BY GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews
Yachats’ new contract deputy hit the streets Thursday.
In a first-of-its-kind shared deputy agreement between the cities of Waldport and Yachats, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Abby Dorsey will work 10-hour day shifts in Waldport on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and in Yachats on Thursdays and Fridays.
But while both cities and Sheriff Curtis Landers have hammered out an agreement to save money by sharing a deputy, approving the arrangement now falls to county commissioners.
“First and foremost, at this point we do not have a signed agreement,” Landers said via email this week. “We have draft agreements prepared and sent to county legal counsel and hoping for an approval at the upcoming (board of commissioners meeting). We are going to start in August for Yachats as the agreements work through.”
County commissioners meet on Wednesday.
If commissioners sign off on the agreement, Waldport will pay $253,814 for a full-time and half-time deputy and Yachats will pay $83,814 for a halftime deputy, according to Landers. Both contracts began Thursday and run through next June.
Commissioners previously nixed a $450,000 proposal by Landers and the cities that would have allowed Waldport to keep its two contract deputies while adding a third to Yachats. Commissioners said that proposal did not pay the full cost for deputies and was not on par with the higher cost paid by Depoe Bay for its contract deputy.
If this latest proposal is approved, both Waldport and Yachats plan to use some of the extra funds allocated in their 2024-25 budgets for deputy contracts toward hiring half-time code enforcement officers. Yachats had budgeted $150,000 and Waldport $300,000.
Deputy Aaron Brooks has stepped into the role of Waldport’s full-time deputy, replacing Doug Honse who has moved to south county’s nightshift patrol. Brooks and Dorsey will alternate day shifts with Brooks working Friday through Monday.
Dorsey, who will have 26 years with the sheriff’s office in September, grew up in Newport and has lived in south Lincoln County since 2004.
“This is my stomping ground,” she said.
From 1999 to 2013 Dorsey served as a south county patrol deputy and then Waldport contract deputy. She became a detective in 2013, was promoted to sergeant in 2017 and in 2019 volunteered to again work as a detective “because that was my passion,” she said. She served as a detective with the district attorney’s office from May 2022 until July 2023 and then returned to Waldport where she worked night shifts as a contract deputy.
“I’m excited,” Dorsey said of her new assignment. She will attend the Aug. 21 Yachats city council meeting to introduce herself to the public. She will also have a dedicated space in Yachats city hall.
Yachats city manager Bobbi Price told YachatsNews that Waldport has agreed that its dedicated deputy will respond to any calls from Yachats when they are assigned to Waldport and vice versa.
“This agreement also accommodates any additional requests made to the department for events or additional needs,” Price said.
To get feedback about Yachats’ one-year trial with a contract deputy, the city posted a community safety survey on its website and the Yachats Village page on Facebook.
- Garret Jaros is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at GJaros@YachatsNews.com
Did you know that Dollar General was broken into approximately a week ago, and the sheriff’s dept never showed up? Check with the manager, Stacy, to make sure I have it right. They were notified, but she waited for several hours, and no sheriff came. Does our new contract only cover murder, armed assaults, and jay walking?
Not sure what the preceding comment has to do with this well written article detailing the new contract of services for Waldport and Yachats involving the assignment of Senior Deputy Dorsey. If you have a complaint about a situation, you heard of 2nd hand and admittedly have failed to verify, you might contact the Sheriff’s Office, with your concerns. I’m not sure what resolution the Yachats News could provide you.
Glad to see the negotiations worked out. That Waldport Mayor is a piece of work. I’m glad to see he is leaving. The City Manager could use some reeling in of his personal agendas too. Thank goodness the Sheriff and Commissioners were patient.
This is great news! I want to sincerely thank the city of Waldport, Yachats and the LCSD for all their extra meetings that took place to make this happen.