Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff recommend ending split policing arrangement at VA Leavenworth campus; current agreement set to be renegotiated
Summary
City staff told commissioners the Leavenworth Police Department’s 20‑year role as an initial responder to parts of the VA Leavenworth campus has produced operational inefficiencies and that the payment formula does not match response volume.
City staff told the Leavenworth City Commission they will seek to change a 20‑year arrangement under which the Leavenworth Police Department (LPD) serves as the initial responder to portions of the VA Leavenworth campus while the VA Police cover other campus areas.
The city’s presentation, led by the police chief, said the arrangement has created recurring confusion about which agency should handle calls and inefficient duplicative responses when responsibilities are unclear. The chief said the division is rooted in a 2005 agreement with the developer now called the Pioneer Group and urged commissioners to consider restoring a more conventional mutual‑aid architecture in which the VA Police respond to incidents on federal property and the LPD provides assistance only when requested.
“We have to do something because the contract requires us to do that,” the police chief said, describing the agreement as “old” and “not working very well.” He recommended that the city “withdraw the Leavenworth Police Department from the initial responding agency to the VA campus and turn those services back over to the VA Police department.” He added that the city would continue to assist under mutual aid if the VA Police asked for backup.
Staff provided operational data showing LPD responded about 850 times to the campus in 2023–24 (roughly once a day) and the fire department responded about 250 times in the same period. The Pioneer Group’s payments to the city for police and fire services were reported at $18,908 and $19,190 for 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Commissioners and staff discussed vendor transition plans: the Pioneer Group is negotiating a sale of its lease to a new developer, which may affect payment timing and responsibilities. City staff said payments have been late at times and that the current formula for in‑lieu payments is complicated and inconsistent year to year.
Fire Chief Burch said the VA formerly maintained its own fire department and that prior funding had once been roughly $400,000–$450,000 a year; when the VA stopped providing those funds, the city continued to respond. Several commissioners said they were reluctant to extend the current 20‑year contract in its present form.
City staff said the existing contract is set to be renewed on Sept. 15 and asked for direction to pursue options. Commissioners indicated consensus that the current agreement should not be renewed as written and asked staff to return with cost estimates, a proposed short extension if needed, and legal options to press the VA or a new developer for clearer service and payment terms.
The commission did not take a formal vote on contract termination at the meeting; staff said they would pursue additional information and return with recommendations.
