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Council praises local police presence; flags $45,000 dispatch charge for further negotiation
Summary
Councilors commended a visible law enforcement presence in Midway but raised concerns about an added $45,000 annual dispatch fee. Members suggested pursuing a strategy with the county and partner cities to reduce or eliminate that charge.
Council members reviewed recent police service reports, praised the department’s increased community presence, and identified a $45,000 annual dispatch charge as a priority for negotiation with county officials.
Council members said weekly reports from the city’s contracted officers show more readable and useful incident summaries, and attendees commended the efforts of officers such as Parker for local responsiveness. Several speakers noted the sheriff’s office now appears more visible in Midway than in prior years.
However, the council raised a policy question about local costs: dispatch services provided by the county are now billed to Midway at about $45,000 per year, a substantial increase from earlier arrangements. Council members described the charge as a potential ‘double dip’ when combined with other county services paid through taxes and suggested coordinated negotiation with Heber and the county to reduce the fee or seek alternative arrangements.
Council members also asked for more detail about how patrols and daily deployment decisions are made and signaled they want to provide general operational priorities to the contracted officers while recognizing limits on operational direction to avoid changing liability and responsibility.
Next steps: staff will plan a strategy discussion with the county and Heber City about the dispatch fee and ask the police contractor to clarify daily deployment priorities and how Midway’s officers are scheduled.
