Council members heard a consolidated budget briefing Oct. 27 from fire, police and the legal division as part of the 2026 budget process. Presenters outlined operating priorities, near‑term staffing changes, technology investments and emerging risks tied to workforce policies and rising demand for services.

Fire: Fire Chief Elise Seale (presentation) said the department’s workload has increased substantially since 2021; calls for service have climbed toward an expected ~11,600 for the year. Chief Seale credited recent staffing and model changes with improved operational metrics: the department reported a 90% response time of about 9 minutes and 15 seconds for a unit with at least three personnel, compared with roughly 11 minutes and 30 seconds in 2021. The department will bring 18 firefighters off a SAFER grant into the regular operating budget next year; Chief Seale said that change explains much of the salary/benefit increase in the requested budget. The chief described priorities to staff six engines with four personnel, expand wellness and mental‑health resources and sustain a paramedic program and advanced on‑scene interventions.

Police: Police leadership described a department currently authorized for 129 sworn officers but temporarily overstaffed (hiring to cover anticipated retirements) at about 138 officers. The chief reported crime is down about 12% from last year and highlighted investments in technology and process efficiencies, including a ForceMatrix search/analytics tool, improved record‑keeping and a city‑wide body‑camera contract with enhanced translation features for some languages. The department noted roughly $2.3 million a year comes from grants and donations. Several council members and the chief raised concern about a newly implemented paid parental‑leave policy and a separate state program starting Jan. 1: department staff estimated the cost and operational impact of paid leave equates to roughly 2½–3 full‑time equivalents in replacement needs for sworn staffing if leave usage rises.

Legal: City Attorney Melissa Manderscheid presented the legal division’s budget and noted most costs are personnel and technology. She described increasing discovery workload tied to body‑worn camera footage and a rise in administrative conference cases that require legal involvement; she also outlined opportunities to add law clerks to improve capacity and to broaden integrations between the city’s legal document systems and other city databases to reduce repetitive data entry. Manderscheid said civil and criminal teams are partnering with other departments on diversion, restorative court and domestic‑violence coordination.

Council discussion centered on staff capacity, shared services opportunities, the need to continue mental‑health and wellness support for first responders, and the staffing implications of parental‑leave policies. Several council members voiced support for moving quickly to fill firefighter positions and for continuing investments that produced measurable improvements in response metrics.

Ending: Staff emphasized that budget work will continue at subsequent meetings (scheduled public comment Nov. 24, truth‑in‑taxation hearing Dec. 8) and that council will finalize levy and budget decisions in December.