July 28, 2023 |
Photo – Carbon County Sheriff’s Office Logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
More details emerge about the proposed agreement between the Sheriff’s Office and the town of Hanna.
As reported by Bigfoot99, the town of Hanna has been without a marshal since March, when Ted Kranenburg left to join the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. During the July 11th Hanna town council meeting, Councilman Sam Sikes asked if the town had received any qualified applicants in the four months since the marshal resigned. Town Clerk Vivian Gonzales said despite widespread advertising, no one has applied.
Until a new marshal can be found, Hanna must rely on the Sheriff’s Office to respond to emergency calls in town. During the June 6th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Alex Bakken said Hanna officials reached out to him to provide in-town law enforcement. Sheriff Bakken drafted a memorandum of understanding that would have his department provide a deputy to patrol the town in exchange for a $55,000 yearly payment. The commissioners were on board with the agreement.
Over the next month, Sheriff Bakken and Hanna Mayor Jon Ostling hammered out the details of the agreement. During the July 17 commissioners meeting, Sheriff Bakken said he had presented his finalized MOU to Mayor Ostling. The sheriff said the agreement will require Hanna to pay $60,000 a year for a deputy to spend 60 hours a month in town.
The originally proposed MOU asked Hanna for $55,000 a year. The agreement Sheriff Bakken has presented to the Hanna town council increased the price to $60,000. No explanation was given for the $5,000 price increase.
Sheriff Bakken said he has the final say of when a deputy is deployed to patrol Hanna. The sheriff said the town can ask him to provide a deputy for special events.
During the July 11th Hanna town council meeting, the council discussed scheduling a special event to have a deputy in town to perform VIN inspections. Hanna Attorney Patrick Brady said the MOU allows the town to request a deputy with seven days’ notice. Clerk Gonzales said the town can then advertise to residents when the deputy is performing VIN inspections.
Back at the July 17th county commissioners meeting, Commissioner John Johnson asked Sheriff Bakken if he can keep track of how many hours deputies spend in Hanna. Sheriff Bakken said the computerized dispatch software his department uses, called Spillman, makes it possible to accurately record time.
Sheriff Bakken said the Spillman system will allow him to resolve any time related disputes with the town. The sheriff said he can print out a log showing how many hours a deputy has spent in Hanna.
Sheriff Bakken said the Hanna town council will vote on the MOU at their next meeting at 6:30pm on August 8th.
