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Council hears plan to restore paused public‑safety positions funded by voter‑approved 1% sales tax
Summary
Staff told the council the 1% sales tax will fund restored public‑safety positions — including battalion chiefs, captains and police officers — and that some positions previously paid with ARPA will be shifted to the new sales‑tax funding.
City staff told the council that the voter‑approved 1% sales tax is explicitly proposed to fund several public‑safety positions that had been paused or temporarily funded through ARPA.
“Battalion chiefs, 3 fire captains, 1 firefighter paramedic, 2 police lieutenants, 1 police sergeant, and 5 police officers,” Kate said when listing positions to be covered by the sales‑tax allocation. She emphasized these are not new positions but existing roles the city plans to code to the new sales‑tax revenue stream.
Councilmembers pressed staff on how vacancies would be filled and whether departments would cover gaps with acting assignments or overtime; staff replied that approaches will vary by department and that some minimum staffing needs in fire require overtime coverage until permanent fills are trained. Staff also noted that ARPA funds that previously supported some positions have expired, increasing the importance of the new sales‑tax funding stream.
