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Sheriff reports steady call volumes and proposes rate increase for contracted patrol hours
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Summary
Sheriff Chad Jensen told River Heights council the department proposes a higher hourly rate in the upcoming three-year contract while keeping patrol hours roughly constant; he said overall calls for service are similar to last year and highlighted staffing and wage pressures.
Sheriff Chad Jensen briefed the River Heights City Council on March 31 about current levels of service, staffing pressures and an upcoming three-year contract revision.
Jensen told council that he is proposing an increase in the hourly rate charged under the county contract but intends to keep the number of contracted patrol hours "the same". He framed the change as driven largely by wages and benefits needed to retain deputies across the valley and noted that the county and cities have collaborated to craft a competitive wage package.
Jensen gave call-volume figures to illustrate demand: the previous contract year recorded 381 calls for service; through the first eight months of the current fiscal year the sheriffs office logged 258 calls, which averages to roughly 387 for a full year, he said. Jensen emphasized that the contract does not cover investigative, search-and-rescue or school-resource officer duties, which are funded or billed separately.
The sheriff also updated the council on animal-control and shelter work: improved microchipping and reader deployment have helped reunite animals with owners and reduced shelter populations compared with last fall.
The sheriffs contract document was provided to the mayor and will be reviewed further by the city attorney; Jensen said he does not expect the contract to be signed the same night and that the changes would take effect July 1 under the proposed schedule.