DeBary and Sheriff's Office not likely to part ways soon

But DeBary would like to cut cost of law enforcement

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Jul 18, 2008 - 2:59:21pm

DeBary Mayor George Coleman said DeBary isn't planning to ditch the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and gang up with Deltona to form an independent police force, despite a television news report suggesting that possibility.

But DeBary would like to cut the cost of hiring the sheriff to police the city.

DeBary City Council members are grumbling about the 5.8-percent increase the Sheriff's Office wants for providing law-enforcement services during the new fiscal year that begins in October. The city currently pays $2.8 million a year.

There was talk of holding the increase to a flat 2 percent, and cutting the Sheriff's Office's services, if needed.

Deltona, on the other hand, pays $9.2 million a year for 77 deputies to provide police services in their sprawling city. The Deltona City Commission recently decided to ask city residents to vote on whether they want the city to form its own police department.

Deltona commissioners are still working out the details, but they expect to put a referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot.

That has nothing to do with DeBary.

"I don't know anything about any agreement with Deltona," DeBary Mayor Coleman told The Beacon July 17.

He and DeBary City Manager Maryann Courson did meet with Deltona Mayor Dennis Mulder and Deltona Acting City Manager Faith Miller a couple of days earlier, but not to discuss law-enforcement services.

"It was to discuss communications between the cities. They're our neighboring city," Coleman said.

Plus, the DeBary mayor likes the Deltona mayor and his dedication to his city.

"I know he's got his heart into it," Coleman said.

If Deltona should form its own police department, that might be something DeBary would look into, after Deltona's department was up and running for a few years, the mayor said.

DeBary City Council Members Jack Lenzen, Lenny Marks and Norm Erickson attended the July 14 Deltona City Commission meeting, where the topic was whether Deltona should form its own police force.

They, like Coleman, had picked up on Deltona's dissatisfaction with the Sheriff's Office, and had also heard talk about a possible police-services partnership between Deltona and DeBary.

When they reported on the Deltona meeting at the DeBary City Council's July 16 meeting, the council members focused on the arrangement of Deltona's City Commission meeting room. They're deciding how they want to arrange DeBary's meeting room in the new DeBary City Hall that's set to open in November.

Sheriff Ben Johnson attended DeBary's July 16 meeting, to defend his prices and his turf.

"Contract prices are not drug out of thin air," Johnson said.

He said the 5.8-percent increase is already the lowest price he can offer.

Johnson told City Council members the formula for figuring contract prices for law-enforcement services was drawn up years ago by consultants Dunn and Associates.

If DeBary elects to cut the level of service, the city would have to give up an animal-control officer, a traffic deputy, or even Capt. Alan Osowski, well-liked commander over the DeBary district.

"It will be your choice," Johnson said.

The Sheriff's Office can cut an officer. But crime happens, he warned council members.

"If you cut back on services, you're going to have more problems," the sheriff said.

City Council Member Lenzen said DeBary is pleased with its law-enforcement services, but is faced with a budget shortfall. Paying for law enforcement is nearly a third of the city's budget.

"We're looking at a 5- to 8-percent decrease," he said.

Johnson said he understood. The Sheriff's Office lost 33 deputies to budget cuts last year.

He advised the city to stay with the manpower they have.

"Worse times are coming," he said, and there's no way the city can provide all the services it gets from the Sheriff's Office on its own.

"We're going to be discussing this in the future," Coleman said. "We've got to cut some services."

Council Member Marks said he wanted to see a breakdown of expenses from the Sheriff's Office.

"That's hard to do," Johnson said, because of the way costs are shared and split.

Only a portion of Capt. Osowski's salary is charged to DeBary, for example. Police records, evidence, internal affairs and attorneys' fees are all shared.

Marks wasn't satisfied.

"We should have the right to negotiate," he said.

Johnson replied, "It's not a negotiation. It's a cost."

That cost is determined by the outside agency, he said.

Marks still wanted to see information on cost factors.

Johnson told Marks to come to the Sheriff's Office to go over information.

Marks said, "Send it to me."

DeBary Vice Mayor Chris Carson told The Beacon July 17, if the city were to ever pull out of the contract with the Sheriff's Office, it would make more sense to turn to Orange City than Deltona.

The boundaries of DeBary and Orange City meet on the U.S. Highway 17-92 corridor in Southwest Volusia. Orange City already has its own police force.

Carson sees this budget year as "transitional."

"Everyone's slashing, and we've got to slash," he said. "Next year should be more set."

He said when DeBary officials signed contracts with the county, they knew costs would increase. The size of the city has increased. Costs of fuel and other expenses for the Sheriff's Office have increased.

Still, "There's a lot of doubt, and it's a season for doubt," Carson said.

City Council members set a budget workshop for 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9. The contract with the Sheriff's Office will come up for discussion, as will contracts with other service providers.

City Manager Courson said she and Finance Administrator Jimmie Seelbinder will present a budget that's cut to the bare bones — just short of cutting off telephone service.

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

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