Cities agree on police contract

Electric City council approved its 2018-19 police contract with Grand Coulee at its meeting last Tuesday night.

The contract amount is for $140,000, which is $15,000 more than the contract amount of the current year.

The council approved the new contract with a 5-0 vote, and without the usual council committee debates that have been necessary in past years. In fact, Electric City hadn’t even named members to a police committee.

The contract went to the Grand Coulee council last night for passage.

The contract package was prepared by Grand Coulee and presented to Electric City in August, suggesting that committees get together and start discussions.

No discussions were necessary. The Electric City council reviewed the proposal and quickly passed it.

Grand Coulee stated in its contract proposal that 25 percent of its officers’ time will be spent in Electric City “for traffic control, routine police patrol, community policing services, safety inspections, agency referrals, attendance at school events, checking security of businesses, and personal contacts as are customary in small towns, and criminal investigations within the boundaries of the city, including the collection and processing of evidence.”

The rate for the year 2019 will be subject to an increase of not less than 2 percent or more than 5 percent of the 2018 contract and tied to the Consumer Price Index.

The contract states that supervision of Grand Coulee officers lies with its police chief and that the mayor of Electric City can make patrol suggestions.