Page 11 - Burleson FY22 City Budget

Fire Department To enhance fire and EMS services, the FY 2021-22 proposed budget
includes funding for the following positions and enhancements:
• An additional six (6) firefighters to provide enhanced safety to the community and
firefighters by improving response time and providing a mobile squad unit.

• One (1) administrative lieutenant will manage the operations for training and EMS
compliance programs.
In total, the proposed budget includes $788,426 in additional funds for the Fire Department,
and this will be funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds through FY 2025. At
that point, the General Fund will absorb these costs moving forward.

Emergency Management To better serve the citizens, the outdoor warning system will be
upgraded to interface with the Everbridge communication platform to automatically notify
citizens when the National Weather Service issues a warning for the city. This will improve
awareness for citizens during disasters and is expected to cost approximately $18,000.

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) In the General Fund, several of the safety
enhancements are aligned and dependent upon the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA),

which is federal funding relief for state and local governments as a response to the fiscal
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Budget items targeted for ARPA funding include the
addition of six (6) firefighters, an administrative lieutenant and a mobile COVID response
vehicle. Emergency management system upgrades are also included for cellular data
emergency communication and the outdoor warning system.

The city expects to receive a total of $11.9 million in ARPA funding. In the event that the
ARPA funding is not received and distributed from the state, the General Fund items may
be delayed, and the Water and Wastewater funded items would be included with a future
bond issuance.

Employee Compensation and Benefits

The city continues to analyze the recently completed compensation study to ensure
employees, particularly public safety, are paid at market value. The city is taking steps to
propose merit and market adjustments to keep the city competitive with surrounding
municipalities.

• Police and Fire sworn positions The beginning step for both fire and police has
increased by an average of 6.02 percent from the prior year. The number of steps has

decreased to get personnel to the highest step faster, which keeps our employees on

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