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Solvang council authorizes talks with LMPoke for policing while keeping sheriff extension option
Summary
Facing sharply higher sheriff’s contract costs and concerns about transparency and service levels, the council directed staff to pursue negotiations with LMPoke for a potential July 1, 2027 start and to seek a one‑year extension option with the county sheriff as a contingency. Council stressed due diligence on start‑up costs and service comparability.
The Solvang City Council voted to direct staff to advance talks with the city of LMPoke to explore LMPoke Police Department provision of patrol and related services beginning July 1, 2027, while simultaneously negotiating a one‑year extension option with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office as a backstop.
Staff framed the item around a decade of rising contract costs for the sheriff’s service: from roughly $1.56 million about ten years ago to an estimated $3.4–$4.0 million in the 2026–27 budget. City Manager Randy Murphy and staff said the escalation has been driven by structural factors in the contract formula, including a ‘shift relief’ multiplier, allocation of department overhead, and pre‑applied overtime factors, and argued the city had not received transparent, comparable metrics for value delivered.
LMPO/LMPoke Police Chief Kevin Martin attended and described his department’s capacity, fleet and reporting practices. Council and staff discussed operational questions that will be part of negotiations: where vehicles and jail services would be provided, startup costs for vehicles and equipment, staffing timelines and recruitment, dispatch arrangements, and whether partnering cities (notably Buin) would join a shared contract to improve regional economies of scale. Staff said initial back‑of‑envelope startup costs could be in the neighborhood of a half‑million dollars to cover vehicles, equipment and facility adjustments, but that negotiations must clarify true transition costs.
Council members repeatedly emphasized the exploratory nature of the authorization: no final contract is being approved tonight and any completed agreement would return to council for formal approval. After public testimony and questions, the council approved the staff recommendation to pursue negotiations with LMPoke and to seek the one‑year extension option with the sheriff by roll call vote 5‑0.
What’s next: staff will develop a term sheet covering staffing, service levels, cost methodology and transition logistics; parallel authorization was being pursued by other interested contract cities. The council will be asked to approve any final agreement once negotiations and necessary regulatory steps (including Local Agency Formation Commission review as required) are complete.
