Council approves budget adjustments; fire department to purchase SCBA compressor as staffing concerns persist

Calera council members approved routine budget adjustments designed to align GL lines with current revenue and expenditure figures and discussed short'term staffing pressures across public safety departments.

City staff explained the adjustments are a normal seasonal step before finalizing the operating budget and that the proposed change to the fire capital request involves buying an SCBA compressor rather than replacing airpacks because the compressor at station 2 failed and parts are unavailable. Staff said the purchase was recorded within the same GL line, so no separate budget adjustment was required.

"That was putting in replacing SBA with compressor," a staff member said while explaining the accounting treatment. Council voted to approve the budget adjustments.

Members expressed concern about recruiting and retention. Several council members noted the city has lost officers and firefighters and asked that the city commission a local pay study to ensure competitiveness with neighboring jurisdictions. Staff said comparable public-safety pay scales are often publicly available and that a formal pay study typically takes six to eight months and carries a cost when outsourced.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve agenda: approved. - Motion to dispense with minutes of May 19 work session: approved. - Motion to approve budget adjustments: approved. - Resolution 2025-34 (I'65 interstate work agreement): approved. - Board appointment (unpaid position): approved.

Council did not set immediate changes to pay scales but directed staff to prepare pay-comparison information in advance of upcoming budget deliberations; recruitment efforts will continue for vacant SRO and other public-safety positions.