Yachats council votes unanimously to split cost of single sheriff’s deputy with Waldport in one-year trial

 

By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews

YACHATS – There is a new sheriff in town. Or there will be soon.

With an eye toward balancing budget constraints and consistency, the Yachats city council voted unanimously Wednesday to pay for a half-time Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy who will split their 40-hour week equally between Yachats and Waldport.

The decision reflects an effort to turn lemons into lemonade after attempts by both cities and Sheriff Curtis Landers to create agreements for two deputies in Waldport and one in Yachats that were turned down by county commissioners last month. Commissioners nixed the $450,000 proposal saying it did not pay the full cost for deputies and was not consistent with the higher cost paid by Depoe Bay for its contract deputy.

The proposal sought to waive $60,000 in startup costs for Yachats, which wanted to contract for a deputy on a one-year trial. If the city decided to continue into a second year it would then pay the startup cost. Additionally, Landers pledged any discrepancy in funding the first year would be paid out of his department’s budget.

Commissioners’ rejection of the proposal and insistence the cities pay the full cost for the deputies – $366,275 for two in Waldport and $222,760 for one in Yachats including the startup cost – sent both cities back to the drawing board.

Neither city had budgeted for 2024-25 beyond the $450,000 proposal which had Waldport paying $300,000 and Yachats paying $150,000.

The Waldport city council held a special meeting following the commissioners’ decision where it voted to change its contract to one deputy beginning July 1. But they also proposed that if Yachats was willing, the two cities might split the cost of sharing a second deputy.

Now, Yachats will pay $93,000 for a half-time deputy, minus a prorated rate for days not covered since the contract’s July 1 start date.

With the Yachats council agreeing to the proposal, the next step will be sitting down with Landers and Waldport city manager Dann Cutter to sign contracts and hammer out scheduling, said Yachats city manager Bobbi Price.

“I am pleased that we have the opportunity to work with Waldport and support the two sheriff’s that have already been in Waldport,” Price said. “It wasn’t quite what we were expecting but better this than nothing.”

Cutter responded to the Yachats decision with a text to YachatsNews that said “Excellent!” before adding an official statement.

“Waldport is grateful for this partnership with the city of Yachats to keep coverage in our cities,” he said. “While we know this is only a one-year step – it is movement in the right direction. Now to bring everyone together and figure out how to solve this more permanently and include our rural communities as well.”

Officials from both cities as well as Landers have expressed hope of reaching a long-term solution by placing a levy on the May 2025 ballot for voters to decide if a rural taxing district would eliminate the need for contract services by Yachats, Waldport, Depoe Bay and Siletz.

Yachats council members made clear a half-time deputy is better than no deputy. It’s also less expensive and more consistent than the “overtime” option they considered that relies on deputies who volunteer for overtime work to fill in when available. A half-time deputy also ensures having the same deputy so a relationship can be built and the deputy will have better insight into local issues.

Yachats Mayor Craig Berdie emphasized having even just a halftime deputy for one year will give residents an opportunity to evaluate whether a regular law enforcement presence is worthwhile and if it is meeting community expectations.

“We’ve gone many years without any permanent law enforcement so I think it would be good to see what happens,” Berdie said. “What do people expect? Is it breaking up fights? Is it a decrease in public alcohol consumption? Is it these sketchy cars that drive around without license plates? Speeding? How many tickets do we expect?

“If people feel their quality of life is significantly approved with a half-time deputy and that even more of the same would be better, we can reconsider next year during budget time,” he said.

He also noted discussions around contracting a deputy only started after talks about a camping ordinance to give the city enforcement options in handling camping on public property.

“All of sudden when we started talking about the camping ordinance it became imperative that we have a sheriff here,” Berdie said. “To me that was an immediate problem in response to one particular ordinance and change … but for us to immediately start saying we are a dangerous place and we need all kinds of sheriff’s patrols all hours of the day, I think it’s premature.”

Councilor Mary Ellen O’Shaughnessy also made clear her displeasure with county commissioners not approving the original three-deputy proposal.

“I was very disappointed with the outcome of that meeting (June 26) and I thought it was somewhat disrespectful that at the 12th hour, after negotiating from April on … all of a sudden the $60,000 (startup cost) shows up,” O’Shaughnessy said. “And I think what kind of hurts is that I don’t think they really care about the southern part of this county …

“I think it was really insulting that this didn’t come up sooner to all of you that spent a lot of time and a lot of energy and such generosity that you were going to let us do this for a year (without startup cost),” she continued. “So I want to thank everyone that was involved, with the time you put into this, and again I want to emphasize I was gravely disappointed with what happened with that meeting.”

In other business

• The city will negotiate to purchase the Edmunds property on Yachats River Road adjacent to the city’s water treatment plant and the former Landmark restaurant property at the intersection of Ocean View Drive and U.S. Highway 101 above the Yachats River estuary. The purchase prices were discussed in executive (closed) session but not made public. Purchase of the former Landmark site is intended to eventually become a public viewing area and part of the proposed Yachats estuary boardwalk;
• Building permits for repairing the Little Log Church Museum have been ironed out with the county and Civil West Engineering is preparing a proposal to seek bids from contractors to do the work;
• The city manager is drafting a document to contract with a local attorney to assume the role of municipal judge for Yachats, which is crucial to enforcing city codes and regulations;
• Removal of an underground heating-oil tank behind the Commons has begun; and
• South Lincoln Water Pepople’s Utility District has set a fee schedule that will allow Yachats to purchase water during droughts.

 

• Garret Jaros is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at GJaros@YachatsNews.com