Sandy council delays vote on police staffing funding after wide debate over costs and timing

The Sandy City Council on Oct. 21 debated steps to address a police staffing shortfall identified in a recent study and voted to postpone a final funding decision until Nov. 4.

Staff said the external staffing study recommended adding three sworn officers to reach an appropriate patrol level and provided an estimate of roughly $147,000 per officer to cover equipment and about six months of salary to get recruits through the remainder of the biennium. Mayor Pulliam proposed dedicating contingency funds to jump‑start hiring, saying, "I'd vote today to dedicate our entire $500,000 contingency to our law enforcement to get them going," but several councilors urged caution about long‑term costs and the risk of relying on one‑time funds.

Councilors discussed a mix of options, including applying for federal COPS hiring grants (which partially fund positions for several years), staging hires in phases and using the Clackamas County IGA to add a homelessness services officer who would not be a sworn position. Finance staff and some council members said the city lacks a fully specified long‑term funding plan for any newly created positions and raised questions about training timelines: if recruits are not laterals, onboarding and academy training can take months.

After extended discussion over budget timing, training capacity and whether to equip recruits immediately or stage equipment purchases, the council voted to table the matter to Nov. 4 to allow staff to provide additional contingency‑spend details and for chief leadership to be present to answer operational questions. The motion to table passed by voice vote.

Next steps: council requested a follow‑up report that lays out (1) short‑term costs to get hires started, (2) projected ongoing annual costs and (3) funding options to sustain positions beyond any grant period; the item will return on Nov. 4 for a vote.