Orange City public safety leaders seek new officers, equipment in FY 2026–27 budget kickoff

Orange City public-safety leaders on May 26 asked the City Council to approve targeted staffing and equipment increases as part of the fiscal year 2026–27 budget process.

Police Chief Jerome Miller told the council the Police Department’s proposed operating budget is about $5.2 million—roughly $94,000 more than the amended 2025–26 budget—and includes capital requests of roughly $274,000 for technology and vehicle replacements. Miller said the department is requesting funding to sponsor recruits at the basic law enforcement academy ($7,800), replace automated external defibrillator pads ($6,500) and invest in body-worn camera / taser bundles, in-car camera systems and a second message board for emergency messaging. “These requests focus on operational reliability, officer safety, technology modernization, accountability systems, and equipment replacement needs,” Miller said.

Miller asked the council to approve two additional sworn officer positions—bringing sworn staffing from 31 toward a 36 total when combined with civilian staff—arguing the additions would reduce overtime, improve response capability and support proactive patrols.

Deputy Fire Chief Sam Piltchure outlined the Fire Department’s request, describing a departmental budget just under $4 million and about $141,000 in capital asks, including apparatus replacement and training equipment. Piltchure also requested a new EMS captain position (total position cost about $230,000), noting the city and the neighboring municipality of Deerry would split the salary and setup costs roughly 50/50. He described call volumes last year as about 10,000 unit responses across both cities’ stations and said additional operational capacity is needed to maintain response times and training compliance.

Council members asked clarifying questions about procurement and operations—one asked whether vehicles would be leased or purchased (Chief Miller: purchased) and another asked whether body cameras and “Axon Fleet” in-car cameras are separate systems (Miller explained body cams are worn by officers while Fleet cameras are vehicle-mounted). Fire staff described life-pack service and structural-gear replacement cycles and explained a proposed modular training prop could be used by both fire and police for realistic training scenarios.

The presentations were the first in a multi-meeting department briefing schedule the city manager said would continue through June; council members will review additional departmental requests and make adjustments as the budget process progresses.

Next steps: department presentations continue at upcoming council meetings and the council will review priorities and make budget adjustments later in the process.