2026 Budget for the City of Shakopee

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2026 Annual Budget

Division: Fire Category: Public Safety

StaƯing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant Award (SAFER) The City was awarded a federal SAFER grant in October 2025 to hire twelve new full-time firefighters beginning March 2026. The total grant award is $2.63 million over a three-year period and required a progressive match from the city: 25% in year 1, 25% in year 2 and 65% in year 3. City Council approved a budget amendment to assign fund balance to cover the 2026 cost to the City. Since the grant was awarded after the preliminary levy and budget was adopted, the additional costs and staƯ have not been reflected in this budget document. The funding, provided in part by the Department of Homeland Security, will allow the Shakopee Fire Department to expand coverage, improve response times, and staƯ Fire Station 2 with full time personnel for the first time. Why It Matters  Faster Response Times: With more full-time fire staƯ and two fully-staƯed stations, emergency response for medical and fire calls will be faster across Shakopee.  Improved StaƯ Safety: More staƯ means safer operations for firefighters and better outcomes for community members.  Long-Term Planning: The grant funding helps the City grow the Fire Department incrementally and sustainably to meet the needs of a growing community without overburdening taxpayers.  Increased Capacity: Since 2018, the department's annual call volume has more than doubled (from 910 calls in 2018 to 1,938 calls in 2024), while staƯing has decreased. More staƯ means an increased capacity to eƯectively manage this volume of calls.