Saratoga studies switching police services as sheriff's contract nears 29% hike

Saratoga city staff told the City Council on April 27 that the city's contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, which provides roughly 20,600 hours of service for about $9,000,000 under the current fiscal-year agreement, is set to expire on June 30 and that the county's revised proposal would increase the price to about $11,600,000, a roughly 29% rise.

"Tonight's staff is seeking your direction on council priorities for law enforcement services in Saratoga as we approach the expiration of our current contract with the sheriff's department," Leslie, the staff presenter, told the council as she laid out the county proposal, the city's current service hours and an early-stage alternative submitted by the Los Gatos Police Department.

The staff report said the sheriff's office initially proposed a 33% increase near $11.9 million and later revised that to $11.6 million after regional negotiation. Leslie also said Los Gatos provided a preliminary, service-model estimate of about $9,500,000 annually, a proposal still under study and subject to further analysis and an MOU. The staff memo noted the existing contract includes school-resource officer funding (the city pays roughly 70% of that program) and cost controls tied to CPI…