For the upcoming 2023-24 fiscal year beginning July 1, the cost to the city for sheriff’s services will increase by 7.61%.
Of the 88 cities located within Los Angeles County, 42 of those cities, including La Cañada Flintridge, receive law enforcement services through a contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Sgt. Greg Taylor from the Sheriff’s Department laid out the many resources that they provide to the city, which includes crime prevention, collision reports, school resource deputy and setting up catalytic converter etching events to name a few.
LASD has provided the city with these contract services since the city was incorporated in 1976. Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, LASD adjusts the “baseline” contract cost. This consists of the cost adjustment for the next fiscal year that will enable the contracting city to receive the same level of services it is currently receiving, plus any enhancement in services for the coming year.
The average cost increase in the city’s base sheriff contract over a five-year period has been 4.42%. In some years, the annual percentage increase in the city’s overall cost of sheriff’s services has exceeded the amounts from previous years due to the city’s requests for additional services over and above those provided in the base contract.
The increased budget is related to a number of things, like inflation but it is mostly due to liability insurance, Taylor said.
“Liability insurance went up significantly,” said Taylor. “Anytime you have anybody working, you have to have liability insurance on it and ours went up, and I think that’s probably the bulk of your increase.”
— Mia Alva contributed to this report.
First published in the June 22 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
