Reading’s police department is proposing a $28.7 million budget for 2026, a 7% increase over the current year’s budget of $27.4 million.

About 90% of the increase stems from contractual obligations, including union agreements, pension costs and the city’s new five-year body camera contract, City Managing Director Jack Gombach said.

Gombach and City Finance Director Jamar Kelly assisted Police Chief Javier Ruiz in presenting the draft to City Council on  Wednesday night at a committee of the whole meeting.

The department’s budget also reflects steady funding for training programs and police academies, with most major line items remaining level from 2025, Ruiz said.

Among the largest expenses for 2026 are salaries and benefits, which continue to make up the majority of police spending.

Ruiz said the department is not adding any new positions but still faces challenges filling existing ones, with 27 officer vacancies reported.

“If you know anybody willing to take the test, the police test, send them our way,” Gombach said.

The new body camera program, approved by council this summer, accounts for a significant portion of the department’s increased contracted services costs, Kelly said. The agreement adds about $600,000 annually for the next five years, he said, noting it is expected to continue increasing thereafter.

Training programs such as the Police Academy and Youth Police Academy will remain funded at prior-year levels, though council members sought clarification about discrepancies between budgeted and actual spending.

City administrators said the grant support covers part of the youth academy’s expenses, explaining why its spending hasn’t always reached the full amount budgeted.

Gombach emphasized that nearly all of the budget growth is tied to long-term obligations rather than new initiatives.

“About 90% of our increase in the police department is contractual,” he said, adding that the city is in negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police on the next three-year contract.

Council will continue reviewing department budgets before finalizing the city’s 2026 spending plan later this year.