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Sheriff outlines patrol hours and growing animal‑control complaints; council to review contracts
Summary
Sheriff Jensen briefed the council on patrol activity and proposed a three‑year contract to increase patrol hours and raise hourly rates to better match costs; councilors expressed concern about nuisance animals after a motorbike‑chicken crash and asked sheriff and staff to review animal‑control enforcement and local ordinance options.
Sheriff Jensen told the council the town recorded about 100 calls for service in the first nine months of the fiscal year and expects roughly 120 by year end (compared with 143 last year). He presented a draft three‑year contract intended to raise contracted patrol hours and to adjust the town payment to better reflect current costs.
"So just, this is the new budget cycle... currently, we're sitting 100 calls for service in the 1st 9 months," Sheriff Jensen said during his presentation, describing the work done in Trenton over the past year and the proposed hourly adjustments.
Council members thanked the sheriff for the presentation and reviewed the contract details. Several councilors raised repeated complaints about loose animals. One council member noted ongoing problems with neighbors’ chickens and cattle getting loose and questioned whether the town was getting the service it is paying for: "We've had trouble with animals consistently getting out," the council member said, pressing the sheriff to check the oversight and enforcement procedures.
The sheriff and staff agreed to follow up: S2 said he would check the animal‑control complaint referenced in the meeting, verify jurisdictional responsibilities between city and county, and provide the council with the relevant ordinance language or an existing sample ordinance that Trenton could adapt. The sheriff also indicated the town’s signed contracts would be returned after council review and that he can send copies for the council’s records.
Next steps: Staff will circulate the contract documents for formal review and will coordinate with the sheriff’s office on clarifying animal‑control enforcement and any needed ordinance drafting. The council asked staff to flag any service or coverage gaps before finalizing the budget.
