The agenda for the Aug. 19 Windsor Town Council meeting was never a long one, but after the Walbridge Fire burst into being and sent nerves fraying as it crept closer to the town’s limits, the agenda was tightened even further.
Earlier in the day the town announced that the big ticket item — a presentation and discussion on the use-of-force policies of Windsor police – would be postponed until a later meeting to allow for maximum public comment and involvement.
That left only consent items to be voted on, and the regular reports to be quickly run through. The two consent items were also both related to police services.
The first was approving a new five-year agreement for law enforcement services with Sonoma County (Windsor police services are provided by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO)).
Notable provisions in the new agreement include a commitment to a five-year service term, with the option to renew for two additional five-year periods; a termination provision that would provide a minimum transition period of at least two-years should either party decide to terminate the agreement for law enforcement services; and a revised indirect (overhead) cost cap that contains a provision that should indirect costs be projected to exceed 27.9% the county and town would meet for good faith discussions to resolve differences.
In addition, the previous agreement included a 5% discount to service charges for various reasons, but a policy adopted by the county board of supervisors requiring full-cost recovery for services, the 5% discount can no longer be provided.
Finally, the SCSO has agreed to provide operational and fiscal impact analyses regarding the potential impacts of the Lytton Tribe’s development, as they pertain to law enforcement services. In the event both parties agree that additional resources will be needed to offset impacts to the Windsor Police Department, SCSO agrees to work with the town to develop the most cost- effective solutions to mitigate the impacts.
The cost of police services for Fiscal Year 2020-21 is projected to be $8,165,657, or approximately 38% of the town’s budget.
The second consent item was the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Windsor Police Department Service Plan, which outlines the objectives that that Windsor Police will be working to meet as part of their contract.
These “service plan performance outcome objectives” include: to deter and prevent crime; to apprehend and prosecute offenders; to continue to strengthen community trust and relationships; to promptly respond to incidents requiring immediate attention; o provide law enforcement services in a cost effective manner; and to provide continued support to Windsor Youth Diversion Programs.
Metrics show that the department has met previous versions of these objectives, with crime dropping from 2017 to 2018 (the last year numbers are currently available).
The per-capita cost for law enforcement services is the lowest in the county, with a cost of $259 per person versus the county average of $419. Similarly, the per-capita crime rate of 113 per 10,000 is the lowest of an average of eight other cities in the county, of 197 per 100,000.
Other items of note:
- Mayor Dominic Foppoli suggested someone from the town reach out to the Lytton Tribe as their land is closest to the Walbridge Fire and if the fire were to come close to town, would likely impact them most directly.
- Several members of the council recently donated their time to pack food boxes at the Redwood Empire Food Bank, to help with the increasing need for food due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
