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Union Point council cuts paid extra sheriff hours to 18 a month amid budget concerns
Summary
The Union Point City Council voted unanimously Dec. 10 to reduce the extra paid protection hours in its intergovernmental agreement with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office from 24 to 18 per month after officials said renewing at 24 hours would exceed the city’s FY2025 budget because of higher officer wages.
Union Point’s City Council voted unanimously Dec. 10 to reduce the number of extra paid sheriff-protection hours it funds under its intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office from 24 to 18 per month.
Mayor Lanier Rhodes told the council the city’s IGA is expiring and that renewing the agreement at the original 24 paid hours would “exceed our budgeted funds due to an increase in the hourly wages for the officers.” Council Member Sally Boswell moved to reduce the extra hours to 18 per month; Council Member Jimmy Scott seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
The council minutes record that when the Union Point Police Department closed in 2019 the city arranged for extra paid sheriff hours as added protection. Under that prior arrangement the city paid for 24 hours per month regardless of whether deputies were present. Council members cited the higher wage costs as the reason the city could not absorb the prior level without exceeding budgeted FY2025 funds.
Mayor Rhodes also reminded attendees of standard administrative items including a Dec. 19 employee luncheon and scheduled city closures for Christmas and New Year’s holiday dates.
Why it matters: the change reduces the city’s weekly funded coverage under the IGA and is framed by council members as a budget-driven compromise to maintain some level of paid patrol hours. The minutes do not record a separate directive to staff about renegotiation steps or a revised cost estimate from the sheriff’s office.
What the minutes say next: the motion to reduce hours passed unanimously; the minutes do not record individual roll-call votes but list present council members. No additional public comment or alternative funding proposals were recorded at the meeting.
