Edmond projects tighter public-safety finances; police, fire propose staffing, Station 6 costs

City of Edmond staff on Tuesday presented a conservative five-year budget outlook for the Edmond Police and Fire Departments that shows both public-safety funds could run deficits under worst-case assumptions, and outlined proposed staffing and capital plans to respond.

Finance staff told the Edmond City Council they modeled sales-tax growth at 0% for fiscal 2026 and use-tax growth at 4% for planning purposes. Kathy Panas, who presented the revenue and reserve figures, said the fire fund receives a dedicated 0.25 percent sales-tax levy (about $6,000,000 annually) and the police fund receives 0.125 percent (about $3,000,000 annually). With transfers from the general fund and other sources, Panas said the fire fund’s projected new revenue for FY26 is about $32,000,000 against estimated costs near $39,000,000; police new revenue is about $34,000,000 against estimated costs near $39,000,000.

Why it matters: the presentations were framed as a conservative planning exercise, not a finalized budget. Councilors repeatedly emphasized the five-year forecast is a planning tool and that next year’s budget — which the council will approve annually — is where balancing decisions are made.

City staff and public-safety chiefs highlighted staffing, vehicle and equipment replacement, and technology as the top cost drivers. Police Chief J.D. Younger said sworn staffing will be volatile because of a statutory change to the municipal police pension system that delayed some retirements and is expected to accelerate attrition in the coming years. “Starting in July of ’26 … I expect to lose up to 15 of our sworn personnel due to retirement,” Chief Younger said, estimating that would be about 15 percent of sworn staff over a short period.

Chief Younger said the department is authorized for 133 sworn positions and currently has 127 on payroll, with roughly six vacancies. The police proposal in the FY26 request would add three patrol officers and one patrol lieutenant to restore supervisory coverage on day shift and to preserve specialty lieutenants’ time for traffic and school-resource duties. Younger described the department’s staffing model as data-driven, based on calls for service and required “obligated time,” and said the city can pause hiring or delay capital purchases if revenues fall below projections.

Interim Fire Chief Chad Weaver described the fire budget and capital work tied to Station 6. He said Station 6’s construction cost was presented to the council as between $8 million and $8.6 million total, with a portion paid in FY25 and about $3,000,000 remaining in FY26. Weaver said the FY26 fire budget assumes hiring 15 firefighters to staff the new station and that personnel costs make up roughly 80% of the fire budget. He said the department is placing into a vehicle-replacement fund (reported in the presentation as roughly $10–12 million) and that custom fire engines have long lead times (about 41 months), which requires multi-year planning.

Weaver said the fire department secured a 50/50 ARPA grant for training-facility improvements that would add vehicle maintenance bays, a live-burn structure, and staging capacity for regional training and response. He also listed equipment purchases planned or in progress, including SCBA compressor replacement (about $75,000), new cardiac monitors (three Lifepak 35 units in the current budget and five more later), turnout-gear replacement on the 10-year schedule, and a skid loader to service training props.

Both chiefs discussed recurring technology and equipment contracts. Younger said license-plate-reader systems and other cloud-based services have shifted costs from one-time purchases to recurring contracts, and described a plan to trial a mobile camera trailer for public events as a force multiplier for situational awareness; the Community Policing Board discussed and supported further study before broader deployment. Younger said the department will prioritize transparency and governance for any camera program.

Council and staff repeatedly stressed that the five-year forecast uses conservative assumptions — 0% annual sales-tax growth in the model, full staffing (worst-case personnel cost) and maximum position fills — and therefore shows a potential negative balance if those conditions persisted. Councilor Rugg pushed back on public misinterpretation of the forecast, saying, “This is a planning tool and we are not going to deplete our reserves.” Council discussion also cited the city’s historical record of ending years with positive public-safety reserves and noted staff can shift expenditures or delay items when preparing next year’s budget.

No formal votes or ordinance actions were taken during the presentation; council discussion and staff questions were limited to clarifying assumptions and confirming contingency plans. Staff and chiefs emphasized that personnel costs drive the modeled deficits and that natural attrition, hiring cadence, and capital-timing decisions are the primary levers to manage risk. Several council members and the mayor praised police and fire personnel for recent wildfire response and regional assistance.

What’s next: the presentation serves as the basis for more-detailed budget deliberations. Staff said next year’s formal budget process, where the council will vote on appropriations, will reflect policy priorities and adjustments to avoid long-term reserve depletion. Police and fire leaders said recruiting, academy scheduling and planned capital purchases will proceed with the council’s direction and with contingencies if revenue growth remains subdued.