Redding has eliminated more than a dozen vacant police and fire positions and will close Fire Station 3

The Redding City Council voted last Tuesday to eliminate several vacant positions from the city’s police and fire departments, as well as to temporarily close Fire Station 3. 

The decisions were made as the city faces significant financial challenges. Council members have been looking for ways to ease the strain on the budget, including by eliminating vacant positions so that salary savings can be utilized elsewhere in the budget. 

Oct. 6’s council meeting went well into the night — concluding around 1 a.m. — as council members deliberated on how to approach position eliminations and other budget-related matters. 

Interim City Manager Michael Webb gave a presentation during the council meeting indicating that the city would be in the red by 2027 if budget adjustments weren’t made and recommending what changes to personnel the council should make to address budget shortfalls. 

Staff recommended removing 13.5 vacant positions from the police department, which includes a captain, a detective, a lieutenant, four American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA-funded officers, two general fund officers and four and a half professional staffers.

“The proposed vacancy reductions would allow the City to capture savings through the administrative removal of vacant positions from the approved budget while using existing resources to maintain current frontline operations and service levels,” Webb’s presentation read. The changes won’t impact the response time to priority calls for service, he added. 

The anticipated general fund savings from cutting the vacant positions is $2 million per year, beginning in 2027.

The council was divided on whether to cut all 13.5 positions, with members Tenessa Audette and Erin Resner voting against two separate motions to eliminate the positions. They said they wanted to consider other areas to save money before reducing police staffing. Despite their concerns, the remaining council members, which formed a majority, voted to eliminate the positions. 

When it comes to the fire department, the council was united in its decision to close Station 3, located just south of downtown on Westside Road, without laying off or demoting any staff. The closure of the station allows the city to save money by removing vacant firehouse personnel positions, Webb explained. Nine vacant positions were eliminated, including seven firehouse personnel and two fire prevention officers. The remaining personnel at the station will be utilized at different fire stations. 

The closure of Station 3 means other nearby fire stations in Redding will have to assist with responding to calls, which will cause an approximately 90-second increase in response time in Station 3’s area, modeling showed. Webb assured that the changes will allow for three-person fire companies to be maintained, as he said a minimum of three is a vital baseline to emergency response.

The changes to the fire department are expected to save $1.5 million in the general fund in 2027 and $2 million in 2028, Webb’s presentation read. 

Council member Paul Dhanuka emphasized throughout the meeting that the positions eliminated were vacant positions, meaning staffers were not laid off as a result of the council’s decisions. 

Resner told Shasta Scout in an interview today that the city was slated to be almost $1 million in the red by July next year without changes, but that last week’s changes will allow the city to avoid the red while starting the process to rebuild the reserve.

“When you look at our 10-year cash outlook and review our Q4 report, it’s easy to see that tough decisions needed to be made,” she said. “I’m proud of our council’s work.” 

At the next meeting, council members are planning to discuss an additional 27 vacant positions citywide and consider eliminating some of those positions for further general fund savings. 

Annelise Pierce contributed reporting to this story.

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