Public safety leaders present budgets and renew dispatch contract; City renews Shiloh dispatch agreement

At a Public Safety Committee meeting, staff presented operating and capital budget highlights for the Fire Department, EMS, MECOM (dispatch) and Police Department and the committee approved a contract renewal for dispatch services with the village of Shiloh.

Committee members approved a coordinated communication services contract renewal for dispatch between O'Fallon and Shiloh. Staff said the annual charge increased about 4.5% from $172,500 last year to roughly $180,000 for the coming year; the roll-call vote recorded affirmatives from committee members on the motion.

Fire Department staff presented a departmental budget of about $2.5 million funded primarily by tax revenue. Staff described a personnel cost line (about $1.1 million), training increases as some grant funding has diminished, and a plan to allocate roughly $450,000 in capital reserves toward a new heavy-rescue/squad vehicle. Staff discussed options for chassis types and estimated purchase ranges (commercial chassis approximately $600,000–$700,000; custom options higher). The department reported roughly 1,284 calls in the prior year with a large share classified as non-emergencies or good-intent responses.

EMS leaders reported 6,100 calls in 2024 (approximately a 6.47% increase), with 4,636 transports billed and the remainder non-transport responses. EMS described an ambulance order placed last year and a planned delivery later in the calendar year; budget increases include equipment maintenance, batteries for new devices, and a new patient-care reporting system (ESL) coming online.

MECOM staff said the dispatch center operates with about 14 full-time telecommunicators and several part-timers and requested modest increases to fund recruitment-video production and equipment upgrades (for example, a KVM switch to make multi-monitor workflows more efficient). MECOM also noted a small decrease in accidental 9-1-1 calls tied to a phone-carrier update.

Police staff said the department is staffing toward 50 officers, is budgeting for a full-time social worker position and has increased part-time wages to improve recruitment; equipment lines include a Taser contract and planned vehicle replacements with one vehicle funded from DUI-account funds.

Committee members discussed mutual-aid calls, turnaround times for ambulances and the need to keep units available within the city. Staff said mutual-aid requests were down slightly from the prior year and emphasized the goal of retaining available ambulances for local calls.

The dispatch contract renewal motion passed on roll call; budget presentations were informational at committee level and will continue through the city's budget process.