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Washington Terrace leaders raise concerns after county reshuffles officer allocations, warn of possible tax impact
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Summary
City Manager Tom Hanson said county commissioners will reduce general‑fund officer allocations by four while the Sheriff increases positions by six; staff warned the change could affect city costs and that a 22% Truth‑in‑Taxation estimate is based on preliminary figures and could vary.
City Manager Tom Hanson told the Washington Terrace City Council on April 17, 2026 that a recent county internal audit led to a reallocation in officer funding: County Commissioners will reduce the number of officers paid from the county general fund by four positions while the Sheriff’s office will increase theirs by six.
"The County Commissioners will be reducing the number of officers in the general fund by four units and the Sheriff will be increasing theirs by six," Tom Hanson said, describing the commissioners as resolved on that direction even though he said the audit report was not complete in the form he expected.
Hanson said he expected preliminary local numbers from the Sheriff the following day. He warned council the change could affect local costs and said the city is preparing for Truth in Taxation; he noted staff have estimated that it "may be a 22 percent Truth in Taxation increase" based on 2025 assessed values and preliminary Sheriff numbers. Finance Director Shari' Garrett said the 22% figure is based on February numbers and she expects the final rate to be plus or minus 3 percent once official figures arrive in June.
Hanson said the city has reached out to Riverdale and may reach out to Ogden to explore whether contract law‑enforcement options would be feasible. He also reported discussions with the School District over School Resource Officer (SRO) funding and said the city is asking the district to pay the full share of the time SROs are in session (100% of the 70% of time in session), not for off‑duty time.
Council members discussed possible uses of a $600,000 earmark to buy time for the budget and asked staff to return with additional information. Finance Director Garrett cautioned that relying on one‑time funds compounds ongoing costs and is not a sustainable solution.
No formal action was taken on law‑enforcement contracting during the April 17 meeting; staff will return with preliminary numbers and options as they become available.