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Skagway leaders say housing bottleneck hinders recruiting police and fire personnel; audit recommends larger force
Summary
At a public-safety roundtable, municipal leaders and chiefs said housing shortages are blocking recruitment of additional police and EMS/fire staff; the police audit recommended 13 officers while chiefs discussed a practical need for eight officers and three firefighters per shift to reach safe staffing levels.
Municipal leaders and public-safety officials told a Skagway Municipality roundtable that the town's lack of affordable, family-friendly municipal housing is a major barrier to recruiting additional police officers and fire/EMS personnel.
Chair Dan said a community member told him recruitment stalled because no housing was available, and officials discussed using Garden City parcels to create municipal housing. Chair Dan described an option of four two-unit buildings (four lots) that could yield roughly eight housing units for essential staff, and he urged prioritizing housing for police, fire and clinic personnel.
Jonathan, a committee member, asked about staffing targets. The police chief said an external audit recommended 13 officers; the chief estimated that eight officers would provide two-person coverage and reduce solo patrol risks. Fire leadership said the department currently operates two personnel per shift but needs three to meet standards; the gap requires overtime and affects responders' well-being.
Officials also discussed short-term options: a duplex at the well house (half occupied by the clinic) and a municipal apartment on 14th Street that may become available; they asked staff to compile an inventory of municipal rental properties. The fire chief said it "would be easy to pull from Alana," referring to the municipal staff member who manages housing records.
Participants emphasized that housing alone does not solve staffing: equipment, onboarding and permanent staffing strategies are also required. Members asked for a coordinated three-year needs assessment involving the school superintendent, clinic and public-safety departments to size municipal housing and hiring plans.
The meeting concluded with no formal vote on a housing allocation or staffing budget; the chair asked for follow-up work and requested an inventory of municipal housing units to inform next steps.
