Emotional hearing on Rigby law enforcement proposal

The Rigby City Council held a public hearing Thursday night on a proposal to contract city law enforcement with Jefferson County.

It was a packed house with high emotions.

The proposal would essentially be a mergerbetween theRigby Police Departmentand the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Mayor Jason Richardson says this proposed contract would save tax payers one of every four dollars they’re spending.

But at the meeting, the majority of residents were not concerned about the savings.

Everyone but the mayor spoke against the idea.

During the hearing,Mayor Richardson said, “We should get more of the people’s voice than just what is required by us. So I asked for a public hearing and I asked for it to be very critical of my plan and I got that.”

Many at the meeting were concerned the contract would affect response times.

The mayor says the contract would require one patrol officer in Rigby at all times.

Another meeting will be on Oct. 15th. That is the earliest a decision will be made on the proposal.