Kingsburg oversight committee accepts Measure E budget after hearing police, fire spending reports

Kingsburg ' The Kingsburg Public Safety Tax Citizens Oversight Committee voted May 12 to accept the proposed fiscal-year 2026'27 budget for Measure E, the city's 1% public safety district tax, after staff said revenues have substantially exceeded early projections and police and fire officials described how the money is being spent.

City Manager Alex Alexander Henderson told the committee that Measure E, approved by voters in 2018, was originally forecast to generate about $1 million annually but "receipts have exceeded those estimates by more than double" since the first full year of collections. Henderson said fiscal-year 2026 receipts are expected to be about $2.6 million and that the city has received more than $17 million from Measure E since inception; he also noted the tax is set to expire Sept. 30, 2028 and the council placed a renewal measure on the June 2, 2026 ballot.

The committee then heard departmental breakdowns of how Measure E funds have been used and are proposed for 2026'27. Police Chief Sha Stevens said Measure E supports department training, equipment and staffing, including one police service technician, two lieutenants, one sergeant and four officers funded in whole or in part by the measure (about 8.25 measure-funded positions) within a 29'person full-time department. Stevens told the committee the department is in year four of a five-year body-worn camera subscription that costs roughly $75,000 annually and has purchased additional Flock ALPR cameras to aid investigations.

On the cameras, Stevens said the Flock ALPR units capture license plates and "we can't share it with any federal agencies," adding that the system has helped investigators link vehicles from outside Kingsburg to local crimes.

Fire Chief Rodney Roberts outlined Measure E spending for the fire department, saying the measure funds three fire captains, one apparatus engineer and a part-time administrative assistant (four full- and one part-time positions), while the department's total safety staff includes 18 full-time and six part-time personnel. Roberts described purchases and standardization efforts ' including radios, extrication tools, medical devices such as video laryngoscopes and intraosseous (IO) equipment ' and said the department completed payment on a new fire engine and is saving about $110,000 per year toward a replacement engine that could cost about $1.3 million when acquired.

After questions from committee members, staff recommended the committee accept the Measure E budget "in compliance with Resolution 2018-051." A committee member moved to accept, another seconded, and the motion was approved by voice vote; the committee did not record individual vote tallies in the transcript.

The committee meeting also reviewed public-comment rules and approved prior meeting minutes. With no further business, the committee adjourned.