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Highlands City Council approves budget amendment to buy Stop the Bleed kits
Summary
Council approved a fiscal-year 2024–25 budget amendment to purchase Stop the Bleed cabinets and kits for city facilities and to add one AED cabinet in the City Hall break room; the one-time appropriation is $5,200 with recurring replacement costs estimated.
The Highlands City Council voted to amend the fiscal-year 2024–25 budget to fund Stop the Bleed cabinets and kits for city facilities, approving an immediate $5,200 appropriation and estimating recurring replacement costs every five years.
The measure, presented to council as a budget amendment, was described by staff as part of the city’s employee safety program to place accessible Stop the Bleed cabinets across parks and city buildings and to add one AED cabinet at the City Hall break room. "So the overall objective is to enhance safety program by installing accessible stop the bleed cabinets and adding a single AV machine for the city hall break room. It'll enable immediate response and empower staff and citizens to take lifesaving action before emergency personnel arrive," said Keith Everett, a member of the employee safety committee.
The committee described the kits as vacuum-sealed packets that include tourniquets, wound packing, dressings, gloves and scissors. Proposed public locations named during the presentation included the rotunda, Robert Lee DeVoll Center (sometimes cited as Robert and Lee Duvall Center in the presentation), the Municipal Service Center, Unity Park (baseball concession and pickleball manager's room), DoubleTree Ranch Park (Sergeant Dennis Oliver Event Center), Highland Park and Pilot Knoll Park.
Staff estimated the one-time purchase and related storage at about $5,200. Finance staff Heather presented the budget amendment and said the city proposed "a general fund, fire department, services and supplies increase of $5,200. And then there will also be a reoccurring, cost of $2,800 every 5 years to replace the kits." Council clarified quantities: the cabinets hold eight vacuum-sealed kits each, and the proposal calls for eight cabinets (eight kits per cabinet, 64 kits total).
Council members asked about inspection and replacement schedules. Staff said the kits are vacuum sealed with a manufacturer shelf life typically around five to six years; inspection will be folded into the city's existing biannual facility safety inspections and AED checks. Staff also said the recurring per-kit cost cited in the presentation was $43, and that individual kits — not the cabinet enclosures — would be replaced on the recurring schedule.
Council raised liability questions about making life-saving supplies accessible to untrained members of the public. An employee safety committee member responded that, while improper use could cause harm, "Good Samaritan laws, any of these render aid type things... are we by making these available... assuming liability, but available? No. I mean, negligence at all is gonna be in the use... I think good Samaritan laws will probably protect the individual," and compared public access to Stop the Bleed kits to public access AEDs.
The council approved the budget amendment on the motion and second; the item was presented to council as Ordinance 2025-13 and approved as the first of two readings. The motion to adopt the amendments was made by Councilmember Feaster and seconded by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Brian Fiorenza. The recorded action on the floor carried, with council indicating a 5-0 vote on the ordinance reading on that night.
