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Police and fire defend budgets as council probes overtime, vacancies and vehicle needs
Summary
At a finance hearing the police and fire chiefs defended their FY27 spending requests, citing contractual obligations, vacancies and rising costs for fuel, equipment and health claims; council members pressed for clearer vehicle, overtime and contingency accounting.
The finance committee devoted significant time to police and fire budgets, questioning assumptions about overtime, vacancies and capital needs while department leaders described grants, contractual drivers and operational constraints.
Police presentation: Police Chief Winquist (introduced during the hearing) told the committee the department was carrying six vacancies and that contractual obligations, pensions and special pay items drive much of the budget pressure. The chief said some overtime spikes were tied to vacancies, mutual-aid deployments and long-term injuries. He also described recent grant successes…
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