The Montezuma County sheriff’s office reported that the town of Dolores can expect a refund from its law enforcement service contract for 2015.
Sheriff Steve Nowlin said he has to confirm the number with the treasurerts office, but he estimated the refund to be approximately $30,000. He credits a line item budgeting system he formatted that keeps an exact accounting of Dolores law enforcement services and expenditures on a month to month basis.
“That’s the way it should be – all expenditures accounted for,” he said. “Before, anything left over would go back into the county general fund and you would not see it, now you will.”
In 2015, Dolores agreed to a $157,520 contract with the sheriff’s office to provide law-enforcement services for the community of 950 residents. Two deputies are assigned to serve Dolores 80 hours per week.
The town also contributed $35,000 in 2015 toward the purchase of a fully equipped police patrol vehicle, a 2015 Ford 150 pick-up. At the end of three years, the vehicle will revert back to the town of Dolores to be used in the town fleet, or sold to buy something the town needs.
This year the town decided to keep its 2012 police vehicle purchase, a Chevy Tahoe, with the Dolores patrol fleet to provide an additional vehicle for deputies.
Nowlin said the 2016 proposed budget is the same as 2015.
Deputy Tisha Strong reported people have “for the most part” been complying with the new parking ordinance that requires parallel parking on residential streets during winter. It was passed to give snowplow drivers more room to work on town streets.
“No tickets have been issued. I’ve given out a lot of warnings and have been explaining why the ordinance was passed in order to help the town crew and residents,” she said.
