By Michael Weber
Chico Enterprise-Record, Calif.
OROVILLE, Calif. — A theme of public safety carried the City Council meeting Tuesday, starting with councilors endorsing Measure H, a proposed 1% sales tax in Butte County, following with formal openings for two police community navigator positions and salary raises for the Oroville Police Department’s municipal law enforcement officers.
The thread between city and county: not enough staff, according to officials.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea and Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey discussed the county’s financial crisis and promoted the Measure H campaign, stating that their departments faced more than 20 staff cuts this year, and will need funding to continue their functions like all other departments in the county.
“I feel that I don’t like being in this position. I don’t want to ask you or (the public) for this kind of assistance,” Honea said. “I’ve also learned that as sheriff, I don’t get to pick when the crisis comes.”
Honea said he holds concern that cuts will continue within the Sheriff’s Office, and that he won’t have adequate staffing for the county’s jail expansion in 2025; he said he needs to fill 19 open correctional depution positions right now, and will need to hire 25 more to open the new facility, which will includes 38 medical mental health beds. “let me tell you there is a definite need for these beds.”
Ramsey said his department has gone from 28 to 18 deputy district attorneys, who now actively handle about 8,200 cases. He said neighboring counties are able to pay $10,000 to $50,000 more than here, and that, if his department doesn’t have staff to review police reports quickly enough, then people could wait in jail for two days as they for their file to be reviewed “because only the District Attorney can bring those folks into the criminal justice system.”
Councilors expressed concern about the budget cuts to the county’s departments, and discussed realities of taxes needed to keep public safety a priority. Councilor Shawn Webber said he understands taxes have been tiring, but that he still wants a fully functioning jail and District Attorney’s Office. Councilors Scott Thomson and Janet Goodson recalled when Oroville faced a $1.8 million deficit in 2016, each acknowledging that Oroville would not be at its current state without its own, city-wide 1% sales tax with Measure U passed by residents in 2018.
One resident held a sign stating, “No on H.”
The council thanked the officials, with Councilor Krysi Riggs saying she was appreciative of Honea and Ramsey for their due diligence to talk to jurisdictions. On Riggs’ motion, the council directed staff 7-0 to draft a letter of support in favor of Measure H for the November 2024 ballot.
Community navigators
After county-level talk, councilors turned to Oroville Police Chief Bill LaGrone and unanimously approved changes to staffing at the Police Department , including converting two municipal law enforcement positions into two community navigator positions and a formal job description to boot.
The community navigators, of which there has been one who has been volunteering since July 2023, will build relationships with homeless people alongside MLE officers, acting as a liaison between the Police Department and outreach groups and other resources including shelters, health care, substance abuse treatment and job programs.
LaGrone said that two official positions may open opportunity for them to work as a team, possibility shifting from Monday to Thursday for two weeks then Thursday through Monday to achieve consistent presence through the week.
“This is a non-traditional law enforcement tactic that we would be using to address these types of issues, as opposed to the normal tactics that you would see,” LaGrone said.
He said if this new strategy is effective, he may come back to the council to request two more conversions of MLE officer positions to community navigators.
Webber, who took part in developing the new job position with LaGrone, said he couldn’t be more pleased with how the position has worked out.
“The service resistant are very difficult to deal with, but there are a lot of people out there that have low threshold, barrier-type stuff that’s keeping them from getting some sort of help,” Webber said.
Pay raise
These community navigators, on the same pay scale as MLE officers, will also get paid, also approved by councilors Tuesday.
LaGrone requested a shift in pay scale for MLE officers, eliminating the lowest tier of pay of $19.96 per hour after discussions with the Oroville Police Officers Association about the need to pay more for higher rigor work of “outdoor” staff compared to “indoor” staff being paid the same rate.
“As everyone should know, that is not even as competitive as fast food,” LaGrone said. “In order to remain competitive, we (have) to do something with our pay scale,” LaGrone said.
The new pay scale for the MLE officer position begins at $25.47 per hour for the first 18 months of placement, $26.75 from 19 to 26 months and $28.09 after 37 months.
Finance Director Ruth Duncan said the fiscal impact of the change will be about a $185,000 increase in annual cost.
___
(c)2024 Chico Enterprise-Record, Calif
Visit Chico Enterprise-Record, Calif at www.chicoer.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.