Prescott’s police and fire chiefs gave the City Council a progress report under Proposition 478, the public safety sales tax voters approved in 2025.
Police Chief Amy Bonney said on Tuesday the department handled nearly 49,000 calls for service last year — with 80 officers and more than 2,400 arrests. She told the council a new police evidence storage facility is in design and a construction contractor selection is nearly final.
Bonney also pointed to a retention problem, telling the council the vast majority of officers can’t afford to call Prescott home.
Fire Chief Holger Durre reported his department achieved a first-of-its-kind joint accreditation with Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority — a milestone he called world class. Two new fire stations funded by Prop 478 are planned but not yet built, and response times remain above the eight-minute urban goal. New tiered-dispatch and simultaneous-alert technology are expected to help bring those numbers down.
Finance Director Lars Johnson told the council Prop 478 revenues are running ahead of projections at 22.8 million this fiscal year — but total capital costs now run about 27 million above original estimates, due to construction inflation and scope changes.