ONEIDA, NY—Oneida City Police Chief Steven Lowell recently defended requests for his department’s 2027 budget before the Oneida Common Council.

The requests came as part of ongoing budget hearings for city departments. The council will hold a public hearing before voting on the 2027 budget on Tuesday, Nov. 17, during its meeting at City Hall.

The budget currently includes a proposed 23% tax rate increase.

According to city notes, Lowell said the budget he presented to Oneida City Manager Kyle Lovell reflects gaps between current department resources and money Lowell feels is needed to fulfill his department’s mission.

“It was prepared with an understanding of the city’s financial constraints and a responsibility to identify, prioritize and assess risk,” Lowell said.

Lowell said hiring and training personnel is his top priority. “Every responsibility we carry depends on having people available to do the work,” he said.

“We need boots on the ground,” Lowell continued. “Officers who can respond to emergencies, protect victims, investigate crimes, address neighborhood concerns and, at the end of the day, put handcuffs on individuals who threaten our community. We also need time and personnel to complete reports, preserve evidence and follow cases through to their conclusion.”

Lowell said the department’s workload is increasing. Oneida police handled 11,218 service calls in 2024 and 11,290 in 2025. They have addressed 11, 869 over the first 10 months of 2026.

The department’s workload, Lowell said, shows service calls have increased by 25%, criminal offenses are up by 39%, arrests are up nearly 40%, and tickets issued are up 48%.

“Our personnel continue to investigate offenses, make arrests and close cases under increasingly difficult staffing conditions,” Lowell said. “The work is not stopping.”

Lowell spoke to the department’s need for overtime funding. He said that factors including emergencies, arrests at the end of a shift, court appearances, investigations and training demand extra hours and extra pay.

“Overtime will always be a part of police operations. It will never be zero dollars,” he said. “We can scrutinize overtime, manage its use and reduce avoidable expenses. However, we still have to fund the work that must be done.”

Lowell said his second priority is training. His officers, he said, require updated knowledge, sound tactics, effective supervision and adequate preparation to address the contemporary challenges facing law enforcement. This training can cause staffing shortages and the resulting overtime.

“When an officer goes into training, someone must still answer the calls,” Lowell said.

According to council notes, councilmembers discussed employee morale and the potential impact of further staffing reductions. Lowell shared concerns that public discussions regarding layoffs were creating uncertainty among his staff and impacting future hiring and retention of officers.

“I respect the difficult financial decisions facing the city. I will continue pursuing efficiencies, grants and partnerships,” Lowell said. “I also need to be clear. We cannot sustain further cuts to a budget that has already been reduced.”

According to city notes on Oct. 29, Oneida City Fire Chief Scott Jones reviewed the fire department’s proposed 2027 budget.

The department has 24 authorized line positions, including an assistant chief, three deputy Chiefs, four lieutenants, and 16 firefighters, along with Jones and administrative support.

Council members discussed whether supervisory positions could be restructured to reduce costs. These positions, Jones said, are necessary because they serve as trained incident commanders and provide coverage during absences under the department’s 24-hour-on, 72-hour-off schedule.

The council also reviewed the contractual 5% increase in base pay, annual step increases, stipends, and holiday compensation. Jones said that the 5% increase applies to base salaries, while other compensation components affect overall personnel costs.

Jones requested $160,000 for emergency overtime, compared with $140,000 in the proposed budget. Approximately $137,000 of the overtime budget has been spent to date, against an adjusted 2026 budget of $185,000.

Historical spending averaged approximately $148,000 annually over the preceding five to six years. Overtime is driven primarily by vacancies, illness, injuries, military leave, and contractual leave. The department can generally accommodate one absence per shift before overtime is needed.

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