Commission approves police-services contract with BSO, mayor votes no

The Cooper City Commission approved Resolution 25-66, the police-services contract with the Broward Sheriff's Office, by a 4-1 vote. The City Manager told the commission the police side agreed to include three major city events in the consideration amount so the city will not be charged extra for those events. "Those events include Founders Day, light up Cooper City, and National Night Out," the City Manager said.

The manager said inclusion of those events is expected to save the city roughly $79,000 (about $80,000) annually and highlighted prior efficiencies that reduced consideration in FY25 by about $94,000. He also said the second-year target for personnel increases on the police side is roughly 10.5%, which is tied to completing the second step of a salary study and to the city's staffing complement in February 2026.

Some commissioners praised BSO command staff for being cooperative in negotiations. One commissioner pressed for more transparency on ancillary costs such as insurance and overtime; the City Manager and BSO representatives said the contract includes quarterly and annual reporting that the city may review. The mayor said she could not support the motion because she was uncomfortable with year-two "moving target" language: "No. I can't do the move in targets, guys," she said on the record before voting no. The resolution passed with four votes in favor and one opposed. The commission asked staff to finalize contract language and to prepare follow-up reports on budget versus actuals.