Council hears that SAFER grant end will leave a multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar gap; staffing remains a concern

City staff and public safety leaders told the council the SAFER grants that funded fire personnel will end March 9 and that the city will lose about $600,000 in grant revenue next budget cycle unless other funding is found or staff reductions are made. Fire leadership said minimum staffing is 15 today and that closing gaps to reach four personnel per station would require roughly three to six additional hires; staff discussed reapplying for SAFER and pursuing equipment grants such as AFG but noted competition and possible matching requirements.

Police leadership described rising case complexity and staffing constraints: documented minimums (often cited as '2 and 9' or two sergeants and nine patrol officers per shift) are eroded by deployments, FMLA, injuries and special operations and the department currently shows four vacancies. The police chief said felony arrests are up and that response times have degraded as a result of staffing and higher‑complexity calls.