Committee advances police and fire salary ordinance; councilors press chief on staffing and funding

The Lawrence City council committee unanimously recommended Ordinance Proposal 9 20 25 — an ordinance fixing salaries of appointed officers and employees of the police department and the fire department for 2026 — forwarding the measure to full council.

Committee members used the police-and-fire salary discussion to press the police chief and controller on staffing levels and the budgetary drivers of a large proposed increase in the police general-fund allocation. The motion to recommend Proposal 9 was made and later recorded as moved by Zach and seconded by Councilor Jobs; the committee vote was 100% in favor.

Police Chief comments and data drove much of the discussion. The chief said the department’s authorized manpower strength is 68 and that the department was attempting to maintain that authorized level despite current payroll counts below that number. “Our authorized manpower strength is 68,” the chief said, adding recruitment and retention challenges: “It is very difficult to get people into public safety… I’m forcing these guys to work a lot more with less.” The chief also confirmed that some officers were in training (academy) and that captains and supervisors have occasionally worked road shifts to cover shortages.

Councilors and staff discussed funding shifts from one source to another. The controller and other participants said some vehicle purchases and other costs previously funded by ARPA or GO bond funding had shifted into the general fund, contributing to an increase in the proposed police general-fund budget for 2026. During the meeting participants referenced a comparison contained in budget documents showing a prior general-fund figure of about $9.7 million (earlier year) and a proposed figure of about $15.3 million for 2026, and noted an approximately $1.4 million increase in the personal services line in one summary. The controller also said that roughly $700,000 of ARPA funds had been used in prior budgets for certain line items; that amount would not be available going forward.

Committee members pressed whether the department intended to remain flat at an authorized 68 officers; the chief said the department’s intent was to remain at the authorized 68 but that the current payroll count was 63. The chief said historically the department had been in the mid-60s (65–67) and that pandemic-era and other recruitment pressures had made staffing difficult.

Councilors asked whether vehicle purchases and leases were part of the rise in costs; staff said GO bond funds had been used to acquire vehicles in some cases, and that lease versus purchase decisions and debt-service timing affect how the budget appears in any single year. The chief and staff said some ordered vehicles remain at dealerships and payments would relate to debt service in the budget.

The committee forwarded the ordinance to full council for final action; the committee’s favorable recommendation does not itself enact salary changes until the full council votes and any appropriation adjustments are completed.