SULTAN — The city is considering contracting with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for police service starting next year. The move would disband the Sultan Police Department and could save the city about $95,000.
If the city approves the proposed contract, the sheriff’s office could move its East Snohomish County precinct office from Monroe to Sultan. Under the plan, 23 law enforcement officers would be based in Sultan, covering the city, Gold Bar and other unincorporated areas in the Skykomish Valley.
Sultan now has a police chief and five patrol officers who enforce law, city administrator Deborah Knight said. Sultan already contracts with the sheriff’s office to have sheriff’s Sgt. Rick Hawkins serve as interim police chief.
Under the proposed contract, the police chief is expected to report to Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick. That should help the city maintain local control in public safety, Eslick said. And current Sultan police officers may remain in town as deputies.
“It’s going to be a good deal because they want to make Sultan a regional office,” said Eslick, who started as mayor in January.
The city is set to have two public hearings on Oct. 23 and Nov. 13 before making a decision on the proposed contract.
Keeping its own police department would cost the city slightly more than $1 million in 2009. Contracting with the county would cost about $939,000. That should save the city about $95,000, Knight said.
“We only have $1.8 million” in the next year’s general fund, Knight said. “$95,000 is huge.”
The city has discussed contracting with the sheriff’s office before. In 2007, the city’s police department spent about $57,000 over its 2006 budget of about $1 million on overtime hours and hiring temporary officers from other agencies. That prompted city officials to explore police service alternatives.
Stanwood, Gold Bar, Index and Darrington now contract with the sheriff’s office for police services. Tom Davis, the county’s undersheriff, served under a contract that made him Stanwood police chief from 2001 to 2007.
Davis emphasized that the proposed contract doesn’t mean Sultan is turning over its police force to the county.
“The city and the county are partnering to continue to provide excellent law enforcement service,” he said. “Everybody will benefit from this.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Get involved
Sultan is set to have two public hearings on a proposed police contract with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23 and Nov. 13 at City Hall, 319 Main St., Sultan.
For more information, call 360-793-2231 or go to www.ci.sultan.wa.us.
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