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Council weighs public-safety staffing, SAFER grant hires and expanded outreach for people experiencing homelessness
Summary
Councilors discussed a five-year public-safety staffing plan, the recent federal SAFER grant that funded nine firefighters, and proposals to add social‑work or peer‑support responses to reduce police workload on homelessness-related calls.
Public-safety staffing and responses to homelessness were a prominent topic during the Jan. 7 Provo City Council work meeting. Councilors reviewed recruitment and grant-funded hires and debated whether to budget for additional staff and non-police outreach options as part of the FY26 planning process.
Chief Scott Hedman reported the city received a federal SAFER grant that funded nine firefighters; the grant covers those positions for three years. Hedman said the nine firefighters have allowed the department to staff Station 1 with three firefighters for the first time in many years and that continued funding would be needed to…
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