Police Chief Kidd told the council at the July 24 budget workshop that the department is operating with roughly the same operating budget it had in February 2021 while demand and costs have risen. "We have the same operating budget that we had in 02/2021," Chief Kidd said, explaining that recent budget increases are driven mainly by personnel costs, dispatching fees and vehicle maintenance.

Kidd warned that the department's in-car camera and server system, installed in 2018, is deteriorating and could require a major replacement if the server fails. "If that server goes down, we're gonna have to fork out at least $65,000 to $75,000 to revamp all our camera systems," he said.

On fleet needs, Jonathan Sites and Kidd said several police units were recently in for major repairs at the same time; Sites told council that multiple units had been in the shop the week of July 1. The presentation lists acquisition needs for three police vehicles in the coming fiscal year and flagged long-term fleet replacement as part of a broader CIP and fleet-management discussion.

Kidd also highlighted department morale and staffing: he said a newly hired officer reported feeling supported by the city and noted that the department manages overtime through flexible scheduling. "Our officers do amazing controlling the overtime budget," Kidd said.

No formal vote or action was taken; staff said final funding decisions will follow when the full budget book and final tax numbers are delivered to council in August.