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Council directs staff to recruit a new police chief after debate over coverage and costs
Summary
The Jervis City Council voted unanimously to direct staff to begin a search for a new police chief after hearing staff and public concerns about officer coverage, a possible contract with a neighboring department, and funding options including a utility fee.
The Jervis City Council voted unanimously to direct staff to begin recruiting a new police chief after a lengthy discussion about the town’s limited police coverage and tight municipal finances.
Council members heard a staff report and community feedback that the city currently lacks a full-time chief and faces a short-staffed department. The city’s finance lead told the council the staff recommendation was to explore a negotiated contract with another jurisdiction but also to evaluate the cost and operational impacts of hiring locally. “I am recommending to the council that they direct me to enter into negotiations,” the chief finance officer told the council, describing negotiations the city could open with a potential partner to determine how a contract would look financially and organizationally.
Police staff described recent enforcement activity to illustrate coverage pressures: “For the reporting period between August 29 and September 30 we’ve had 124 calls of service and officer-initiated calls, four arrests, 64 traffic stops and 50 resulting citations,” a police representative said, noting an 80 percent increase in traffic enforcement compared with recent averages.
Council members and residents raised three central options: (1) retain and fund the existing department and continue local hiring, (2) negotiate a contract for police services with another jurisdiction that could provide supervisors and more consistent staffing, or (3) fund additional coverage through new revenue tools such as a law-enforcement fee on utility bills or a bond. Staff said a $10 monthly fee on the city’s roughly 720 residential utility accounts would produce a ballpark sum but cautioned collection and compliance would be imperfect.
A council member moved that the council authorize staff to recruit and fund a new police chief; the motion was seconded and approved in a roll call vote with all members indicating support. The council’s action directs staff to begin a local recruitment for chief while the city continues to evaluate the contract option and near-term revenue choices.
Next steps: staff will proceed with recruitment steps and return with cost estimates and a timeline; council members said they expect to consider budget impacts at an upcoming budget meeting.
