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Police chief warns staffing losses drove overtime and asks council to budget for $94,134 shortfall
Summary
Lieutenant Brown told the budget committee the police department faces heavy turnover and higher overtime and vehicle maintenance costs for 2026; he asked staff to retain the department’s requested salary figures and add roughly $94,134 for overtime and operational contingencies if grant offsets are delayed.
Lieutenant Brown, the police department's budget presenter, told the city's budget committee that heavy staff turnover forced the department to rely on overtime and raised its projected shortfall for 2026.
"Everyone every every budget season is that this this is emergency services," Lieutenant Brown said, framing overtime as an unavoidable operational cost when staffing dips. Brown said the department lists 11 contractual officers and several civilian positions under the salary and wage line (Line 101) and is using a 4% placeholder for projected increases to uniformed salaries while PBA negotiations continue.
Brown detailed the overtime rationale: recruiting and training lag left patrol shifts short, requiring overtime to maintain 24-hour coverage. He cited a requested overtime projection in the neighborhood of $94,134.36 for the coming year and asked finance staff to keep the department’s numbers on file to inform the introduced budget.
The lieutenant also flagged rising vehicle maintenance costs, noting hourly shop rates have increased from about $100 an hour to roughly $130, and that higher repair prices—and the mileage limits on extended warranties—are inflating fleet expense projections. He described selling a high-mileage Dodge Charger and planning to replace it as part of a multi-year vehicle rotation.
On equipment, Brown asked the committee to retain funding for several contractual items, including PowerDMS policy software and a redaction tool for body-worn camera footage that the department’s five-year camera contract does not cover. He estimated redaction software at about $1,500 and said the department can accommodate that within other contractual lines if necessary.
Why it matters: Overtime, fleet repairs and training represent recurring operational costs that the committee must reconcile with constrained municipal revenue. Michael, the city’s budget official, and the finance team said they will keep the police numbers as submitted while final totals are reconciled with contract negotiations and grant outcomes.
Next steps: Committee staff will carry the department’s submitted figures forward into the draft appropriation section and circle back as negotiations with the PBA and any grant decisions become clearer.
