More full-time staff would be needed to ensure 24-hour coverage at the Fire Department as the city grows, Fire Chief Justin Lee said during a presentation to the City Commission Monday.
Eudora uses a mostly-volunteer model, with only two full-time employees: the chief and an assistant chief. But other surrounding departments have more robust full-time staff. Lee said Eudora wants to remain a volunteer department, but could use more full-time employees. The department has 21 volunteers and seven part-time staff, alongside the two chiefs.
He said the number of service calls the department receives has grown, with most calls for medical incidents. Last year, the Fire Department responded to 855 calls, which was the busiest year ever. The number of calls has been increasing by about 3% each year, Lee said.
Calls to fire departments nationwide have almost tripled during the last 30 years, while the number of volunteer firefighters has decreased as more departments move to full-time staffing models.
Lee said the staff’s culture is good, and they have worked to increase the incentives and training opportunities for volunteers.
All volunteer firefighters are trained, and many are career firefighters for other departments.
Lee said he projects the growth in calls in town will continue, especially with new housing developments joining the community.
Lee said adding a few full-time staff would help provide 24-hour coverage and prevent burnout of volunteers.
“We’ve had hours of discussions, Chris [Hull] and myself and some of our law officers and Zack [Daniel], on models that I think is really going to get the most bang for our buck, for the community, and really make sure that we’re providing top-notch care and responsibility,” Lee said.
Daniel said the goal for the city has been to ensure 24-hour coverage using money from the general fund without needing to raise the mill levy.
Monday’s special meeting was only for informational purposes. Daniel said the commission would continue to discuss the issue and it would be a major part of 2027 budget discussions.
Commissioner Roberta Lehmann said it would be good to communicate to the public how things are burning faster today, increasing the need for reliable Fire Department coverage.
Vice Mayor Alex Curnes said he thinks many people would be shocked to know Eudora only has two full-time firefighters.
“I think we owe you two, specifically, a huge debt of gratitude,” he said about Lee and Hull. “I do also appreciate that we’re not talking about adding 400 folks. We’re talking about this smart, and doing this in a wise way that our community can afford.”
In other business, city commissioners voted Monday to approve a grant that will help fund the Farmers Market’s efforts to accept federal food assistance payments.
The $25,000 grant will pay for marketing, training and equipment with the goal of allowing vendors to accept SNAP benefits. Parks and Recreation runs the Village Green market, which is set to operate from May to September this year.
“I’m excited to see the farmers market taking off,” City Commissioner Jason Musick said.
Parks and Recreation Director Sally Pennington said the grant was a two-year implementation plan and wouldn’t all happen right away. She said they have already started some steps in the process and Monday’s action was an official step needed to receive the grant funding.
Commissioners held little discussion on the topic and there was no public comment.
Also on Monday, the commission received a quarterly update from the Chamber of Commerce. Kelly Long, the Chamber’s project coordinator and membership chair, shared about the Chamber’s events last quarter, including a City Commission candidate town hall, Trunk or Treat and Scoops for Support event for the Blubaugh family.
The Chamber is still without a president or vice president, and Long said they were looking to fill those roles, plus find more volunteers.
The commission also voted to rezone three tracts of land in northeast Eudora from agricultural to industrial. The Planning Commission previously recommended approval at its Dec. 3 meeting. The three parcels of land are located at 1432 E. 2300 Road, 1434 E. 2300 Road and at E. 2300 Road and N. 1420 Road.
City commissioners agreed to pay McAnany and We Diggin It LLC for portions of the 2026 pavement management program. The city would pay McAnany Construction $473,000 to mill and overlay a section of roads south of W. 15th Street and west of Elm Street. The city would also pay We Diggin It LLC $111,500 to chip and seal a section of road between W. 15th Street and W. 10th Street.
At the end of the meeting, Police Chief Wes Lovett highlighted that Eudora was named the safest city in Kansas again.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
