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Hot Springs council split over adding ninth police officer as budget shortfall looms
Summary
Council debated a Police Chief request for one extra officer with a package cost of $97,438. Supporters framed the hire as a safety and coverage issue; opponents said the city should first achieve a structurally balanced budget and avoid adding recurring expenses. The council was evenly split and did not add the position to the 2026 draft budget.
The Hot Springs City Council was sharply divided over a Police Department request to add an additional officer for 2026 after staff and the mayor presented a packaged, fully-loaded cost estimate of $97,438.
Mayor outlined the tradeoff: adding the officer would reduce the city’s stated general-fund shortfall from about $125,275 to roughly $27,000, but doing so would make a recurring personnel expense that the city would need to sustain in future budgets. "When I look at the 97,000, and I subtract that from the $125,000 deficit ... that would put us to a deficit of $27,000," the Mayor said.
Council members who supported the hire cited officer safety, single-shift risk and the frequency of high-risk calls. A council member summarized the public-safety rationale: additional staff reduces single-officer responses and the associated risks when officers must detain people or manage high-risk incidents alone. Supporters argued the long-run public-safety benefits justify budgeting for an additional officer.
Opponents stressed fiscal constraints and the need to first reach a structurally balanced budget before embedding new recurring costs. Several council members noted the city finished 2024 with substantial near-term capital draws and argued it would be prudent to delay hiring until the municipality's fiscal position is clearly improved.
Council discussion noted that adding staff does not instantly eliminate overtime or all single-officer responses; off-duty and county resources still provide backup in emergencies. The council ended the night effectively deadlocked (4–4) on the question, and Misty removed the additional officer from the draft budget for now; the police salaries line without the new officer was shown as $659,375 moving forward.
Next steps: Council members were asked to meet individually with the Police Chief to review staffing, overtime patterns and the detailed costs before the next meeting; the question will be revisited if new information or consensus emerges.
