The intergovernmental committee, consisting of two city council
members, two county supervisors, the city manager and the county
administrative officer, met Monday in the council chambers to
discuss the possibility of combining the services of the Hollister
Police Department and the sheriff’s office.
The intergovernmental committee, consisting of two city council members, two county supervisors, the city manager and the county administrative officer, met Monday in the council chambers to discuss the possibility of combining the services of the Hollister Police Department and the sheriff’s office.
No recommendations were made, but the supervisors, Pat Loe and Margie Barrios, and council members Doug Emerson and Pauline Valdivia agreed to take a proposal to begin step one to their respected boards. Step one would see if it would be fiscally reasonable to combine the sheriff’s office and police duties.
In front of a small crowd that included the two sheriff candidates, the six-person committee listened to a short presentation by Mike Oliver, who listed off some of the benefits and challenges of combining the two law enforcement agencies.
Representing the Municipal Resource Group, a consulting firm that helps public agencies “achieve quick and cost-effective results,” Oliver discussed other counties and cities that have combined similar agencies.
All the counties and cities in California are facing similar problems, Oliver said.
“We are facing a situation where what has happened in the past isn’t happening this time,” he said. “It’s something new and it’s something that the people who are dealing with it haven’t dealt with similar circumstance before.”
Public safety costs have exceeded inflation over time and public safety cost percentages in budgets have continued to grow, he said.
“It’s a very difficult circumstance,” Oliver said.
The firm has worked the consolidation of fire services before, Oliver said. But Hollister and San Benito County’s situation is rare.
“It’s very unusual,” he said. “I wouldn’t say unique, but it’s unusual.”
The county is small enough that the sheriff’s office can take over, he said. In other cities police services are combined with other small cities instead of hiring the county sheriff’s office to do its public safety work.
They discussed that in Hollister, if the city and county agreed to consolidate, the police chief would become a liaison with the city and the person would contract with the sheriff’s office. The sheriff would head the department.
If the supervisors and council members agree to proceed, step one of the project would be to determine if the consolidation would actually save the two entities money.
CAO Susan Thompson believes that’s the most important issue, she said.
“We need to focus on saving money, not on something that sounds good,” Thompson said.
Regardless, Oliver warned that changes are being made across the state.
“I understand how difficult it is to consider reorganization when you are in the middle of the firefight … But the reality is this – you will need some dramatic changes over the next 10 years,” Oliver said.
The first step, if approved, would consist of a basic review of both agencies including budgets, staffs and crime states. From there, the report should give the county and the city a basic understanding of the benefits consolidation could bring.
If the county and city agree to move further, a more thorough study would be done to list specific plans that would need to be implemented.
A decision to begin step one is expected to come soon after the commission expressed its desire to move ahead quickly. If approved, the first step could be done within eight weeks.
