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Police budget rises 12% as council reviews staffing, overtime and equipment requests
Summary
Council reviewed the Police Department’s proposed FY26 budget of $9,077,500 — a 12% increase — driven chiefly by personnel costs, overtime and capital outlay including vehicle and tactical equipment replacements; staff outlined vacancies, detective reassignments and a plan to hold two extra FTEs available.
City staff and police command briefed the council on a proposed FY26 police budget of $9,077,500, a 12% increase over FY25 driven primarily by personnel costs. City Manager Chris DeBenton and Police Chief Acosta described personnel services as the largest single driver of the increase and noted that operating expenses overall rise only slightly while capital outlay is concentrated in vehicle and equipment replacements.
Staff described current patrol staffing and open positions: the department lists 31 funded patrol positions but has been operating with vacancies and with officers in training. Command said 25 patrol officers are active, five are in field training and one is in the academy; detectives show multiple vacancies and one detective is retiring in two weeks. The department reiterated a prior request to have room to increase authorized positions to 33 to balance staffing across three shifts, but staff said the FY26 budget does not fund the additional two FTEs; council has asked staff to return later if recruitment brings experienced hires that would allow funding to be added midyear.
Overtime remains a major line item ($275,000 requested). Staff explained overtime is used to fill temporary vacancies, cover court and investigative details, and staff special events; outside vendor details funded by third parties were excluded from that line. Police command said overtime totals have fallen from prior years but unit pay increases push the dollar value higher.
Capital requests highlighted by command included electric gate conversion at the department back gate, a carport to shade specialized vehicles, taser and rifle replacement schedules, night‑vision and SRT equipment, and a dispatch software package (Flock/911 integration) proposed for future years. Staff also noted an accreditation cycle expense in police administration related to hosting assessors.
No formal vote was taken; council and staff discussed options for funding additional patrol FTEs if veteran officers apply, and emphasized managing overtime and recruitment pipelines to reduce recurring overtime costs.
