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Resident urges Muscatine to restore public-safety hiring amid budget discussions; council clarifies hiring-headcount policy
Summary
A resident told the council Muscatine falls below national staffing averages for police and fire; councilmembers said staffing and budget trade-offs are under review and clarified a proposed headcount freeze would hold total positions flat rather than stop all hiring.
A Muscatine resident told the City Council on April 3 that the city is below national staffing recommendations for public safety and urged the council to reconsider proposed limits on adding personnel in the FY2026 budget.
Anne Brumback, who identified herself as living at 112 West Sixth Street and said she spent 25 years in emergency medical services, told the council the national average for a city Muscatine’s size calls for about 68 firefighters; Muscatine has 48 paid firefighters. She said police staffing for a comparably sized city should be between 62 and 80 officers; Muscatine currently has 41 paid public-safety officers including the chief. Brumback said calls for service have increased and urged the council to avoid cutting public-safety headcount. She suggested exploring options such as hiring EMTs and paramedics who are not firefighters to handle non-fire calls and transfers.
Nut graf: The exchange highlighted a policy tension the council is balancing: address staffing shortfalls in public safety while managing a budget that staff and council say has been constrained by revenue pressures. Councilmembers said they have cut the proposed budget and continue to examine trade-offs.
Council responses and clarifications: - Councilmember Osborne acknowledged the comment, said the council and staff have already cut about $500,000 from the proposed budget, and clarified that when she previously referred to a “hiring freeze” she meant holding the overall headcount flat rather than banning all hires. “I really probably should've used the words, freezing the head count, not going up in head count,” Osborne said. - Councilmember Connor (a registered nurse who sits on a state stroke-care task force) said the emergency-room delay described by Brumback was not typical of Muscatine’s care and noted the city’s EMS/fire model provides local emergency services.
No formal action was taken during the meeting on hiring or staffing levels; councilmembers said staff will continue work on next year’s budget and identify potential cost‑saving measures and service impacts before any final decisions.
Ending: The council scheduled additional budget work and public hearings; members emphasized safety is a priority while acknowledging the city must reconcile service levels with revenue constraints.
