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Police and fire budgets rise as recruitment improves; police vacancies fall sharply
Summary
Police presented a roughly $5.5 million operating increase driven by salary and benefits adjustments and recent operational shifts; the chief reported sworn vacancies falling from ~23% to two open slots after pay changes. Fire also reported recruiting gains and credited ladder 21 with a recent house‑saving response.
Police and fire officials outlined budgets that emphasize personnel and operational readiness, and both departments reported notable recruitment progress.
Police leaders said their operating budget shows an increase of about $5.5 million year over year, with approximately $4.8 million of that tied to salaries and benefits for sworn officers (COLA and anniversary step increases). The presentation also clarified a bookkeeping shift: 911 dispatch and other previously included items were removed from the police operating line and treated as citywide functions, producing an apples‑to‑apples comparison for police operations. The department is requesting a police fleet specialist position to improve vehicle maintenance and equipment tracking, and staff noted the Axon camera contract was moved into DTS for centralized management.
Chief John Chambers highlighted staffing gains: where the department had a roughly 23% vacancy rate earlier, he said vacancies are now down to two sworn openings and the department has a July academy and another academy planned for October. "As of this moment, we have two vacancies in sworn," the chief said, noting 38 viable candidates already in the pipeline and hundreds of applicants for recent academies.
Fire leadership reported similar recruitment improvements and operational investments. Chief Nolles said the department is running academies and expects to be fully staffed when the class completes; he credited Ladder 21—added in last year’s amendment—with helping to contain a two‑alarm residential fire that otherwise could have consumed multiple homes. Fire’s FY27 proposal includes funding for periodic promotional testing, apparatus replacement and continued station maintenance work.
Why it matters: Personnel are the largest line items for both public‑safety departments. Restored competitiveness in pay reduces vacancies and short‑term overtime costs; capital requests (apparatus, breathing apparatus) aim to sustain operational readiness.
What’s next: Departments will continue to provide recruiting updates and details on fleet and capital replacement timelines as part of the budget adoption process.
