Donley County presented the City of Clarendon with two new proposed agreements last week after the city declined to move forward with a sales tax-funded district to support the sheriff’s department.
During a called session of the Donley County Commissioners’ Court last Friday, Judge John Howard said it could be argued that the city breached its law enforcement contract with the county after a January 11 vote of the city council reversed a December vote to put the creation of a County Assistance District before city voters this spring.
“I don’t mind if the city doesn’t want to participate in the County Assistance District,” Howard said, “but we need multi-year agreement.”
Howard said the city’s contract has historically covered about 20 percent of the sheriff’s budget, the current agreement for $140,000 in fiscal year 2024 only provides 13.4 percent of the sheriff’s budget. He also said he had made clear to the city council in December that the $140,000 contract was inextricably linked to the city putting the assistance district before the voters.
In order for a County Assistance District to be created in the city, Clarendon would have to give up five-eights of a cent of its two-cent sales tax. Howard said he understands if the city doesn’t want to give up its sales tax, but he reiterated that a multi-year agreement is needed and said the cost must reflect the expense the county incurs.
The county had wanted the city to pay $170,000 in fiscal year 2024, but as negotiations went on last spring and summer, no multi-year agreement could be reached, which led to the $140,000 deal in December.
Sheriff Butch Blackburn asked the court to pull out of the contract with the city by giving 30 days’ notice and start negotiations at $170,000. The sheriff says the city’s support is necessary to keep four deputies employed and provide 24-hour police protection. Without the agreement, Sheriff Blackburn said he would not be able to have two nighttime deputies and night calls would have to be called out to an officer not on duty.
Three commissioners – Daniel Ford, Mark White, and Dan Sawyer – agreed the county should give the city 30 days’ notice, but Commissioner Neil Koetting urged the court not to take that action but instead let the city meet again first.
“There’s no question they want to fund the police,” Koetting said. “They have to serve their voters just like we do.”
Clarendon Mayor Jacob Fangman said he didn’t think anyone on the city council did not want to pay the sheriff but that it was just a matter of how and how much.
Sheriff Blackburn said to the mayor, “Let’s get our Big Chief tablet out and figure something out.”
The court approved two agreement proposals for the city council to consider. The first would increase the city’s cost for the current fiscal year from $140,000 to $170,000, and the second would start fiscal year 2025 in October at $180,000 with a two-percent increase each year after that through fiscal year 2029.
In other business, the court voted to change the wording on its documents related to creating an assistance district in Howardwick, setting the sales tax rate at one cent instead of three-quarters of a cent.
Editor’s Note: Last week’s article about the proposed County Assistance District for Clarendon stated that Donley County had agreed to cap the revenue from that district at $165,000 per year. The county actually proposed a $165,000 cap for just three years. We regret that error and any confusion it may have caused.
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