Proposals to boost Naples police, fire services could get costly for property owners

The city of Naples is looking at ways to boost public safety.

It could come at a hefty price.

On Monday, city council heard detailed proposals to increase spending to improve police and fire services for residents, businesses and visitors alike.

The proposals, presented by the police and fire chiefs, will cost millions and could result in big increases in the city's millage – or property tax – rates over the next three years.

The city still has one of the lowest tax rates in the state.

The city raised its tax rate for its general fund to 1.17 mills this year, from 1.15 last year, despite hearing opposition from some city residents, who asked for a break. Spending for public safety comes from the fund.

One mill equates to $1 for every $1,000 worth of a property's assessed, or taxable, value (after adjustments, such as the homestead exemption for primary residents).

Council did not take action on the dual spending proposals, but it expressed support for funding increases for public safety in general, saying they're long overdue – and stressing it's a top priority.

Berne Barton, one of three new council members, said a tax increase could be a "hard pill to swallow," but it's most likely necessary to fund what's needed and expected in the city moving forward.

"We have to do something. There is no more kicking the can down the road," he said.

Others on council agreed.

Decisions aren't expected to be made until the fall, when budgeting for next year comes into greater focus.

The chiefs discussed the past, present and future of their departments at the workshop.

"This is just the beginning of this conversation," said Mayor Teresa Heitmann after the formal presentations.

The facts, she said, are staring council in the face, showing a need to invest more money in public safety, to keep the city's designation as one of the safest in the country.

The recently updated list of Safest Places to Live in the U.S. named Naples No. 1 because of its low crime rate.

"If we aren't looking at the future, then shame on us," Heitmann said.

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Here's the initial look at what's proposed by the department chiefs to improve police and fire services, starting in fiscal 2025:

What's the latest on police spending?

Police Chief Ciro Dominguez presented a plan to increase staffing, equipment and vehicles.

In total, the proposal would add 29 police officers, four community service aids, one crime research analyst and four dispatchers.

The number of officers would grow from 72 to 100. Total employment would increase from 113 to 150.

Including salaries, vehicles and equipment, the plan would cost an additional $2.58 million in 2025, $2.14 million in 2026 and $1.37 million in 2027.

On top of that, Dominguez pitched giving officers take-home vehicles, as many other police departments do in Southwest Florida, and elsewhere in the state. There are proven benefits to the perk including higher officer morale, and less wear and tear and fewer miles logged on the patrol cars, he said.

Such a program can enhance community safety, response times and overall efficiency, with the ability to deploy officers more quickly and directly to the scene, and the opportunity to increase police visibility in the city, and beyond it, Dominguez said.

Over three years, the program would require the purchase of 44 cars for existing and new officers. The total cost: More than $4.2 million.

The plan in its entirety will help the city correct the mistakes of the past and prepare for the future, Dominguez said.

Doing nothing, he said, is never the right thing, especially in a changing world, with more crime knocking at the door.

From 2022 to 2024, the police department hired 36 new officers, but it lost 25 of them in those same years, which it then had to replace. Many left for better pay and benefits elsewhere, including assigned cars, Dominguez said.

"I don't want to train them for another agency," he said.

On the job since October, Dominguez said he'd worked closely with the city manager and many others in his department on the strategic plan.

Will spending on fire services increase along with higher number of service calls?

Fire chief Phillip Pennington presented a plan to increase staffing, pointing out that it isn't much different today than in 1991, when service calls weren't nearly as high in the city.

In 1991, the department had about 1,900 calls, compared to 7,490 last year.

Over three years, Pennington's proposal would add 12 firefighters, along with another six firefighters for transport, plus two battalion chiefs, a division chief and three fire prevention officers. The total cost: More than $3.69 million.

Excluding the new transport service and its crew, the price tag would run about $2.93 million, Pennington said.

A transport fee would help offset the cost of offering the service, he emphasized.

Currently, the department has 54 employees who can staff a fire truck. The plan would increase that number to 72 by 2027.

In total, the employee count would rise from 70 to 95 in three years.

Now, employees often work overtime because there aren't enough of them to go around, and when they work overtime, they don't have a good work-life balance, which can cause them to leave their jobs, Pennington said.

Having more employees, he said, would help reduce the department's overtime costs, as well.

The number of city events that require its services has grown exponentially – to about 140 a year, putting more pressure on both the fire and police departments.

The airport has also gotten a lot busier, leading to more calls for emergency assistance.

Growth on the city's borders is driving more incidents in the city, and beyond, where the department often responds to calls, through a sharing agreement.

"More people are coming into our city," Pennington said.

While others who have worked in his position may have been afraid to ask for what they truly need, Pennington, who has been in the role for less than a year, assured he's not.

"The worst you can tell me is no," he told council.

He added that he'd never ask for anything frivolous, only what he saw as critical. He too worked with the city manager and coworkers to develop his strategic plan.

With a larger staff, he said his department could be more proactive than reactive in preventing fires and reducing medical and other emergency calls, through education and training. One area of focus, for example, might be on teaching about fall prevention.

Tax increases could spur debate

At least one city council member signaled he wouldn't support a tax increase to finance the proposals.

While he agreed the investments are long overdue, Councilman Terry Hutchison said any and all other funding options should be explored, including potentially raising the city's fees for builders and developers and special events, increasing code enforcement fines, or tapping other taxes, such as those charged on overnight stays by visitors, or on jet fuel at the city's airport.

He voted against a property tax increase this year, finding himself in the minority.

When it comes to public safety, he emphasized it's important to make sure the system is built to last.

"We can either tell time, or we can build the clock ... Let's build it and get it right," Hutchison said.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples proposals to boost public safety come with a hefty price tag