Oxnard Police Plan May Save Port Hueneme $385,000 a Year : Law enforcement: If efforts to keep its own agency fail, financially strapped city also has a proposal from Sheriff’s Department to consider.

The city of Port Hueneme could save $385,000 a year by contracting for police services with the Oxnard Police Department, according to a proposal that the Oxnard City Council will review Tuesday.

If approved by the council, Oxnard police would then submit the proposal to Port Hueneme in as soon as two weeks. Financially beleaguered Port Hueneme has agreed to consider contracting for police service with larger agencies as a way to trim expenses rather than cut more city services.

At an annual cost of $1.88 million, the Oxnard proposal is slightly higher than the $1.85-million offer for police services submitted in September by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. But the Oxnard proposal includes the presence of a supervising sergeant 24 hours a day, which the initial sheriff’s proposal lacked.

“It’s a good deal for Port Hueneme because there’s always been a harmonious working relationship between the two police departments,” Oxnard Police Chief Harold Hurtt said Friday.

“We work one side of the street and they work the other side of the street, and sometimes we cross over and help each other out,” he said.

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Under the proposal, Oxnard would hire most, if not all, Port Hueneme police officers, who would retain their Port Hueneme uniforms and continue to drive cars that identify them as Port Hueneme police.

Start-up costs would be less for Port Hueneme if it selected Oxnard over the Sheriff’s Department, Hurtt said, because the city’s existing radio equipment is compatible with Oxnard’s computer-aided dispatch system.

The Oxnard department would also deploy its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team as needed in Port Hueneme, a service it already furnishes to that city, Hurtt said.

As with the sheriff’s proposal, the officers patrolling Port Hueneme would continue to work out of the existing Port Hueneme Police Department, but the office would be closed at night.

While both the Oxnard and sheriff’s proposals would save Port Hueneme more than $300,000 a year, the choice by Port Hueneme officials will not necessarily depend on finances, Port Hueneme City Manager John R. Velthoen said.

“You can’t just take our budget cost of $2.185 million and compare it to their offers,” Velthoen said. “When you contract a major service like police protection, a lot of people would view it as a loss of independence.”

Within a few weeks, Velthoen said, city staff members will recommend placing a measure on the June ballot that would give city voters the option of raising property taxes between $28 and $39 a year so the city could keep its own Police Department.

A decision on which contract offer to select would be postponed until after that election, he said. A two-thirds majority vote would be required to approve the property tax override.

Sentiment to keep the city’s Police Department independent has grown in Port Hueneme since word of the possible contract spread, said Valorie Morrison, chairwoman of a grass-roots group intent on preserving the department.

“We’re not going to bad-mouth the Sheriff’s Department or Oxnard Police Department, but we need to see in black and white what the costs are,” Morrison said. “Maybe we can get something cheaper, but do we want a Pic-N-Save or a Nordstrom’s?”

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Another sticking point, Velthoen said, was the lack of reference to a possible joint power authority in the Oxnard offer, a provision that would give both cities oversight of the police.

But Hurtt said he saw little need for a joint power agency such as the one Velthoen envisioned.

“From my personal perspective, it would create an additional layer of government that is probably not needed,” Hurtt said.

While the final decision might not be based on financial concerns alone, Velthoen said the concern of residents about higher taxes might prove to outweigh town loyalty.

“Sentiment is pretty strong for keeping our own police force,” Velthoen said. “But the question is whether the sentiment is strong enough to win a two-thirds vote.”

NEXT STEP

The Port Hueneme City Council will consider placing a $397,000 property tax override measure on the June ballot at its Nov. 17 meeting. If the measure is approved by a 66.7% vote, residents would pay an annual fee of between $28 and $39 to keep the city’s own Police Department. If it fails, the council would choose between competing contract proposals from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and Oxnard Police Department.