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Police and fire defend budgets as council probes overtime, vacancies and vehicle needs
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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 — including a sizable award for portable radios — but said vehicle replacement had been trimmed this year, meaning the fleet will age faster. "Many of the items in our budget line items are not discretionary," the chief told council members, citing long-standing contractual commitments that limit line-item flexibility.
Council members pressed about patrol and school-resource officer vehicles, whether programs or software upgrades could be deferred, and how detail reimbursements and special-duty accounts were being reconciled. The director explained prior-year projections had been optimistic and said revenue assumptions were dialed back to more conservative levels for FY27.
Fire presentation: The fire chief said overtime has historically spiked in summer months and flagged injured-on-duty (IOD) cases as a persistent cost driver; he reported roughly 15 IOD firefighters at various stages of recovery or pension review and said the department remains short about a dozen members, increasing overtime pressure. The chief projected an overtime budget near $6.3 million and described rising equipment and vehicle maintenance costs; councilors asked whether more aggressive vehicle replacements or other savings could be found.
Combined concerns: Councillors repeatedly asked for clearer accounting on where vehicle and fuel costs are booked and urged the administration to identify cross-department savings. Several members asked whether some administrative vehicle costs or gasoline charges currently routed through police cost centers could be reallocated or reported more transparently.
Ending: Department leaders said they had trimmed nonessential items where possible and would work with the administration on contingency and contract-related lines. Council members signaled continued scrutiny as the committee moves toward final budget decisions.
