Sheriff proposes one-year patrol contract and modest rate increase; council to review addendum

Sheriff Jensen and River Heights’ patrol lieutenant updated the council on public-safety activity and proposed a one-year addendum to the city’s patrol contract with Cache County to reflect wage and dispatch increases.

Jensen told the council the office expects roughly 340 calls for service this year compared with 310 last year and said the county has proposed raising the patrol rate to $56 per hour. With the same contracted hours, Jensen said, the change would increase River Heights’ contract cost by about $1,468 for the coming year.

The sheriff described the rationale as a combination of years of wage increases — he cited a jump in starting wages from roughly $17.25 in 2018 to about $29.50 now for new deputies — and operational costs passed down from state and county mandates. "This year, you'll end up with about 340 calls for service. Last year, 310," Jensen told the council. He also laid out contracted-hours history: "Currently, River Heights pays for 402 hours of service ... last year, we were at 350 ... if it averages out the way it's gonna be, about 560 hours."

Jensen said he preferred a one-year agreement while county finance processes and budget practices are being updated: "I would like to ... do an addendum with the 1 year date with the new rate rather than doing the whole 16 page contract again," he said. He told the council his office will prepare the addendum and submit it for city attorney review; the county attorney will also review the document before signatures.

Council members asked for the addendum and supporting documentation. Michelle Johnson, the city treasurer, and other council members discussed fiscal timing and whether a one-year approach would allow both the city and the county to manage uncertain budget-policy changes. Jensen said he will have his office send the addendum to city staff for review.

No formal vote was required at the meeting; the council accepted the sheriff’s plan to send a one-year addendum and review it before signing. Jensen emphasized that the contract covers patrol hours only and that other county obligations (jail, investigations, statutory duties) are separate from the city’s patrol contract.

The sheriff’s presentation also highlighted an apparent decline in animal-control calls — from about 70 last year to roughly 57 this year — a trend Jensen attributed to better shelter services and microchipping efforts that returned animals to owners more efficiently.