After a months-long negotiation, the city of Willows and Glenn County Sheriff’s Office have reached an agreement for law enforcement services.
If the two didn’t reach a deal this week, the sheriff would have suspended law enforcement inside Willows unless there was an active felony in progress.
Now the sheriff’s office will continue services through December, as Willows begins to create its own police department.
Amy Travis, deputy director of the Office of Emergency Services at the Glenn County Sheriff's Office, said it will take time for the city to get the department up and running.
"We fully intend to be negotiating a contract for an extension past December to continue services while they rebuild their police department,” Travis said.
The move for Willows to create its own police department comes after the sheriff’s office announced it could no longer provide services to the city due to lack of payment.
The original contract between the sheriff’s office and city ended in June.
Before the recent impasse, the sheriff's office was providing services to Willows without a new contract or additional payment, stating the city owed the agency more than $600,000 in past dues.
The sheriff’s office said an increase in costs and caseload in Willows were the main points for contention in negotiations. The city currently makes up about 50% of the agency’s total cases.
Willows Mayor Richard Thomas said the city has some obstacles to face in creating its own police department.
“The biggest challenge we have is financial. Our costs have increased substantially over the last 10 years, 15 years, our revenue stream has not necessarily increased,” Thomas said.
He said the city has declared a fiscal emergency, and will put a 1% sales tax increase on the March ballot.
