The City of Trenton is providing an update on the Trenton Department of Public Safety.

The City of Trenton is giving public notice of an upcoming adjustment to the scope and structure of the Public Safety Department reducing from 1 Chief, 3 active full-time officer positions, 1 vacant officer position, and 1 administration/code enforcement. The city commission voted unanimously on 11/10/2025 to modify the department to continue to include the Chief of Public Safety and an Administrative/Code Enforcement position. This adjustment will occur after the New Year, with an exact effective date to be determined. During this period, the City of Trenton will continue our coverage as usual, working alongside the GCSO to ensure consistent, reliable law enforcement throughout our city.

With a viable alternative option to allow for GCSO to assist with our safety concerns, the city will be able to prioritize paving, reflecting a significant reinvestment into its critical infrastructure needs. The last large-scale paving project was completed in the Southwest section of the city in the early 1980s, and other major areas were paved prior to that time. The new project represents the first city-wide repaving effort in over three decades.

Furthermore, the State legislation has several pending bill proposals indicating a reduction in property taxes. Under each of these proposals, the mandate for property reduction will not allow for any reduction in Public Safety funding. With our current Public Safety budget (not including our Fire Department) nearing 30% of our overall general budget, the city commission has voted to allocate these funds where they are needed most. The number of residents who had come forward over several years with concerns about our streets was the deciding factor in the board’s decision, while recognizing that the GCSO and our Chief will still be providing services to our community.

Moving forward, the City of Trenton will retain a Full-time Public Safety Chief, who will continue to perform both administrative and active law enforcement duties while working collaboratively with the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office to provide public safety services to the citizens of Trenton. Our need to continue having a Chief will satisfy our current city charter, the enforcement of city municipal ordinances, and State Law enforcement concerns. The Board of Commissioners strongly supports the safety of our residents and believes the Sheriff’s Office, along with our full-time Chief of Public Safety, can provide coverage, allowing our funds to be allocated to another much-needed service for our community.