Public Safety Budget Scaled Back
October 15, 2019
Tusayan’s law enforcement budget has been scaled back as the town deals with operating under state spending limits. The yearly fee to the Coconino County Sheriff’s office has been reduced to $250,000 a year. That means the resident deputy program is no more. The Sheriff’s office will try to retain some ‘proactive patrolling’ but it depends on whether a deputy is in the area on another call.
The Town Council worked out the details during its October 9th meeting. Lt. Brian Tozer told the council that deputies will have a presence in town depending on calls. Deputies will also respond to private property damage calls when they are able. However the hopes of a marked cruiser cruising the streets of Tusayan are on hold.
In addition to $250,000 a year, the town would have to pay extra for any additional incidents that involve more than 100 man-hours.
The cutbacks come as the town continues to pay its lobbying form Brownstein Hyatt $15,000 a month. The town has been paying that tab for several years as part of its efforts to get access to land holdings at 10X and Kotzin.