Council workshop prioritizes police and fire facilities, public-safety communications and pay study

Shelbyville’s strategic planning session placed public safety at the top of council priorities, with both a combined public-safety headquarters and additional fire facilities drawing sustained discussion.

City Manager Scott Collins summarized progress on police and fire facility planning and said staff will present facility needs assessments and draft designs. Fire and police leaders emphasized aging facilities and the operational need to relocate or consolidate some functions. Participants discussed a single collocated public-safety headquarters and adding an additional fire station (often described as Station 4) to improve geographic coverage and response times.

Consultants and department heads also urged an upgrade of radio and dispatch communications. Staff described prior investments in a DMR system and a pending transition to the state’s P25 Motorola system; the move will require new portable and mobile radios and building-level signal solutions in some areas. Fire and police representatives said they have applied for federal assistance (AFG) to offset equipment costs and would rely on grant outcomes to schedule purchases.

A recurring operational priority was workforce retention. Department leaders and staff raised a need for a formal, predictable compensation plan for public safety — including structured step increases and consideration of retirement benefits — to retain personnel amid tight regional hiring markets. Staff said past compensation studies were started but not fully implemented and recommended a renewed study and multi-year compensation strategy.

The council’s preliminary votes during the workshop gave high priority to the public-safety headquarters and communications upgrades; staff will map those priorities into the fiscal-year budget and return with cost estimates and timelines for council approval.