[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6047045,"mediaKeyId","3539061-66343fe806d12eb28103c6399bc87b97","parentId",3539061,"title","Police budget hearing underscores crime reductions, tech spending and staffing questions","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",4800000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3539061-66343fe806d12eb28103c6399bc87b97&start=4800&end=4800","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3539061-66343fe806d12eb28103c6399bc87b97/thumbnail_4800000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6047045/Wilmington-City/New-Castle-County/Delaware/Police-budget-hearing-underscores-crime-reductions-tech-spending-and-staffing-questions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6047045-20c1bd7b7880c66264a25b580017ed25/orig.mp4?Expires=1770415674&Signature=V5TKlVfOD8OZ44ypbS5oItiTuoX6HShXm-pMV94i0oPa-YVC1A854htGAy69MBA2XNo0Z2uTLlXGBE6alb0s18Dr4AhPdbpoOF5qu7RIQ7p3Rm~KNf6Myyq1BP3xt4jrQqIjitMLE~G7xZnr2CN4ZeblPw193lCSHjsIvThbaKcqRrW43Tmo8q7FXVlHqxWMwkO-B07nwzFmbqz1Fr8j-UWT-Ka6pz57UJwl01Qz7qqMyp1gAsariRNfe9ziZ9csrHqtV-Umi~L~p8tvqZGjfsdUBVgMBVObRYoaSJXg93fOXCdZuBVgEZ6qJdMrf798fqWA6au9lVsPhJDvgNmIkg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Wilmington, DE","date","2025-04-24T00:00:00Z","article","The Wilmington Finance Committee resumed its budget hearings with a detailed presentation of the Police Department’s proposed FY2026 general fund budget. Deputy OMB Director Winkler and Police Chief Robert Campos described a $69.5 million general fund budget that emphasizes technology and community programs while reflecting modest overall changes to staffing and personnel costs.

Chief Campos opened by citing year‑to‑date reductions in shooting incidents and murders compared with 2017 and the prior year—figures he presented to illustrate recent crime‑reduction trends—and summarized community outreach and partner programs the department administers.

Why it matters: the police budget funds front‑line public safety, crime‑prevention initiatives and technology purchases; the proposed plan reflects both operating constraints (removal of a one‑time retention bonus included in FY25) and targeted investments in analytics, real‑time monitoring and community programming.

Key points from the presentation and Q&A

- Budget totals and staffing: the proposed FY26 general fund budget is $69.5 million, up about 1% from FY25. Personal services account for 84% of the budget. The department’s authorized sworn strength is 305 officers; actual strength reported was lower (273 at the time of the hearing), with about 22 vacancies and roughly 10 recruits currently in the academy.

- Technology and contracted services: MS&E is up roughly $789,000, driven by consultant costs (including $275,000 for the biennial promotional process and $150,000 to implement Telestaff scheduling software), increased maintenance contracts, license plate reader and ShotSpotter costs, and body‑worn camera licensing.

- Real‑time crime center and cameras: Chief Campos reported 111 city‑wide cameras and said the real‑time crime center is staffed to provide lengthy daily coverage; the budget includes line items for ShotSpotter and license plate recognition. During questioning, staff acknowledged not all cameras are operational at any given time and that damage and equipment age require ongoing maintenance.

- New positions and programs: the proposed budget adds a civilian crime analyst position for the gun intelligence center and continues funding for community programs including Partners in Care, neighborhood resource fairs and a community engagement unit. The budget also includes $30,000 to support the Police Accountability Board / Citizen Review Board and program funding for Partners in Care, with a plan to ask for larger allocations in FY27 if grants are exhausted.

- Crossing guards and academy: the department reported difficulties hiring crossing guards; 21 of 35 crossing‑guard locations were filled at the time of the hearing. The department is running a police academy with 10 recruits and is planning future classes (24‑week academy plus 24 weeks of field training). The department said crossing‑guard positions are posted online and pay $15–$21 per hour.

- Capital needs: the budget lists capital requests including $460,000 for new public safety building elevators (parts for the existing elevators are no longer manufactured) and $130,000 to replace HVAC equipment in the 9‑1‑1 center.

Council concerns and follow up

Council members asked about allocation of officers among districts (including a 15‑officer downtown/riverfront assignment), strategies for take‑home vehicles and alternative incentives to improve recruitment and retention, and the operational status and prioritization of cameras in hot spots. Chief Campos said the department is open to a range of approaches to recruitment and retention and emphasized the need to remain competitive with other agencies.

Ending: The committee concluded the police department’s Q&A and asked staff to provide follow‑up materials and operational clarifications as needed; members were reminded that the next budget hearings would include human resources and the law department.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Wilmington FY2026 Budget Hearings | WPD & WFD | 4/23/2025","oneSentenceSummary","At a Wilmington Finance Committee hearing, Police Chief Campos and budget staff presented the FY26 police budget, highlighted declines in shootings and homicides, and outlined funding for technology, a new crime analyst, academy classes and crossing guards amid staffing vacancies.","taxTitle","Wilmington City, New Castle County, Delaware","taxId",12638,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6047049,"Fire department budget hearing highlights EMS expansion, 30 new positions and outsourced billing",1596,1548000,3144000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3539061-66343fe806d12eb28103c6399bc87b97&start=1548&end=3144","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3539061-66343fe806d12eb28103c6399bc87b97/thumbnail_1548000.jpg","/articles/6047049/Wilmington-City/New-Castle-County/Delaware/Fire-department-budget-hearing-highlights-EMS-expansion-30-new-positions-and-outsourced-billing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6047049-4a72b2b1195e895fdb48686c995fc001/orig.mp4?Expires=1770415674&Signature=ix5K6erKwRXqNPt8OJNqmWv1e9rkiRyY1hcvXBWkz5XTm7F~S0jYUPXW~lN00xxOLzYOHKvbe6Wqpy7xztvqeYYaGCoIsdFIYP1laRN8Xv~gIUm0bM4NYdLJWsRn3HtClzfho6nXU709kF2SzOgU5P-vggtC5LVOefbnfoxY8mmImoKkS3EXEpRls-LzfWaJ-u1ReS~kK8F1Na-ZgVg~MGpdoy6lNLrxSqpdmCDaXRf4tct~ggly4Mg3xrXJozoPyjrcxaQix0pwMKtxjZ7xpFIcHYcVEI3q0X7~2WAL3ZX~5excCtsZSMvf4flsctAp0p8303DXU~sc0bykpGmTRg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wilmington Finance Committee held a budget hearing for the Fire Department in which city budget staff and Fire Chief Kurt Looney outlined a proposed FY 2026 general fund budget that adds EMS operations to fire department responsibilities and increases authorized firefighter strength.

Winkler, the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the proposed FY26 fire general fund budget is roughly $36 million, an increase of about $3 million (8.9%) over the original FY25 budget. He told the committee the single largest new cost is EMS: the city added 30 firefighter positions to support ambulance transport and related EMS operations and budgeted a net additional EMS operating cost of about $1.3 million after projected billing revenue.

Nut graf: the city has moved to provide ambulance transport directly after Trinity Health’s EMS operations became unsustainable; the FY26 budget reflects staffing increases, vehicle and equipment purchases, outsourcing of medical billing and startup costs, and projected insurer revenue that is expected to offset some operating costs.

Major points presented

- Staffing and costs: the budget shows total authorized firefighter strength rising to 186 (up 30 from the original FY25 authorized level), with 31 new positions reflected in personal services. Winkler said the total cost of the 30 positions is approximately $2.7 million; an upgraded battalion chief post for EMS oversight was shown at ~ $36,000 additional cost; a civilian EMS manager to handle billing and compliance was budgeted at $116,000.

- EMS operating costs and revenue: staff reported a total additional EMS operations cost of $3.8 million relative to the original FY25 budget. The city expects EMS medical insurance billing revenue of about $2.5 million in FY26; after that revenue the net new EMS operating cost was presented as roughly $1.3 million.

- Billing contract and fees: staff said the city will contract with Specklen for medical insurance billing and will budget about $290,000 for outsourced billing and compliance. Fire leadership reiterated that Specklen will not conduct collections; the vendor will submit claims and follow up once, but collection activity would be the city’s responsibility and was not planned because staff said collection costs would exceed likely recoveries.

- Apparatus, equipment and startup: Chief Looney said the department has five primary ambulances and three reserves and plans to purchase one new ambulance in FY26 at an estimated cost of approximately $300,000. The budget also includes $687,000 for replacement protective gear that Chief Looney said meets NFPA replacement standards. The MS&E line includes startup supplies and training costs of roughly $225,000 and $380,000 in internal services for ambulance operating costs, insurance and workers’ compensation.

Questions from council and staff clarifications

Council members asked how many residents are uninsured and how much of billed revenue would be self‑pay; staff said precise local uninsured counts were not immediately available and agreed to follow up. Chief Looney said Specklen’s base billing rates are adjusted when insurers settle claims, and he promised to provide more detail on the likely patient responsibility amounts for uninsured residents.

Council member inquiries also covered overtime, academy and recruitment costs. Staff said FY26 includes $335,000 in overtime budget to cover vacancies and vacations and a larger $1.5 million overtime line was discussed as covering expected vacancy coverage and transition demands. The department said recruit academy costs per trainee include protective gear (~$11,500 per recruit) and training/certification expenses and that an academy was scheduled to begin May 2.

Grants and capital

Chief Looney reported grant funds remaining in his grant account of about $1,024,289 to support training grounds and other projects; he said some grant funds would be used to replace a fire engine on order, and to fund phased training ground improvements. The capital line contains an allocation of about $3.5 million for station renovations and repairs.

What did not change

Chief Looney said the city intends to maintain minimum manning as required by the collective bargaining agreement and that no positions were deleted; the proposed FY26 budget reflects both negotiated salary and benefit increases and operational changes tied to municipal EMS.

Ending: The committee completed its question and answer session and asked staff to provide scheduled follow‑ups, including the uninsured population share and additional billing details.","At a Wilmington Finance Committee budget hearing, staff and Fire Chief Looney detailed the FY26 fire department budget that adds EMS operations, 30 firefighter positions, ambulances and an outsourced billing contract, while projecting partial offsetting revenues.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6047054,"Finance committee advances ordinance updating ambulance fees as city takes over EMS billing",554,614000,1168000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3539061-66343fe806d12eb28103c6399bc87b97&start=614&end=1168","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3539061-66343fe806d12eb28103c6399bc87b97/thumbnail_614000.jpg","/articles/6047054/Wilmington-City/New-Castle-County/Delaware/Finance-committee-advances-ordinance-updating-ambulance-fees-as-city-takes-over-EMS-billing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6047054-c1da0ea1511657d5818abda11ecad09f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770415674&Signature=oQVAzhwgv8boqs3cnXjez2y6FA1uVxIfnXHKzV-Acjwi5Vn-Cx7-XBJl4xPFFK8JL3s5YZmPXzuQuL8oCDhBV7k6Oq6h1ov4yIzKCd2MkQgV~ntSGQnHyBmmIzkha7BlDuLp44vrUzMY-1zTB~y7Q~T9RUpK9PZ5KxS0Cs-LcS616f13FK76rS-UglKE5P8FMsP-G2wTdMVyblkZzKx8VZqyS2AA--wRvvC4jmI-eMTGH~RwITGobQSWN9rvUa1gPPiY6Ga-QQG9j2pl4K~ulFWYGv1awXWZ1NBVmOdBNLthJAuQennCiN6xnF8xJlFiJDSL8mEGTwGUSbUwr9ZQZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wilmington Finance Committee on an evening meeting agreed to send Ordinance 25‑012—an amendment to Chapter 10 of the city code revising ambulance and related service fees—to the full City Council for final consideration on May 1.

The measure, presented by Stephanie Mergler, deputy chief of staff for the mayor’s office, accompanies the city’s planned takeover of emergency medical services (EMS) billing from Trinity Health. Mergler said the city will contract with a third‑party medical billing firm, Specklen, to handle insurance billing and compliance. \"We have engaged a third party billing company called Specklen, to perform the medical insurance billing,\" she told the committee.

Committee members were told the ordinance updates fees that have not been changed since 1994 and are intended to align billable rates with industry standards and insurer expectations. Mergler and budget staff said the city expects to bill Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers at the new rates and projected roughly $2.5 million in EMS billing revenue in the first year, with a possible rise to $3–4 million in later years as operations ramp up.

Why it matters: the city is taking over ambulance transport from Trinity Health, which previously billed for EMS and recently changed how it provided service. Updating fees and establishing a billing process are central to offsetting the city’s new operating costs for EMS.

Key details from staff presentation

- The third‑party biller will submit insurer claims; staff said Specklen will not perform debt collection on outstanding patient bills. Mergler said Specklen will send an initial bill and a 30‑day follow‑up for uninsured or self‑pay patients but \"does not do collections.\"

- Example fee changes cited in the presentation: the basic ambulance charge was described as increasing from $135 (the old code rate) to a listed base of $1,000; oxygen administration was shown rising from $20 to $30; and a per‑loaded‑mile transport charge was quoted at $25 per mile. A city staff member said the $1,000 is a base rate from which insurer adjustments and write‑downs are applied before a patient bill is finalized.

- City budget staff and the fire department projected startup and outsourcing costs of about $290,000 for billing and compliance support. Separately, the broader EMS effort added roughly $3.8 million in operating costs to the fire department budget in FY 2026, primarily for personnel and ambulance operations (discussed in the department’s budget hearing).

Council questions and public comment

Council members asked how much of billed revenue the city should expect to write off for uninsured or nonpaying patients and whether the base $1,000 rate is the amount an uninsured patient would actually pay. Mergler said the base figure is adjusted in practice and promised to obtain specifics from Specklen on the expected patient‑pay amounts. A committee attendee identified as \"Mr. Higgler\" (role not specified in the record) said hospital and billing data reviewed by staff suggested self‑pay patients historically accounted for less than 1% of revenue in comparable operations.

A member of the public, Ms. Bass Knight, commented that the projected payer mix—heavy reliance on Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance—should limit billing issues.

Vote and next steps

Committee members moved and seconded a motion to advance Ordinance 25‑012 out of committee for full council consideration at the May 1 meeting. The committee called for a voice vote; members present responded in the affirmative and the motion was marked carried. The ordinance will be considered by the full City Council on May 1.

What remains unresolved

Staff said they will follow up with the committee on: a) the expected share of billed dollars that will be uncollectible or reduced to patient responsibility; b) exact patient‑level charge calculations from Specklen (how the $1,000 base translates to a final uninsured bill); and c) any additional procedural details for billing and patient notices.

Ending note: The ordinance and accompanying fee schedule will determine how the newly municipal EMS program bills payers and patients; the committee advanced the measure to the full council while staff returns with clarified billing impact details.","The Wilmington Finance Committee voted to move Ordinance 25-012 out of committee for a full council vote after staff described new ambulance fees and a third‑party billing arrangement tied to the city’s assumption of EMS services from Trinity Health.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Police budget hearing underscores crime reductions, tech spending and staffing questions

Fire department budget hearing highlights EMS expansion, 30 new positions and outsourced billing

Finance committee advances ordinance updating ambulance fees as city takes over EMS billing