What Does Moscow Invest in Public Safety?

Police and fire spending, share of the General Fund, and staffing over 18 years

Police and Fire: The General Fund's Biggest Line Items

In FY2026, Moscow's police department budget is $7.35 million, making it the single largest department in the General Fund. Fire Control and Prevention is $1.96 million. Together they represent about 45% of the General Fund.

Moscow's fire department operates on a volunteer model with a paid chief and a small administrative staff. This keeps fire costs significantly lower than a fully paid department. The national average for a city of Moscow's size with a paid department would likely place fire costs at $4-5 million annually.

Police spending grew from $4.37M in FY2008 to $7.35M in FY2026 - a 68% increase over 18 years. General Fund growth over the same period was 93%, so police actually grew slightly slower than the overall fund.

Citywide staffing (FTE) grew from 131 in FY2008 to 172 in FY2026. Most of the growth occurred in the FY2018-FY2022 period, driven by expanded Community Development, additional police officer positions, and the COPS grant hiring. The FY2023-FY2026 period has been largely flat.

Police and Fire Spending, FY2008-FY2026

Source: EXPENDITURE_BY_DEPT arrays, Moscow adopted budget documents. Police = all police divisions combined (patrol, investigations, administration). Fire = Fire Control and Prevention.

Public Safety Share of General Fund

Combined police + fire as percent of GF_EXPENDITURE each year. Source: Moscow adopted budgets.

Total City FTE (Staffing), FY2008-FY2026

Full-time equivalent employees, city-wide. Source: Moscow adopted budget documents, position summary pages.

How Does Moscow's Per-Capita Spending Compare?

Moscow's population is approximately 26,000. At $7.35M for police and $1.96M for fire, that works out to about $283/resident for police and $75/resident for fire per year.

For context, the Idaho average for city police spending is roughly $200-250 per capita for similarly-sized cities. Moscow's university population creates some additional demand - UI events, student activity calls, and the transient population of a college town generate higher call volumes than a comparably-sized non-university city.

The FY2024 high in police spending ($7.77M) reflected a combination of salary increases and additional positions funded under a federal COPS grant. The slight reduction in FY2025-FY2026 reflects normal budget adjustments as one-time grant-funded positions transitioned or ended.