Wellington staff to memorialize longstanding extra‑patrol arrangement in District 8 contract; adds sergeant and 2% base increase

Council members reviewed draft contract R-2025-33, the village’s annual contract with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) for District 8 operations, and discussed several changes staff said memorialize existing practice.

Staff said the updated agreement explicitly allows non‑village entities (for example, homeowners associations or event organizers) to contract through the village for additional PBSO patrols; under that process the third party pays the village and the village forwards payment to PBSO. Legal review with PBSO counsel produced the insertion staff presented as aligning contract text with operations that have been in place for several years.

The contract also contains two cost changes: a line‑item to add an additional sergeant intended to reduce the span of control between traffic and community policing, and a 2% increase applied to the prior year’s contract amount. Council members asked staff to compare that 2% increase with rate changes in nearby municipalities (Royal Palm, Greenacres, Lake Worth); staff said they had requested comparative figures and would circulate them when available. Council members also noted a discrepancy between a resolution worksheet that referenced a 4% figure and staff’s current 2% number; staff said the larger figure represented the combined effect of the 2% plus the budgeted cost of the new sergeant, producing a larger total-dollar increase (referenced in the packet as “505” in the draft materials). Staff said they would correct the packet before the formal meeting vote.

No formal council action was recorded in the agenda‑review discussion; staff said the item will be on the consent agenda at the next council meeting.