By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• The Tenino City Council in Washington voted to dissolve the Tenino Police Department due to budget shortfalls and restructuring of city finances.
• Ordinance 943 was approved unanimously May 12, and a six-month contract for policing services with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office was also authorized.
• The city is paying roughly $112,365 for sheriff’s office services through Sept. 30, with an optional extension available.
• Officials cited projected bankruptcy and the need to repay internal budget loans as reasons for the department’s dissolution.
• Remaining patrol officers will be eligible to transition to county service under civil service rules once the department is dissolved.
TENINO, WASH. —
The Tenino City Council unanimously approved an ordinance May 12 formally dissolving the Tenino Police Department, citing budget constraints and the need to stabilize city finances, officials said.
Council members also approved a six-month contract with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services in the city, with an optional three-month extension. Under the agreement, the city will pay approximately $112,365 for patrol services through Sept. 30, officials said.
Mayor Dave Watterson and city staff previously held community meetings where they said the city faced potential bankruptcy if the local police department continued amid obligations to repay approximately $1.6 million in internal budget loans owed to restricted funds.
The sheriff’s office has been responding to calls in Tenino since April, and Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said he and city leaders plan to hold additional town halls to gather resident input on long-term law enforcement arrangements.
City officials noted that dissolving the department allows the remaining officers to transition to other agencies under state civil service rules, and that sheriff’s deputies will provide comparable public safety services.