Fire, Police, and Economic Development

At the time of this writing, our police department is short about 9 officers; that is a LOT for a city the size of Duncanville. Our fire department is nearly fully staffed, but the reality is that additional firefighters and paramedics are needed on each shift and individuals are sometimes required to work double (24-hour) shifts if there are absences. Salaries for Duncanville's first responders are not competitive with those of comparable cities, and the skills, experience, and reputation of our fire and police make them highly desirable by other cities that offer higher pay and better benefits. It is imperative that the city of Duncanville explore options for increasing salary and benefits for our first responders, but in order to do so in a sustainable manner, it would help to do something about our Economic Development policy and strategies...