San Carlos ready to contract with sheriff for policing

The San Carlos Police Department will be under the umbrella of the county Sheriff’s Office come October if the City Council this week signs off on a contracting agreement expected to save dozens of jobs and $2 million annually.

Specifically, the council must approve agreements with employee unions, the confidential and management units and — finally — the contract agreement with San Mateo County.

If approved at a special Thursday night meeting, the contract and its associated employee agreements will let city leaders follow through on the budget approved last week. The City Council greenlit its $53.1 million budget on the assumption police services would be contracted out but before the plan was officially adopted. The budget relies on an estimated $1.014 million in savings from police services, a pro-rated amount based on the contract beginning Oct. 31.

The city will have start-up and one-time costs as it transitions the department — an estimated $850,000 the first year, with $325,00 already being born by the city, and approximately $150,000 in both the second and third years.

To fill a $3.5 million budget deficit and 11 years of cuts, the city has already outsourced parks services and is working to dissolve its joint powers authority with the city of Belmont to contract for fire protection. But it is police services that drew the most debate, particularly among those who worried that it would impact public safety and affect jobs.

San Carlos Police Officers Association head Gil Granado was a vocal opponent of the plan and a trio of residents tried twice to seek a ballot measure to prevent it. Both measures were pulled before circulation and POA members later said that the majority of members supported outsourcing despite Granado’s comments.

Granado could not be reached for comment on the pending approval.

The proposed contract with the Sheriff’s Office keeps the 39-member department intact, with Police Chief Greg Rothaus as a captain now serving as bureau chief, and in some instances enhances services. Bolstered by the sheriff, the police department can reinstate school programs like DARE and traffic enforcement, said Mayor Randy Royce.

"The two main things are maintaining and even improving levels of service. And, also, having the officers retain their jobs,” Royce.

In comparison, the city would have cut one sworn employee and one non-sworn if it had opted against outsourcing.

The next year’s transition is the key to making the five-year contract work, Royce said.

The program can be tweaked as needed and residents should expect periodic updates on how the new arrangement is working, Royce said.

The key point, he said, is that subcontracting makes the city a customer that can choose its desired level of service and demand quality from the Sheriff’s Office.

After months of meetings and hours of public comment, Thursday night’s consideration may be little more than a sign-off but Royce said he still hopes to hear from the public.

Like the upcoming decision on fire service, the public wants to make sure the city isn’t jeopardizing its safety, Royce said.

"We have to make sure we do these two things right,” he said.

Info box:

The San Carlos City Council will hold a special meeting to review police service contracts with the Sheriff’s Department at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2 at City Hall, 600 Elm St., San Carlos.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.