Citizen committee backs half‑cent sales tax and $40M bond to strengthen Flagstaff fire, police, emergency management and airport rescue

Flagstaff City Council on May 26, 2025 received the citizen committee's public safety funding recommendation after months of analysis and public meetings: a half‑cent sales tax for ongoing personnel and operations, a $40 million general‑obligation bond for one‑time capital (with supplemental development impact fees), and an evaluation of the city’s water resource and infrastructure protection fee to support wildland fire prevention.

The committee chair, Mike Leaven, summarized the process and the package, saying the group reduced an initial $511 million list of needs to a narrower, prioritized set and ultimately recommended "a half‑cent sales tax, a $40 million bond, and asking the council to revisit the RIP funds as possible funding sources." He added: "Sales tax increase is never very popular, but neither are cities that cannot meet their basic needs for fire and safety."

Why it matters: staff presented financial context showing public safety already accounts for a large share of the city general fund (about 46% of the $117M general fund) and that continued growth, rising personnel and equipment costs, and reductions in some state support (dispatch funding) are straining capacity. The package is aimed at catching up on decades of underinvestment and addressing current operational shortfalls in fire (all‑risk staffing, station space, wildland response), police (dispatch, detectives, evidence management and analyst capacity), emergency management (planning, recovery and public information), and aircraft rescue firefighting at the airport.

Fire: Chief Gaylord said the department’s call volume has roughly doubled since 2008 and highlighted wildland risk inside city limits, undersized stations that cannot house necessary apparatus (including ladder/quint trucks), and shortages of paramedics and on‑duty company staffing. He described a mix of ongoing operational needs (personnel, training, supplies and protective equipment) and capital needs (new or modernized stations and wildland training/operations facilities).

Police and dispatch: Police Chief Connley described results of an independent PFM workload analysis showing the department’s detectives manage 170–200 cases each (where national guidance suggests 80–120), dispatchers handle a large regional load from Cooke‑Nanino County and call‑taking and dispatch are frequently performed by the same consoles, and evidence storage and management lack adequate space and dedicated supervisors. The committee recommended adding sworn and civilian capacity, modernizing evidence and records facilities, and funding analyst and police‑aid positions to free patrol time for community engagement.

Airport rescue (ARF): Battalion Chief Tim Skinner described FAA minimums, the airport’s growing commercial traffic and the safety implications of larger aircraft, noting that increasing operations (recent 128‑seat aircraft visits) elevate the need for adequate ARF staffing and equipment. He said the current minimum staffing sometimes limits the ability of firefighters to exit trucks and perform primary actions at large incidents.

Financial mechanics and tradeoffs: Staff estimated the half‑cent sales tax would generate about $18.2 million annually and that the $40 million bond could be augmented by an estimated $15 million in development impact fees. The committee and staff deliberately used the bond for one‑time capital and the sales tax for ongoing personnel and operating needs to keep the sales tax as low as possible.

Public comment: Michael Oliver, president of the Flagstaff Law Enforcement Association, and Casey Gonzalez (online, representing dispatch experience and union perspective) spoke in favor of the package, citing burnout, 18‑hour shifts and 500 calls per day at the regional dispatch center as evidence of operational strain.

Council direction: Several council members praised the thorough committee process and asked staff for clear voter materials and accountability reporting if a ballot measure is called; council discussed a June 16 placeholder for a resolution to call the election and additional outreach through June–November if council advances a ballot question.

Next steps: Staff listed a potential schedule: follow‑up discussion June 2, a council placeholder for a resolution June 16 to call an election, and an outreach/education campaign through the summer and fall if the measure is placed on the November ballot.