Delaware City civil service commission approves police, firefighter certified lists and hears staffing, budget update

The Delaware City Civil Service Commission on Feb. 5 approved certified candidate lists for police and firefighters and heard an update from police department staff on recruitment, staffing levels and potential impacts from the pending city budget.

Commissioners voted to accept the motion summary from the commission’s Jan. 8 meeting, and later certified the February 2025 police officer list as presented. During staff remarks, a police department staff member said recent hiring changes expanded the candidate pool and helped the department hire eight officers in the last year, bringing the department to 55 sworn officers on the payroll of a budgeted 60.

The commission first moved to accept the Jan. 8 motion summary — a record that the commission said included prior approvals of a January 2025 police officer certified list (13 candidates) and a January 2025 firefighter certified list (6 candidates). Commissioner Sanchez made the motion to approve the Jan. 2025 motion summary; Mr. Richa seconded. The roll call was Commissioner Hurley (abstain), Vice Chair Santos (yes), and Commissioner Richa (yes); the motion carried.

Later in the meeting the commission considered and certified the February 2025 police officer certified list, which the commission said reflects the disqualification of one candidate under Civil Service Commission Rule 2(d)(4) for a false statement in the application process, the rolling off of a candidate after one year on the list, the addition of new candidates and the withdrawal of one candidate who accepted employment elsewhere. Commissioner Hurley moved to certify the February 2025 police list; Commissioner Sanchez seconded. The roll call recorded all three voting members as yes.

A staff member from the police department summarized changes to recruitment and hiring over the past 12–18 months, saying the revised process produced a larger candidate pool and that the department had been able to recruit “quality people.” The staff member said, “we have successfully hired, I believe, 8 candidates in the last year, which is now bridal us up to we will have 55 persons on the payroll, sworn persons on the payroll of the police department at our allotted 60,” and added, “I maintain my pledge to the residents that although hiring is difficult, we will not lower our standards.” The staff member also noted normal attrition and said reaching the full budgeted complement does not guarantee constant full staffing because of retirements and other separations.

Commissioners asked about potential impacts if elements of the proposed city budget do or do not pass. The staff member responded that no decisions affecting department items had been made and that funding questions remained under discussion at city council; the staff member warned that some projects — for example, major facility upgrades — likely could not proceed at current funding levels without financing. The staff member characterized the budget status as still under consideration by the city’s legislative bodies and said no department-level decisions had been made to remove items from the department’s requests.

The meeting record showed no public letters, petitions or emails on the certified lists and no members of the public spoke during the public-comment segment. The commission adjourned after completing the certified-list approvals and the staffing update.