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City staff outline Proposition Police and Fire plan, proposing 9 police and 6 firefighter positions
Summary
At a Feb. 9 work session, city staff presented the Proposition Police and Fire election plan that would add nine police officers and six firefighters, boost wages to be more competitive with the region and fund facility and equipment upgrades if voters approve the proposition.
City staff on Feb. 9 told the Joplin City Council that Proposition Police and Fire would deliver new positions, pay increases and facility upgrades if approved by voters.
"A vote yes allows for 9 additional police officer positions," Edwards said, outlining staffing as one of three core elements of the plan alongside wages and facility/equipment improvements. He also said the measure would fund hiring "an additional beat" and would help reduce response times.
Edwards said the package would add six firefighter positions to address heavy call volumes — "nearly 10,000 calls," he said — and ease mandatory overtime caused by minimum staffing problems. He described proposed facility work that includes replacing Fire Station 3, modernizing the police firing range ("redoing the berms and doing some better security and training space") and upgrading the public safety training center so crews have basic amenities during drills.
Wages are a major component of the proposal. Edwards said the city is currently behind the regional market — "sometimes 12 to $7,000 below" — and that the proposition is intended to make the city's pay more competitive to recruit officers and firefighters.
Council members asked how the new positions would change shift schedules and staffing targets. Council member Campbell asked whether nine officers would be enough to move away from 12-hour shifts; council discussion referenced a prior manpower allocation study that suggested a larger staffing target (an older figure cited as 132 sworn officers and a separate figure of 17 officers to meet a particular allocation). Staff and council members cautioned that annexations and major developments could increase future needs.
Edwards closed his presentation and opened the floor to questions; no formal vote on the proposition occurred during the work session. The council then moved on to review the city facilities security plan.
The presentation gave council members a clearer list of program components to reference in future outreach to voters and set the parameters for follow-up budget and staffing discussions.
