Council directs staff to fill two previously authorized police officer positions amid staffing and overtime concerns

City staff on June 2 briefed the council on police staffing, training and budget impacts and received direction to fill two previously authorized supplemental officer positions.

Staff said the department authorized three supplemental positions in the prior budget cycle; two were funded this year but remained vacant while recruitment and salary adjustments were completed. The presentation outlined current‑year budget balances, an anticipated overtime shortfall and estimated full‑year costs: roughly $190,000 to fund two positions for a full year (about $320,000 if all three positions were fully funded as a long‑term target). "The projected OT budget is going to be about $35,000 in the red towards the end of the year," staff said.

Chief and sergeants described a comprehensive field training program (FTO) typically lasting about 20 weeks for academy‑fresh officers, with supervised phases and a final 'ghost' evaluation before solo patrol. Staff also presented a reserve officer plan and explained that reserves would require the same full FTO program because reserves carry identical authorities and liabilities.

Several council members voiced support for restoring staffing to safer levels and stressed the public‑safety implications of single‑officer response coverage. One council member noted recent hires and training progress: "We just hired three new police officers, and we're talking additional two to get up to speed to staff," a council member said, urging steady hiring to avoid destabilizing training resources.

Outcome: Council gave staff direction to unfreeze and proceed to fill the two funded supplemental officer positions. The direction was recorded as council consensus and operational direction to the city administrator and police chief; no formal recorded roll‑call vote was needed before staff may begin recruitments and onboarding.