Brownsburg public safety leaders flag hiring challenges; council urged to discuss pay and pensions during budget talks

Public safety officials told the council that recruitment and retention remain a challenge and urged council engagement in budget planning to address pay and pension issues.

A police representative briefed the council on recent recruitment activity and the rapidly filled youth summer camps, and noted vacant school police and forensic positions. The official urged council members to meet during budget development to discuss sworn personnel pay and pension considerations and said the department planned a reserve recruitment effort in April.

Fire Chief Larry Alcor reported 60 firefighters assigned per shift and said six new hires will begin academy training April 27 for a 20-week program. He highlighted retirements by personnel with 20 years of service and noted that pay (rather than benefits) is the main retention pressure for younger recruits: “One of the big C and Gracie is pay. Especially young guys, they want to think about their families,” Chief Alcor said.

During public comment, David Wyant raised concerns about FSLA-related legal expenses and the timing and communication of payroll-calculation changes; council leadership cautioned members about discussing details of ongoing litigation at the meeting.