Fortuna Council approves hiring freeze, boosts police pay to recruit
Fortuna City Council on December 1 approved a hiring freeze for positions paid from the general fund while authorizing targeted wage increases for police staff to address severe understaffing. The council also approved a discretionary payment to CalPERS to free up general fund capacity and moved forward zoning and public health items that could affect housing and community safety.
On December 1 the Fortuna City Council voted to impose a hiring freeze on positions funded through the general fund while carving out automatic exceptions for essential roles, including police officers, sergeants, and part time Parks and Recreation staff. Council members adopted a package of measures intended to support recruitment and retention at the Fortuna Police Department while limiting pressure on the city operating reserves.
Staff materials presented to the council described the police department as significantly understaffed and cited a notable wage gap between Fortuna and neighboring jurisdictions. The report included overtime metrics showing instances where individual officers logged more than 70 overtime hours in a single pay period, an indicator officials used to justify pay increases. The council approved a 9 percent wage increase for officers in 2026, and a further set of increases in 2027 that included 9 percent for officers and 6 percent for sergeants.
To offset the immediate budgetary impact of the raises the council approved a hiring freeze for general fund positions and authorized a discretionary payment to CalPERS intended to free up general fund capacity. City staff characterized these moves as budget maneuvers designed to preserve one time fiscal flexibility and protect operating reserves while responding to public safety staffing needs.
Other agenda items included first readings of zoning amendments to implement the city sixth cycle housing element and consideration of ordinance 2025 778, a proposed ban on nitrous oxide. Those items signal concurrent attention to housing obligations and public health enforcement even as the council prioritizes public safety staffing.
For residents the decisions mean the city is prioritizing police recruitment through wage adjustments while constraining broader hiring for the short term. The hiring freeze will likely slow replacement and expansion of some municipal services, while the exceptions maintain capacity for essential public safety and recreation positions. The council will need to reconcile ongoing recruitment outcomes, overtime costs, and the longer term fiscal impacts of the CalPERS payment in future budget cycles.
