Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Earlham officials report quiet month for police, DNR deadline for lagoon work looms
Summary
Police Chief Matt Stringham reported a quiet month and said he is seeking generator bids for the warming center and suggested reallocating cut third-officer funds toward vehicle replacement; Public Works said lagoon phase 2 numbers are pending and must be completed per DNR by March 2027.
Police and public-works updates at the Feb. 9 Earlham City Council meeting flagged near-term operational needs and a regulatory deadline.
Police Chief Matt Stringham told the council the past month was "pretty quiet," including New Year’s Eve, and said he is seeking bids for a generator for the city’s warming center. Stringham also said the police budget was cut for a proposed third officer and that he is "wanting to look at taking some of the money and put it towards the vehicle replacement line for FY27." The council did not make an immediate allocation decision during the meeting.
Public Works Supervisor Gary Coffman reported crews are working on pothole repairs and planning to install new stop signs once the ground softens. Coffman said the city is working with engineering firm Shive on a water-main project and is still awaiting cost numbers for lagoon phase 2. "We have to have this completed per the DNR by March of 2027," Coffman said, noting the timeline requirement.
Both department reports were informational; council members set additional budget sessions to finalize FY27 numbers and will consider staffing and capital requests as part of that process.
