Cupertino asks staff to study options after sheriff’s 36% contract price increase proposal

Cupertino Mayor Moore opened a special study session Feb. 19 on the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office contract renewal after staff said the county submitted a renewal proposal on Dec. 31 that would change the costing methodology and produce a roughly 36% year‑over‑year increase in the cities’ bill.

Acting Administrative Services Director Jonathan Orozco told the council the proposal shifts costs into records and investigative allocations, reduces the calculation of productive hours per sworn officer to account for leave, raises hourly rates to reflect negotiated salary and benefit increases, and expands indirect overhead allocations. Staff said the proposal represents a structural, ongoing expense rather than a one‑time adjustment and that the cost estimate would increase further for fiscal year 2026–27 under the new methodology.

Council members pressed staff for details and alternatives. Council member Wong asked whether the county’s changes primarily reduce productive hours and raise unit costs; Orozco confirmed both effects and said the cities’ finance directors are conducting deeper dives. Council members also asked whether creating a city police department or a multi‑city joint model would be cost‑effective; staff said those options remain at a preliminary stage and have not been fully vetted.

Council and staff identified short‑term levers to lower costs, including re‑examining third‑party contracts such as crossing‑guard services (estimated at about $400,000 a year) and school resource officers (staff said the SRO program is just under $800,000), and reviewing assignment of specialized positions such as traffic sergeants. Mayor Moore asked staff to “get into the weeds” on county receipts and how Cupertino’s contributions relate to county services and broader county budget pressures, including recent county ballot activity and federal funding changes.

After public comment — where several residents urged the council to explore alternatives and cautioned against taxation — the council voted unanimously to direct the city manager to prepare a detailed analysis of cost‑saving measures, a feasibility study of a joint powers authority or other multi‑city models, timelines for implementation, and line‑by‑line cost estimates. Staff said city managers and an ad hoc West Valley committee have scheduled talks with the county executive and sheriff’s finance team to press for more transparency and consider phased approaches.

The mayor and staff emphasized the negotiation remains active and that the analysis will feed into the midyear budget update and future council discussions. The council will receive additional findings as negotiations and the county‑level budget process proceed.