LETTER: Should SV contract out police services?

EDITOR,
Some in Scotts Valley are calling for an extension of the Measure C sales tax as solution to the general fund deficit. Increased taxes are always one solution to city budget problems, and sometimes they are the correct solution. However, expenses should always be examined carefully before asking the public for increased taxes.
I would first ask if the City Council has looked into contracting out police services to the county sheriff’s department, as the city of San Carlos has recently done. If so, what were the conclusions? San Carlos expects to save $2 million a year by such a change.
The Scotts Valley Police Department is very professional, but due to recent pension increases, it may no longer be affordable. Scotts Valley should also be able to get by with less staffing, due to redundancies, if the sheriff’s office takes over police services. Cutting expenses should be given serious consideration before enacting or extending any tax increase.
I recently read that Scotts Valley Unified School District has plans to place a parcel tax measure before voters next year to help fill a nearly $2 million hole in its $16.2 million budget. Putting both tax measures on the ballot at the same time in this economic climate makes it more likely that neither will pass.
Michael Duffy, Scotts Valley