Half Moon Bay is facing a steep cost increase from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services in the coming fiscal year, with the city recently agreeing to a reduced rate for three months.
Matthew Chidester
The three-month amendment until September will allow the contract to continue at its current rate while the city and Sheriff’s Office evaluate and negotiate a new contract for the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year. The Sheriff’s Office wants the city to pay $5.8 million to provide services in the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year for the same scope of services, a 35% increase, according to a staff report.
The cost increase comes after the county initiated a cost-of-service study. The two sides are working on a solution, given the organizations did not previously anticipate the increase. The total cost for the three-month amendment will be $1.08 million, saving the city around $383,000 compared to the new rate, according to a city staff report. The current contract expires in June 2024. The city first contracted with the Sheriff’s Office in 2011 to provide services and personnel to help with costs savings and increase services and efficiency.
Half Moon Bay City Manager Matthew Chidester said a large organization like the Sheriff’s Office provided an economy of scale unavailable to cities. He noted most small cities across the state contracted with the Sheriff’s Office for services.
“We evaluate this contract on a very regular basis,” Chidester said. “We believe we do get good value, especially compared to having an in-house police department. Law enforcement services are expensive to provide.”
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Councilmember Joaquin Jimenez praised the Sheriff’s Office for having more mental health training for deputies and said different types of training would make the community feel safer.
“I’m very happy that the Sheriff’s Department is taking a new approach,” Jimenez said. “I’m very supportive of the new ways of training, as it will be safer for our community and our deputies.”
The council unanimously approved the contract at its June 20 meeting.
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