Helena weighs public safety levy to boost police and fire staffing

A new public safety levy could cost a Helena homeowner with a $600,000 property about $360 a year at the high end, and city leaders say that money would go toward a staffing gap that has widened as the city has grown. Helena officials are weighing levy sizes that could raise roughly $4.5 million to $6.3 million a year for salaries, training, onboarding and equipment, with Mayor Emily Dean arguing the city needs to invest now so police and fire service can keep pace with call volume and population growth.

The fire department is the sharper pressure point. City leaders said a staffing study points to a need for more than 50 firefighters, while Helena currently has 33. The shortfall carries extra weight because a third fire station is about to be built, yet the department does not have enough personnel to fully support it. City materials say Helena still does not have a station north of the train tracks, and that station placement and train traffic affect response times. Officials also say 15 firefighters are needed to staff the third station and better handle multiple calls and large incidents.

Police staffing is closer to the target level at 53 officers, but city leaders say those positions are spread across too many duties, leaving less time for patrol and proactive work. City factsheets say crashes account for 20% of police calls, and officials want more capacity for community resource work and detective assignments, including internet offenses and crimes against children. The staffing study behind that work was done by Etico Solutions, Inc., after the city requested a resource-allocation review in 2022.

The debate is returning after Helena’s 2024 public safety vote split the package in two. On Feb. 26, 2024, the City Commission unanimously sent a permanent mill levy of up to 31.66 mills for police and fire staffing and equipment, along with a separate 5.66-mill bond for 20 years to pay debt service on a new fire station, to the June 4 primary ballot. City materials said the levy could have produced up to $3,123,358 a year and funded nine police positions and 15 firefighters. The bond passed, but the staffing levy failed, leaving the new station without a stable personnel funding plan.

City materials tie the next decision to Helena’s growth since 1980, when the city had 23,938 residents. By 2000, that number had climbed to 25,780, and by 2020 it reached 32,091. The city also estimated a daytime population of 44,500 and said its limits had expanded about 3 miles over the past 20 years. Helena leaders are also weighing another risk: 911 calls from the city go to the Lewis and Clark County 911 Communication Center, where funding shortages and rising call volume could strain service if nothing changes.