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Council workshop highlights public safety staffing increases, funding for Fire Station 8 design and EMS expansion
Summary
The draft budget funds new police and fire positions, adds paramedics to launch a peak ambulance unit and budgets preliminary design money for Fire Station 8, which staff plan to open in fiscal 2028.
City staff presented public safety additions in the draft fiscal 2026 budget that would expand police, fire and emergency medical staffing and fund preliminary design for a new fire station.
Key proposals include funding for additional sworn officers and firefighter positions, expanding crisis-intervention (CIT) capacity and measures to reduce overtime. The draft also includes a request to fund preliminary design for Fire Station 8 and a three‑year staffing ramp to prepare for the station’s planned opening.
Details in the presentation - CIT and mental‑health response: staff said the budget fully funds three CIT officers and proposes an additional officer to make four; coordination with the regional emergency services district and the GISD school district was noted for some shared positions. - Fire staffing and peak ambulance: the draft proposes adding seven paramedics to establish a “peak” ambulance surge unit and funding for 13 positions in the fire department overall; staff said the plan is to add six firefighters per year over three years to staff Station 8 when it opens (Station 8 design money appears in the capital plan, with construction anticipated in fiscal 2027 and an opening in fiscal 2028). - Police staffing: proposals include additions to patrol and traffic enforcement, one new school resource officer partially funded by the school district and additional traffic officers and traffic‑focused enforcement positions. - Overtime: staff told council that while proposed hires are intended to reduce some reliance on overtime, overtime will still rise in the near term because special events and peak periods require additional temporary staffing.
Why it matters: The staffing changes are tied to the city’s growth and increased emergency workload. Staff said some positions could be bridged into the current year to take advantage of existing eligibility lists; an agenda item later in the meeting referenced increasing policing and firefighting “strength” by three positions to hire from an existing eligibility list.
Evidence and next steps Staff said the budget includes both one‑time and ongoing costs associated with the hires and that some positions would be staggered through the year. The capital plan shows $1 million in preliminary design for Fire Station 8 in fiscal 2026 and construction funding slated for 2027 in the CIP schedule presented.
