Police warn of staffing cliff; fire seeks new station and apparatus as grants and deployments add revenue
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Summary
Police chief flagged a 12–15% pay gap vs. peers and warned that staffing of roughly 158 officers (vs. a >200 target) risks reduced patrol and enforcement. Fire chief described growing ambulance billing, regional deployment revenue, training income and urgent capital needs including a new Station 9 (~$11.1M) and a Ladder 1 replacement (~$2.5M).
San Angelo public-safety leaders used the workshop to contrast revenue gains with operational strain.
Police Chief Travis Griffith said the department is roughly 12–15% below comparable cities on pay, contributing to recruitment and retention challenges. "When you're missing 45 police officers, it's hard to get the job done," he told council, noting mandatory overtime, reduced field contacts and falling citation volumes as practical effects. Griffith urged a targeted compensation plan and additional headcount to avoid further erosion of services; council members acknowledged the visibility of the problem and requested detailed options to address pay and headcount within overall budget constraints.
Fire Chief presented several revenue gains and capital asks. Ambulance billing revenue has risen from about $3.4M to more than $6M in three years, driven by rate adjustments, improved billing and collections. The department is also earning deployment and reimbursement revenue from the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS); last year that program returned roughly $200,000 and the chief projected $300K–$400K next year. The department is building training income (EMT/paramedic courses and TEEX partnerships) and is using TIFMAS reimbursements to buy apparatus.
Chief emphasized two urgent capital needs: Fire Station 9 (site acquired; conceptual design complete) with a current estimate of about $11.1M, and replacement of the 16-year-old Ladder 1 (recommended replacement around 15 years) at an estimated $2.5M. He said staff will continue to apply for SAFER and other grants and pursue federal discretionary funding but asked council to consider funding pathways given long lead times for apparatus and schedule-critical ISO review deadlines tied to station improvements.
Council discussion focused on trade-offs between raising public-safety pay and protecting other services; no formal funding decisions were taken. Staff will return with budget scenarios that prioritize retention/retention pay steps and phasing for critical fire capital.