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Council weighs police hires, second city attorney and contentious office-manager reclassification
Summary
Councilors discussed adding police positions and a second city attorney, and debated reclassifying the police office manager into an executive non-sworn support-services administrator. The council also discussed a proposed law-enforcement firing range and related capital priorities.
Grand Island police leadership and council members spent a prolonged portion of the Aug. 21 meeting debating multiple public-safety staffing requests and a proposed reclassification for the police office manager.
Police leadership asked for several positions in the FY26 request: a police officer (step 2), 2.5 community service officer positions (two full-time and one part-time to provide animal-control and code-enforcement support), a parks maintenance irrigation specialist, and an elevated office manager role proposed as a support-services administrator. The police department additionally asked for a second city attorney in the general budget conversation and various capital items for public-safety operations.
Police Chief Kevin told the council the department is understaffed for the current workload and that adding another attorney and non-sworn executive support would reduce delays on contracts, easements and other legal work. "We…
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