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Needles council approves sheriff contract amendment and school-district cost-sharing for a school resource specialist
Summary
Council approved an amendment increasing the city’s contract with the San Bernardino County Sheriff (roughly $4.2 million with an estimated $300,000 increase attributed to liability costs) and adopted a resolution to split the cost of a sheriff service specialist with Needles Unified School District (about $148,000 total, approximately $74,000 each).
The Needles City Council approved two law-enforcement related items: a budgeted amendment to its contract with the San Bernardino County Sheriff and a separate intergovernmental agreement to share the cost of a sheriff service specialist at Needles Unified School District.
City staff presented the proposed contract amendment for FY 2026–27, saying the amended contract amount is about $4.2 million, an increase of nearly $300,000 from the prior year. Staff attributed much of the increase to higher liability costs shared among contract cities; staff noted the county recently passed a resolution allocating roughly $5 million of a reported $24 million liability pool to reduce that burden. Staff said contract cities generally bear roughly 35% of outstanding liabilities prorated by city size.
Staff confirmed the increase is included in the proposed budget and recommended approval. A council member asked whether the liability share is divided equally or by population; staff said it is pooled and prorated by city size. The council approved the amendment by roll call.
Council also adopted Resolution 2026-18 authorizing an agreement with Needles Unified School District to fund a sheriff service specialist for the 2026–27 school year. Staff said the total cost is roughly $148,000, split between the city and the school district at about $74,000 each; the council approved the resolution by roll call.
Staff said the increase in contract payments and the school specialist agreement were already accounted for in upcoming budget documents and that the sheriff’s department will provide periodic reporting to the city as appropriate.
The council’s vote on both items was recorded by roll call; staff confirmed the items were budgeted and would be reflected in the final appropriation schedule.
