Council approves 2025 contract with County of Orange for police services; members note rising costs

The San Clemente City Council on June 3 authorized the city manager to execute the 2025 contract with the County of Orange for police services for fiscal year 2025'26 by adopting Resolution No. 25-75.

Council members praised the services provided but noted that costs are rising. One council member said the community must ensure the city's revenue base can sustain contracted public-safety costs and asked for a follow-up briefing. Staff indicated a police captain was unavailable that evening but offered to schedule a presentation to detail sworn versus support staffing and the contract's line-item implications.

Why it matters: The County of Orange provides law enforcement services in San Clemente under contract; that contract funds patrols, investigations and other public-safety activities. Approving the contract authorizes the city manager to finalize the agreement and continue the existing policing arrangement.

What the council decided: By a unanimous vote the council adopted a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute the County of Orange contract for police services for the coming fiscal year and to proceed with any related administrative steps.

Next steps: Staff will schedule a briefing with the police captain to present staffing levels and the contract's details at a future meeting, per council requests. Council members noted the need to identify revenue sources to cover any sustained contract cost increases.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 25-75 authorizing the city manager to execute the police-services contract passed 5-0.