The neighboring cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie began negotiations this year to explore renewing their Police Services Contract. Since September 2012, North Bend has received policing services through a contract with the City of Snoqualmie.
Mayor Miller and the North Bend City Council express appreciation and gratitude for the Snoqualmie Police Department’s tireless work in protecting both communities for over a decade. Both cities have benefitted from the arrangement as funding from North Bend provides additional depth of police officers to cover shifts and respond to critical calls for service. This advantage provides a higher level of police services to North Bend while also giving additional “boots on the ground” to respond to calls for service in Snoqualmie.
The current contract is scheduled to expire December 31, 2024. Under this contract, North Bend pays Snoqualmie just over $2.5 million for policing services. Based on North Bend’s population, this equates to $304 per resident. In an August 2024 letter from the City of Snoqualmie, Snoqualmie proposed increasing the cost of the current policing services contract to over $4.1 million, equating to $490 per resident.
This equates to over 60 percent of an increase in the cost of contracted policing services with Snoqualmie. Based on a survey of over 20 police department budgets in surrounding communities, the cost of police services averages:
- $259 per resident with the City of Maple Valley.
- $315 per resident with the City of Issaquah.
- $475 per resident with the City of Renton.
- The City of Lynnwood pays more, at $483 per resident.
Prior to contracting with Snoqualmie, the City of North Bend received policing services through a contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office. The movement from King County to Snoqualmie occurred when citizens and the Council expressed concerns over slow response times and predictability in the amount paid for policing services.
North Bend’s top two priorities for police contract negotiations are public safety and budget predictability. The City appreciated Snoqualmie’s assurance in its 2012 Police Contract, where it provided a fixed annual fee and contained a specific formula for determining the fee. Snoqualmie consistently provided for public safety and budget predictability for nearly 12 years.
“Our concern right now is not with the Snoqualmie Police Department’s level of service,” commented Mayor Miller. “The issue is that our city is being confronted with a 67 percent increase in cost for these services. It is our duty to be stewards of your taxpayer dollars, and we are doing our due diligence to protect the City's budget.”
Due to concerns with the proposed increase, in August 2024, North Bend retained the services of a consultant to evaluate its policing services options. These options include:
- Renewing the current contract with the City of Snoqualmie.
- Contracting with another agency such as the City of Issaquah or the King County Sheriff.
- Forming a city-owned and operated police department.
The consultant study will be comprehensive and include a detailed analysis of the historical calls for service for the combined cities and it will determine the actual workload and location of incidents attributable to North Bend. This information will help:
- Establish workloads and service demands for all areas such as investigations, patrol and evidence.
- Identify and recommend the appropriate level of staffing for North Bend.
- Identify and inform the potential cost of police services options.
A report by the consultant is not expected until early 2025, the results of which will assist the North Bend City Council in making an informed decision as to the best policing services option that meets the needs of our community while also providing for a sustainable and predictable budget.
In the event the cities are not able to agree to a renewed contract and the contract is terminated, the current contract provides for a holdover period setting the compensation at the current 2024 level plus five percent. The City of North Bend will provide updates to the community as negotiations continue moving forward.