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Ivins police chief requests two officers and seeks council OK to hire one candidate now
Summary
Police chief told the council he is proposing an ~8% increase to the department budget to add two officers, replace vehicles and cover higher Axon contract costs; he asked the council for informal support to hire one candidate immediately if finance/HR confirm administrative feasibility.
At the Feb. 26 Ivins City Council work meeting, the police chief presented a staffing and equipment request that would raise the department budget roughly 8% (about "a little over $300,000") and asked council for direction on hiring timing and retention conditions.
The chief said he is requesting two additional officers: one to backfill patrol (allowing a current detective to return to patrol) and one supervisory position to provide on‑the‑job leadership and oversight. "I'm requesting 2 additional officers," the chief told council. He also outlined vehicle needs to move to a five‑year replacement cycle and noted an increase in the department’s Axon contract for body cameras and related services from about $65,000 to $81,000, which includes translation and AI features the department uses for accreditation and caller needs.
On interagency costs, the chief said a dispatch restructuring and new memorandum of understanding with partners is expected to produce roughly $80,000 in joint savings shared between police and fire beginning July 1. He asked whether the council would support bringing one vetted candidate into the department immediately to preserve an available academy slot; the chief estimated that bringing that candidate on now would cost just under $40,000 but said the city might cover the current year impact through donations or internal adjustments.
Councilmembers discussed retention agreements for academy‑funded officers (a two‑year commitment was suggested), whether some supervisory duties could be assigned to a civilian position, and availability of reserve vehicles for a new hire. Several members signaled informal support for authorizing one immediate hire contingent on finance and HR confirmation; the mayor asked staff to check with the city manager and HR on legality and administrative process before placing any formal hiring action on the agenda.
Next step: staff will confirm whether the hire can be handled administratively within current appropriations or whether an agenda item and/or budget amendment is needed, and will return with the chief's full budget detail and recommended retention language.
