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Police, fire and EMS chiefs press for pay adjustments and added personnel; EMS revenue noted
Summary
Public safety leaders briefed commissioners on cross-training, EMS revenue and pay adjustments. Chiefs said recent pay changes helped retention, requested further targeted pay raises and additional officers, dispatchers and a mental-health specialist; EMS billing revenue has begun to offset operating costs but not full personnel expenses.
Police, fire and emergency-medical leaders presented staffing, training and capital priorities as part of the budget workshop, urging targeted pay adjustments and some added positions while noting revenue from the city's ambulance service.
Fire Department speaker (chief) reported the department completed its first in‑house recruit fire training academy and is cross‑training EMS and firefighting staff. The department has sent staff to critical-care paramedic courses and described plans to continue training; the chief said the proposed budget includes technology projects such as traffic-signal preemption at intersections and station-alerting software to reduce dispatch-to-departure times.
The fire chief requested three lieutenant positions to staff the new ladder truck when it is placed in service next year and asked that the city consider funding half the positions at midyear so training can begin before full-year staffing starts. He said recent pay adjustments have helped stabilize retention and that a small number of additional classification changes (an EMS captain reclassification and an office-manager reclassification) would total about $69,277 if approved.
Police leadership asked for pay adjustments and three patrol officers, one dispatcher and a mental‑health specialist. The police chief said mental‑health calls increased markedly this year and that the mental‑health specialist — funded previously by a grant — is a priority to continue if the grant expires: "That grant runs up in June. Come July 1, if this position isn't approved, July 1, we are out of the mental health business," he said. The chief said mental‑health calls rose roughly 62% year‑over‑year.
On EMS, staff reported collections from ambulance billing are increasing. The chief said EMS revenue was projected at roughly $1.2 million but current collections were trending toward $1.3–$1.5 million this year, and that EMS revenues cover operating and capital costs but not the full personnel costs associated with the EMS service. The department asked to reclassify an EMS lieutenant to an EMS captain and to support other staffing needed as the system matures. Chiefs said the ambulance program has reduced mutual‑aid calls to outside providers (WEMA) and improved response times and patient outcomes.
Commissioners asked for a completed pay study, comparisons to peer municipalities and more detailed cost/benefit documentation for training and staffing proposals. Dana (finance staff) said the pay-study data would be provided before the first reading. No final personnel decisions were made at the workshop.
Ending
Public-safety chiefs described a mix of personnel, training and technology requests aimed at reducing response times and improving retention; commissioners requested comparative pay data and cost‑justification documents before acting.
