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Woodbury outlines $60M public safety campus expansion and staffing gains
Summary
Mayor Anne Bert and Public Safety Director Jason Posel described a public safety campus expansion funded largely by a voter-approved half-cent local option sales tax, with bidding landing just under a $60 million budget and planned groundbreaking this spring; city leaders also reported recent growth in police and EMS staffing.
City officials told attendees that a major expansion of Woodbury’s public safety campus is moving forward with funding from a voter-approved local option sales tax.
Mayor Anne Bert said the project went to bid and the combined number came in just under the $60 million budget. “Groundbreaking will occur sometime later this year, hopefully this spring or by early summer,” she said, and noted that staff will temporarily relocate to county and city facilities during renovation.
Public Safety Director Jason Posel described operational and personnel changes tied to the expansion and to broader strategic priorities: culture, community connections and crime prevention. Posel said the department has focused on recruitment and retention, streamlined hiring processes and adjusted employment terms to attract candidates.
Posel reported staffing increases over the last two years, saying the city grew from 65 to 81 police officers and from 23 to 40 EMS/fire personnel; nine new sworn personnel were sworn in just the night before. He also said the department converted EMS firefighters from 12-hour to 24-hour shifts to increase coverage hours, improve response times and reduce overtime.
Officials invited residents to visit the public safety information booth for further details on staffing plans and station operations during construction.
