Winter Springs commissioners will vote Monday night on whether the city manager should approach the Seminole County Sheriff's Office about what it would cost to provide the city's law enforcement.
The question comes from Commissioner Paul Diaz, who proposed at the Sept. 28 meeting a side-by-side look at the cost of keeping the city's own police force against the price of a sheriff's contract, according to the agenda for the Oct. 26 regular meeting.
The item, listed as "Discussion on the Police Department," asks the commission to give the city manager formal direction on whether to reach out to the Sheriff's Office about what such a contract would cost and whether it could work.
The staff summary does not recommend either way. It notes that the analysis would take staff time and resources, and it asks the commission to decide whether the effort should move ahead.
What residents said
The proposal drew comment at the Oct. 12 meeting, according to the draft minutes in Monday's packet. Resident Karen Meyer spoke about the plan to study the department's cost against outside services. Another resident, Erin Ash, said he was left on hold for several minutes after dialing 911 to report a fire and urged commissioners not to compromise public safety to save money.
Police items elsewhere on the agenda
The same meeting includes several routine police matters. Commissioners will honor the retirement of Lt. Tracy Fugate, who started with the department in 1995, and swear in Brad Heath as deputy chief with a badge-pinning ceremony.
