Questions and concerns remain in Federal Heights after first responders called on city leaders for accountability and no immediate action was taken.

Two unions — Federal Heights Professional Firefighters Local 4222 and the Federal Heights Police Lodge FOP 77 — unanimously voted “no confidence” in City Manager Jacquie Halburnt on Jan. 20, leading to an executive session behind closed doors Tuesday evening.

The hour-long executive session led to no action, with Mayor Linda Montoya telling the public afterward that the City Council will be taking “measures” to address concerns.

“The City Council’s decision to ignore the no-confidence votes presented by our unions doesn’t just affect first responders, it affects anyone in our city who dials 911,” the two unions said in a joint statement Wednesday.

“We believe the decision fails to prioritize the safety of Federal Heights residents and the first responders who serve this community,” 4222 President Josh Maikranz said.

The controversy began Jan. 20 when representatives from the two unions stood before the council, lambasting Halburnt for what they said were issues of communication, engagement, and support for public safety operations.

“These challenges have included staffing levels, officer safety, operational resources, and the ability of the department to effectively respond to and investigate crime in the community,” FOP Lodge 77 President Jason Schlenker said, adding that there has been an erosion of trust between the police department and the city.

The issues stem back to before last week, though, with the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office asking the Colorado Attorney General’s Office and the state Office for Victims Programs to investigate the Federal Heights Police Department in 2023 after the district attorney found “deeply alarming” issues with the police department.

Investigators from the District Attorney’s Office began looking into the department in April 2023 and conducted a review of cases from 2020, 2021 and 2022, according to a news release.

According to the letter from District Attorney Brian Mason, the review “revealed significant problems with record keeping, staffing and personnel management,” and a “lack of investigation into serious felony crimes and lack of follow-up with victims of serious crimes.”

At a City Council meeting following the letter, officials and residents claimed that the police department was actually working as well as it could but was woefully understaffed.

Mason even noted that the department had two detectives who were only able to work 40 hours and could not work overtime.

“We don’t have enough police officers,” Federal Heights resident Sean Miller said in 2023. “If there’s a major crime, they don’t have time. They get to write a report and put it in a file. It’s unacceptable.”

The Attorney General’s Office told The Denver Gazette it “cannot confirm or otherwise comment on investigations.”

Still, three years later, the police and fire departments are claiming to still be understaffed.

The small city experiences 579.1 assaults per 100,000 residents annually, according to Niche. That’s well above the national average of 282.7 per 100,000 people.

In an email to The Denver Gazette, Halburnt said that the city had recently approved four more police officers, changed two corporal positions to sergeant, and added a fire captain and all the associated equipment and supplies for a total of almost $1.2 million.

“It is important to note that the City Council chose to provide this additional funding out of the city’s reserves, also known as the piggy bank, with no offsetting revenues currently available,” she said. “This isn’t sustainable long-term, and the council will be discussing options for future funding.”

Halburnt worked as the Estes Park town administrator between 2007 and 2011, moving over to Federal Heights in 2012.

She was up for a contract renewal in 2011, according to the Estes Park Trail Gazette. It’s unclear whether she was offered an extension or decided to move on.

In the city’s 2026 annual budget, provided by Halburnt, the city manager’s office takes up more than $547,000 of the budget. The police department takes up over $7 million, nearly 40% of the budget, and the fire department takes up more than $2 million.

Regarding the votes of no confidence, Halburnt said: “There is currently an outside third-party investigation taking place.  As this is a personnel issue, I am unable to discuss it.”