Unable to make headway in its talks with Henry County for continued police protection, Stockbridge is considering hiring private contractors for supplemental security.
The two sides have been trying to hammer out a deal since a couple of months before Stockbridge's contract with the county ended in December 2014. Mediation last year drove the two sides further apart.
“We could not get together,” a frustrated County Chairman Tommy Smith said of the 15-month impasse. “We’ve beat this thing to death. We’re not in negotiations. Negotiations have broken off.”
Although talks have broken down, the county’s top officials said Stockbridge residents are receiving police service from the county.
“Most people in Stockbridge won’t know the difference,” Smith said. “If they pick up the phone and call 911, we’ll be there. We’re patrolling the city like we would any other unincorporated areas.”
Nonetheless, county officials have told Stockbridge officials they had until mid-January to accept the $743,000 price tag for round-the-clock service or negotiaitons would cease. The county’s five-year deal calls for county police to provide Stockbridge with what amounts to two officers, 24-hours a day. The price tag would go up four percent a year each year after that.
So what’s the sticking point?
In addition to the new price tag and yearly price hikes on the service, the county wants 40 percent of the after-court expense revenues generated when its officers write tickets and other violations in Stockbridge, Smith said.
“Those court fines and fees help cover a lot of court expenses. So if you take away a large part of our fines and fees, we’d have to make substantial adjustments to our court department,” City Manager Michael Harris said. “We’re still in the position of weighing our options that they presented.”
“In the event a citation is warranted,” Smith said. “A ticket will be written and taken to state court instead Stockbridge Municipal Court.”
With 27, 265 residents, Stockbridge is Henry County's most populous city and the only one without its own police force. The county has been providing police protection for nearly four decades. Stockbridge briefly considered restarting its own police department in 2013.
In the event a citation is warranted, a ticket will be written and taken to state court instead Stockbridge Municipal Court.”
Meanwhile, Harris has his hands full overseeing the city without a mayor. Mayor Tim Thompson abruptly resigned last month as city officials were considering charging him with creating a hostile work environment. Thompson had two years left on his term. Councilman Anthony Ford is serving as mayor pro tem.
The city has approached its legislative delegation “to ask for an amendment to our charter that would allow for a special election rather than an appointment,” Harris said.
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