Town of Payson

Payson’s town government is a Council/Manager form of government. An elected seven-member Council directs the community while a full-time town manager oversees the day-to-day operations.

Town Hall consists of the following Departments: Town Clerk, Finance, Legal, Police, Fire, Public Works (Parks & Recreation, Streets, Engineering), Airport, Community Development (Planning & Zoning, Building), Water, Library, Administrative Services, Town Manager. The Town contracts with Gila County Justice Court for the Municipal Court Activity. Click here to visit the official site of the Town of Payson.

Police Department

There are 17 officers in the Payson Police Department. They are assisted by 12 reserve officers and 8 civilians. The crime rate in Payson is substantially lower than that in metropolitan areas.

Fire Department

The Town of Payson Fire Department provides a complete range of public safety and fire protection services to the city's residents, businesses and visitors. The function of the Department is to provide emergency services, which includes responses for fire suppression, routine medical emergencies, medical emergencies requiring paramedics, high angle and swift water rescues, confined space rescues and vehicle extrications.

The Department also provides a wide range of non-emergency services to the public. These services include fire safety and injury prevention classes, nonprofit charitable functions support, public education courses and fire code administration. Fire Code administration includes fire prevention inspections, plan reviews for development, and fire loss management planning.

Fire insurance rates in the area served by the department have decreased over the years as the department has improved its capabilities. The Insurance Services Office currently rates Payson as a Class 5 city. The Department consists of career firefighters, paid-on-call firefighters, Support/Rehab volunteers and an administrative secretary.