North Bend reviews competing policing proposals; council presses on cost, oversight and communication

North Bend City Council on April 8 held a special work-study meeting to hear competing proposals for the city’s police services RFP from the Snoqualmie Police Department and the King County Sheriff’s Office. The presentations — and about 90 minutes of council questions — centered on staffing models, projected costs, oversight and how each provider would share data and communicate with North Bend officials and the public.

The presentations matter because policing is North Bend’s largest general-fund expense and staff presented options the council is considering as it prepares for a contract decision. City officials told the panel that policing took roughly 20% of the general fund in 2024 and could approach one-third of the general fund in 2025 under some scenarios, a roughly 63% increase in the city’s single largest line item.

Snoqualmie proposal

Drew Ute, identified in the presentation as finance director for the city of Snoqualmie, and Gary Hirasi, identified as police captain for the Snoqualmie Police Department (SPD), framed Snoqualmie’s offer as a continuation of a decade-long partnership with North Bend. Snoqualmie proposed a “no call too small” model with dedicated coverage that, in its RFP response, would staff North Bend with two sworn officers between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., one sworn officer overnight and a floating sergeant shared between the two cities. The presenting team said SPD currently staffs 30 full-time positions (25 sworn, five civilian) and reported an average of 81 hours of training per officer in 2024.

Snoqualmie’s price proposal for 2025 (presented as the biennial starting year) was $3,980,000. The city said the formula charges North Bend 100% of dedicated personnel assigned to North Bend, 50% of certain shared positions, a proportional share of shared operational and vehicle costs calculated from a rolling weighted calls-for-service average, and a 15% contract administration/facilities charge. Snoqualmie also proposed…