Edgewood firefighters and paramedics will work eight fewer hours per week after the city council voted to reduce shifts from 56 to 48 hours, a move Fire Chief Tom Dickman said is necessary to stop losing staff to competing Northern Kentucky departments.

The vote at the Tuesday, Aug. 18 council meeting, reported by the Northern Kentucky Tribune, passed with council member Jamie Ruehl casting the lone dissenting vote.

Dickman told council that the department has already lost three firefighters and a fourth is considering leaving. "When the personnel leave after only 2-to-3 years, it creates a problem with succession," Dickman said, adding that departing firefighters are heading to Northern Kentucky cities that already offer the shorter work week.

The chief framed the change as a long-term fix for recruitment and retention, telling council that replacing departing staff means hiring and training from scratch each time.

Cost concerns and the Dudley Road offset

Council members raised concerns about the added expense. No specific dollar figure was disclosed.

Chief Administrative Officer Brian Dehner pointed to savings from the Dudley Road project as a funding source. The city voted June 15 to drop a federal and state grant for Dudley Road Phase III and IV and instead hire Riegler Blacktop for a $408,865 milling and paving job, according to city minutes. Dehner told council the less expensive approach freed up money to cover the staffing change.

Property tax rate trimmed

In a separate action, council approved a first reading to set the property tax rate at $.182 per $100 of assessed value, down from $.185 last year. The personal property tax rate was set at $.149 per $100. Both rates require a second reading before final adoption.

Staffing pipeline

The work-week vote comes as the Edgewood Fire Department works to rebuild its ranks. As of March 2026, the department had five recruits in an EMT course at St. Elizabeth and one recruit at the fire academy, according to Crestview Hills council minutes from a joint-services discussion.

Mayor John Link announced that the Sept. 7 council meeting is canceled for Labor Day. The next regular meeting date has not been publicly confirmed.