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Council suspends rules and passes LIT appropriation for police, fire overtime
Summary
The council voted 7–0 to pass Ordinance 2026-22 on first reading (rules suspended) to appropriate local income tax funds to cover overtime and staffing shortfalls in the police and fire departments after leaders described staffing shortages that have exhausted overtime budgets.
The Logansport Common Council voted unanimously to pass Ordinance 2026-22 on first reading and suspended the rules to enact an appropriation of local income tax (LIT) funds for police and fire earlier on July 15. Council members said the measure was needed to cover overtime expenses that both departments exhausted in recent months.
Sean, a police representative, told the committee the department is roughly 25% short-staffed and has been relying on overtime for specialized assignments: “Basically, due to our staffing shortages, we're about 25% short on our staffage,” he said, describing higher overtime rates when internal officers cover extra shifts and the department’s efforts to speed up hiring. Fire department staff described similar overtime pressures after retirements and workers’ compensation absences and urged considering filling full-time positions to mitigate long-term overtime costs.
Council members voted 7–0 to suspend the rules and approve the ordinance on first reading; city staff said $50,000 would be identified in the current year and the remaining $200,000 would be determined during next year’s budget process and implemented through the parks board budget and department accounts where appropriate.
