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Mayfield council hears proposal to buy Gunnison-area police hours; residents push back on long-term costs
Summary
A Gunnison-area official proposed a $35,000, one-year buy-in for additional patrol hours in Mayfield. Council heard questions about guaranteed hours, court jurisdiction for citations and whether the town can afford recurring costs; no vote was taken and a public hearing was requested.
Mayfield — Council members on Wednesday took public comment and questioned a proposal to buy additional policing hours from a nearby Gunnison-area department, a plan presented as a one-year trial that town officials say would yield roughly 30 patrol hours per month for about $35,000.
Travis Leatherwood, introduced by the council as representing the proposing agency, told the council the $35,000 figure is intended as a start-up subsidy to ease the department's transition and that the contract would be year-to-year. "This is a screaming deal," Leatherwood said, adding that the patrols emphasize education over enforcement and that the offering agency would provide monthly reporting of incidents and stops.
Council members and residents pressed Leatherwood on whether the town would be locked into higher future costs. One council member asked, "So are you guaranteeing $35,000 for 3 to 5 years?" Leatherwood replied, "No. I'm not. What I'm saying is year to year." Residents and business owners raised related concerns: how overtime or hours beyond the cumulative monthly allotment would be billed; whether officers would be certified to perform DOT truck inspections; and where tickets would be adjudicated.
Leatherwood said serious calls would still trigger broader county or city responses and that the initial contract would produce data to guide future decisions. Council members suggested lower-cost interim steps, including placing temporary speed-display trailers or signage, asking the county sheriff for more weekend patrols and testing a camera trailer before committing to a contract.
The council did not vote on the proposal Wednesday. The chair said staff will schedule a public hearing to collect additional public feedback and allow for more precise budget estimates before any binding decision.
