City is going to need the feds to step in and allow conscription to fill the vacancies city and state departments are seeing.

FWIW this is a thing in many parts of the world, and technically US law doesn't limit it to military (IIRC congress must approve). So it is plausible.

I just don't see how the hell anyone could make the rational choice to work for the city at this point. You're way underpaid relative to work load, and there's no real career future for you. Benefits are going to continue to be cut. You need to really hate yourself to do it.