Published: Tuesday, September 4, 2012, 12:01 a.m.
Cities still working on police contract
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WOODWAY -- Edmonds and Woodway are renegotiating how they partner for police services.
Woodway, a town of 1,300 in south Snohomish County, has its own police department, but Edmonds officers respond to about a half-dozen of the calls made to 911 a month.
For years, Woodway paid for the officers' time on a per-call basis.
Edmonds officials now are asking for a flat fee of about $36,000 a year -- roughly triple what Woodway paid before.
Woodway officials tentatively have agreed to the new price tag, they said.
Staff at the city and town are working out the final details of the new contract. Both the councils are expected to vote on the matter later this month.
The current agreement is at least a decade old and expires this year, Edmonds City Council President Strom Peterson said.
Edmonds may seek an additional charge for Woodway if the town exceeds a certain number of requests for Edmonds officers a month, he said. That is one of the parts of the contract still up for debate.
Under the current contract, Woodway's annual bill from Edmonds averaged $10,000 to $13,000 a year, Town Administrator Eric Faison said.
Edmonds asked for more money after looking at how much the average 911 call costs the city's police department, Peterson said.
The city hopes the new contract also will account for costs related to occasions when backup officers or officers working overtime are sent to Woodway, he said.
Woodway has an annual operating budget of about $1.4 million, Faison said.
Of that, about $152,000 is spent on police services, including the contract with Edmonds.
Woodway police conduct their own patrols and investigations.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
Woodway, a town of 1,300 in south Snohomish County, has its own police department, but Edmonds officers respond to about a half-dozen of the calls made to 911 a month.
For years, Woodway paid for the officers' time on a per-call basis.
Edmonds officials now are asking for a flat fee of about $36,000 a year -- roughly triple what Woodway paid before.
Woodway officials tentatively have agreed to the new price tag, they said.
Staff at the city and town are working out the final details of the new contract. Both the councils are expected to vote on the matter later this month.
The current agreement is at least a decade old and expires this year, Edmonds City Council President Strom Peterson said.
Edmonds may seek an additional charge for Woodway if the town exceeds a certain number of requests for Edmonds officers a month, he said. That is one of the parts of the contract still up for debate.
Under the current contract, Woodway's annual bill from Edmonds averaged $10,000 to $13,000 a year, Town Administrator Eric Faison said.
Edmonds asked for more money after looking at how much the average 911 call costs the city's police department, Peterson said.
The city hopes the new contract also will account for costs related to occasions when backup officers or officers working overtime are sent to Woodway, he said.
Woodway has an annual operating budget of about $1.4 million, Faison said.
Of that, about $152,000 is spent on police services, including the contract with Edmonds.
Woodway police conduct their own patrols and investigations.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
Story tags » • Edmonds • Woodway • Police • Government
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