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Commissioners press chiefs on staffing and overtime as city reviews $75M police, $48M fire budgets
Summary
At a Grand Rapids commission work session, city managers and chiefs outlined the public safety budget and staffing pressures: GRPD’s operating request (~$75.4M) is personnel‑heavy and—along with GRFD’s $48.3M request—has prompted a CFO‑led overtime analysis and a proposed staffing study to identify cost drivers and staffing solutions.
Grand Rapids City Manager opened a compressed budget work session that turned into a detailed public‑safety briefing, with police and fire chiefs outlining personnel pressures, training investments and capital needs as the city prepares its fiscal 2027 budget.
"As you see there, $75,400,000," Interim Police Chief Trigg said, describing the GRPD operating budget and stressing that personnel is the bulk of the expense. He said the department was authorized for 312 sworn positions and is currently operating at about 299 authorized staff, with seven recruits recently starting in‑house training. Trigg also highlighted investments in radio encryption and a multiyear radio replacement plan.
Fire Chie…
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