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Committee reviews police staffing, overtime and camera requests as part of 2026 budget
Summary
City committee reviewed the police department’s 2026 budget package, focusing on staffing counts, cadet conversions, holiday overtime and proposed camera investments (Flock expansion and ShotSpotter funding). Council asked for clearer line-item labeling and possible use of BlueLine funds to cover camera costs.
The Committee of the Whole met March 5 to review the police department’s proposed 2026 budget, with discussion centered on staffing levels, overtime costs, cadet hiring and requests to expand camera systems and strike a financial plan for ShotSpotter and Flock Safety equipment.
Why it matters: The police budget is a major driver of this year’s departmental spending and changes in grant support (HUD/CDBG/ARP) mean the general fund is absorbing costs once covered by outside sources. Council members pressed for clearer accounting of reimbursable overtime, accumulated time (AT) liabilities and which funds will carry new recurring costs.
City finance staff walked council through the police packet and said baseline personnel counts used to build the budget include three captains, eight lieutenants and 30 detectives, with roughly 82 patrol officers used as the patrol baseline. Finance staff also noted the payroll baseline excludes a 20th-payroll and retro adjustments; with those items…
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