief position reclassified in 2016; the chief argued call volume, EMS demands, and regional responsibilities (HAZMAT, urban search and rescue) require restored administrative capacity. Council members acknowledged the need but did not approve the position in this budget year; the chief said he will return with the request in future budget cycles.
Police Chief Rex Mueller reviewed recruitment and retention. Council discussed adding officers to rebuild experience lost to retirements. After debate, council approved funding for one additional patrol officer (the motion passed after roll-call votes recorded in the transcript). Council members urged continued recruitment, use of grant funding and careful pipeline management to avoid gaps created by unexpected losses.
Ending: Council approved the communications training operator and one police officer; the assistant fire chief request was not approved this year, though the fire chief said he will reintroduce the request next budget cycle.
