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Council weighs adding investigator and patrol officers as staff warns of tight budget
Summary
Staff recommended funding an additional police investigator, an additional firefighter and replacement tasers; council debated tradeoffs between hiring, equipment and cuts and staff said the net impact with recommended savings would be roughly $200,000.
Staff told council their recommended package to preserve public safety would fund an additional police investigator, an additional firefighter and replacement police tasers. "Staff is coming with a recommendation to fund an additional investigator, an additional firefighter, and the replacement of our police officer tasers," staff said, and estimated the net impact at about $200,000 assuming staff-identified cuts.
Councilors discussed alternatives, including phasing purchases or hiring and whether to fund equipment like license-plate cameras instead of officers. Police and public-safety officials said meeting minimum patrol coverage would require adding personnel: the recommended mix would restore three officers per patrol shift under typical scheduling and provide detective capacity, while leaving some wish-list items deferred if the council opts for a lower rate.
