Police and fire equipment requests highlight fleet and maintenance pressures

Police and fire department leaders reviewed non-funded capital requests and answered commissioners’ questions about the operational need, inventories and possible funding sources.

Public safety needs cited - Fire: Chief Pazera (identified as the fire chief) listed safety priorities including an SCBA compressor for Station 1 (used to refill breathing air), bunker-gear dryers, and flooring and lighting upgrades at specific stations. He said Station 1 had flooded in a recent rain event and Central Station on Jefferson floods when the city receives storms of 4–5 inches. - Police: the police chief described a list of vehicle requests (Ford F-150 supervisor units, replacement detective cars, evidence vehicles and at least one high-water pickup). The department asked for an evidence pass-through refrigerator to properly store temperature-sensitive evidence and discussed a dual-purpose training/incident-command trailer (staff later reported a smaller $6,000 enclosed trailer will be used instead of a $20,000 food-service trailer). The police also requested a car-hauler with a winch (about $7,000) to reduce outsourced towing costs.

Fleet and maintenance conversation Commissioners and staff also discussed fleet management and maintenance capacity. Public-works staff said the shop has recently added two mechanics and has reduced outsourcing, but still outsources substantial repairs when work exceeds in-house capacity. Commissioners asked for a breakdown of outsourced repair costs and whether adding staff would be cheaper than continuing to outsource.

Commissioner direction and follow-up - Staff were asked to inventory AEDs, evidence refrigerators, and high-water/high-profile vehicles and to return with precise counts and cost comparisons (outsourcing vs. adding mechanic headcount). - The police chief said some vehicles will be purchased with forfeiture funds (e.g., a narcotics vehicle), while other vehicle replacements may be funded through lease or the general fund.

No formal funding decisions were taken during the workshop; commissioners asked for additional detail so they can prioritize equipment that is essential for safety.