Councilmembers raised concerns about police overtime and whether the city should hire additional officers to reduce recurring overtime costs. Members said some overtime is structurally built into shift schedules for fire and police (24-hour shift staffing and scheduled overtime), while other overtime accrues for shift coverage, retirements, injuries and special events.

For school-resource officers (SROs), staff reported the district now pays 50% of SRO costs after prior negotiation; council discussed whether the city's supplement remains appropriate and whether funding could be adjusted or reallocated.

Several councilmembers questioned the budgeted cost for major events after staff reported the Merchants of Music line item has grown substantially in recent years. The transcript records two figures cited during discussion ('163,000 and $185,000) in different places; council asked staff to circulate a multi-year breakdown of actual event costs, staff hours, and police/fire overtime tied to events so members can decide whether to continue, rebrand, or pause large events to reduce cost and staffing burden.

Council asked staff for an analysis that compares the marginal cost of adding one or two officers versus recurring overtime costs, and asked for a proposal on timing if council wishes to reallocate funds to public safety rather than events. No formal motion or vote on staffing or event funding was recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: staff will send a historical cost breakdown for Merchants of Music and an analysis of overtime versus additional hires to inform future budget and event decisions.