By Mary Owen
Escalating costs, not quality of service, have pushed Sublimity City Council members to move its police coverage from Stayton to Marion County.
Working within the confines of Measure 5, which established limits on Oregon’s property taxes on real estate, and fewer tax funds available to cover rising costs of service are behind the move, slated for July 1, Sublimity Mayor Gene Ditter said.
“At the present, 61 percent of our general fund budget goes to cover police services, plus the additional 911 costs,” Ditter said. “The city of Sublimity is looking to provide the best level of service, coverage, for the amount of money that we are able to spend.”
Costs for 2010-11 coverage are $245,252, a number that would increase by 3 percent to $252,350 for the upcoming year, according to Stayton’s renewal proposal.
Currently, Sublimity pays 11 percent of the total Stayton Police Department operating costs, and should pay 26 percent based on its proportion of the total assessed value for the two communities combined, according to the Stayton City Council.
“Our ultimate goal is to end up with a fair and equitable agreement that will continue to provide the citizens of Sublimity the quality police services you have always had,” City Administrator Don Eubank wrote in a letter March 31 to Ditter and the Sublimity City Council.
The working relationship had benefitted both cities for more than 30 years, Eubank pointed out.
Councilman Gary Rychard, who oversees Sublimity’s police department, strongly commended Stayton police at the council’s March 14 meeting for diligently “making themselves visible in the community and at the schools.”
Ditter said the city council seriously considered proposals from both sides before deciding to opt for Marion County.
Marion County Sheriff Jason Myers said negotiations are underway to provide services for a minimum of $133,285 to a maximum of $151,003. The proposal breaks down into three categories of deputy seniority of personnel, administrative charges, and direct costs of materials and services.
“With Marion County, we will have an officer assigned to the city 40 hours per week to respond to calls of service and code ordinance,” Ditter said.
At present, Ditter said the Stayton Police Department conducts a random patrol during each shift and responds to calls for service as needed.
“Also, the city will be provided by the county with enhanced coverage, which means the Sheriff’s Office would respond to emergency calls for service when the assigned deputy is not available,” he said. “And we’ll have access to Marion County’s Traffic Team and Crime Prevention programs.”
Myers said the county’s proposal to Sublimity reflects changes to the city over the past 30 years, its livability and its crime profile.
“Additionally, we know we’re dealing with a different economy, but we’ve adapted to meet the challenge of providing police services in the most efficient manner possible,” he added.
Myers said the Sheriff’s Office has worked hard to meet community needs by providing online information, providing up-to-date crime statistics and an accurate jail and offender roster.
“Sublimity residents can expect quality law enforcement services to be provided with the support of 21st century technology. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of that personal contact,” Meyers said.
With the addition of the Sublimity contract, Myers said a supervisor will be placed in charge of overseeing public safety contract services with Sublimity, Jefferson, Chemawa Indian School and the Salem-Keizer School District.
“We see this as an opportunity to continue to grow professionally as an officer and as a chance to further enhance our outreach and partnerships within the county,” Myers said.
However, with the county’s takeover, Stayton Police Chief Rich Sebens has to cut corners to his department’s approximately $2 million budget, already dropped to $1.8 million for 2011-12. Stayton Police will have to do without another $250,000, or a little more than 2.5 positions, Sebens said.
“Before the recession, we were approved for 16 positions,” he explained. “The recession hit, and we never funded that 16th position. This will knock us down to 13 positions minus the ordinance officer and some materials and general operating funds.”
Chief Sebens left two vacancies open when officers moved to other agencies earlier this year, but he is not happy about losing Donna Zimmerman, who has been the ordinance officer for the city for some 23 years.
“We’re working with the planning department about how to respond to ordinance complaints and issues,” he said of filling in the gap.
Sebens said working with a tight budget will also impact solving major cases and covering vacations and sick time, among other things.
“It’s up to the city council to see what we can do to limit that impact and come up with other funding sources,” Sebens said. “My biggest concern is that we can continue to provide as much service as we can to the community, and making sure our officers can stay safe. Statistics show that criminals are getting more and more violent.”
Eubank said nothing is in the works at this time to replace the loss of revenue, but the council will be looking into ways to save – and get, possibly through grants and other avenues – money to maintain “good police service to our citizens.”
Eubank’s sentiments were echoed by both Myers and Ditter.
“We will work directly with the city of Stayton police department to focus on previous criminal and livability issues as well as any further follow-up needed to continue work on any open cases,” Myers said, aiming for a smooth transition.
Ditter said of the changeover, “Law enforcement will continue 24-7. We are always going to try to ensure that the best level of services is provided for our citizens.”
