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Leawood adds three firefighter positions mid‑year to ease mandatory overtime
Summary
The council unanimously approved a 2026 budget amendment adding three full‑time firefighter positions, which staff said will reduce mandatory overtime and improve morale; staff estimated $75,000 cost for the remainder of 2026 and an approximate $300,000 annual cost (half offset by reduced overtime).
The Leawood City Council on Monday approved a mid‑year budget amendment adding three full‑time firefighter positions to the 2026 budget to reduce mandatory overtime and address staffing shortfalls.
City administration explained that human resources and fire leadership found the department was relying on overtime to meet minimum staffing in roughly 65% of shifts, which had become unsustainable and hurt morale. Diane Stoddard said about half the net annual cost could be drawn from existing overtime allocations. Stoddard estimated the 2026 impact at roughly $75,000 for the remainder of the year and an annualized impact near $300,000, with roughly $150,000 as the net new recurring cost after overtime offsets.
Fire Chief Colin Fitzgerald said the department remains short‑staffed in places and that adding one more person per shift will reduce the need to mandate personnel and improve day‑to‑day operations. The chief said recruitment remains challenging but staff had a recent candidate pool and could fill positions quickly if council authorized the hires.
Council members discussed long‑term staffing requests that will be part of the 2027 budget development; staff said the decision package submitted for 2027 would be adjusted by three FTEs if this mid‑year addition were approved. The motion to amend the budget and add the three FTEs passed unanimously.
