A cursory comparison of police services in Morgan Hill to those
offered by the county in the city limits of Cupertino shows the
city would not save as much money by contracting with the sheriff’s
office as local officers think, according to the city manager’s
office. However, another Morgan Hill union came out in support of a
more thorough consideration of the proposal at Wednesday’s city
council meeting.
A cursory comparison of police services in Morgan Hill to those offered by the county in the city limits of Cupertino shows the city would not save as much money by contracting with the sheriff’s office as local officers think, according to the city manager’s office.
However, another Morgan Hill union came out in support of a more thorough consideration of the proposal at Wednesday’s city council meeting.
“I would like to see the city council consider the cost savings for contracting out for police services,” said Mario Jimenez, president of the Morgan Hill American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
He said following the meeting that the city should seek police service proposals from a variety of different agencies, and not just the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
The union, which represents 86 city employees, thinks the city should obtain more information, but is not yet endorsing the idea, said Jimenez, a junior engineer for the city.
The council voted unanimously to direct city staff to embark on a thorough study of the potential costs of consolidating Morgan Hill’s law enforcement services with an outside agency, and to seek a proposal from such an agency. The process could take as long as 240 days, and would include a request for proposals from the county, city of Gilroy and city of San Jose.
It would also include hiring an outside consultant to prepare an RFP, at a cost of up to $50,000.
The Morgan Hill Police Officers Association, which represents 33 sworn officers, presented the idea of contracting with the sheriff’s office to the city earlier this month as a way for the city to achieve ongoing financial savings.
The city has to cut at least $1.8 million in order to balance its budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, due to declining sales tax and development impact fee revenues.
The POA estimates contracting with the county for law enforcement could save the city up to $3 million per year.
But city staff Wednesday said that much savings is unlikely, if the council wants to maintain the current level of service or better. Assistant City Manager Brian Stott cited the city of Cupertino for comparison, as the city has contracted with the sheriff’s office for police services since it was incorporated. He said Cupertino provided about 53,000 hours of frontline law enforcement services last year, while Morgan Hill provided about 73,000 hours – and that’s why the north county city pays less for police.
Cupertino, a city of about 50,000 residents, paid $8.5 million for its total police contract with the county last year. The city of Morgan Hill, population about 39,000, spends about $9.7 million in taxpayer dollars on its police department.
“We owe it to the citizens to do a thorough review of how to provide services,” Stott said.
City Manager Ed Tewes said the only way Morgan Hill could save $3 million on police services is with a lower level of service, such as that provided in the city of Cupertino.
But city officials and officers say the city needs more police.
POA president Ken Howard pointed to two studies conducted by MHPD to support the union’s case Wednesday – one that shows a decline in service in the last 20 years, and one that shows the need for more officers.
In 1989, Morgan Hill had 38 sworn police officers, and the city had a population of 23,000, Howard said. “Today, the city has 36 sworn positions,” he said.
Furthermore, violent crime in Morgan Hill increased by 48 percent from 2005 to 2009, and the city has the highest ratio of arrests per officer than any other department in the county.
“We do have crime in Morgan Hill, and we do have a need for more officers to combat that crime,” Howard said.
Also speaking in favor of the POA’s idea were sheriff’s deputies who live in Morgan Hill. Dave Lera, a sheriff’s lieutenant and Morgan Hill resident, said the sheriff’s office is “already here,” with a police academy in town and county deputies patrolling local parks – thus making the transition into consolidated police services easy.
Even though the council directed staff to proceed with an evaluation of options to dissolve the local police department, it is uncertain if the city and POA will be able to get past the first step – to amend the current contract between the two parties.
The council said the contract for the union’s wages and working conditions should be changed to allow the city to enter into an outside police contract if it chooses. The POA says the contract does not have to be amended simply to allow the city to ask the county for a proposal.
“Would the POA have veto power over the city council if we get a proposal we like and you disagree with?” Mayor Steve Tate asked, before the council voted to require a contract amendment to start off the RFP process.
The POA has not decided whether or not it will negotiate with the city for such an amendment.
Earlier this month, the Morgan Hill Community Service Officers Association voted not to support a consolidation of police services with an outside agency. That union represents 18 public safety employees, including dispatch employees, records staff, multi-service officers, and other support staff.
