Fort Lupton City Council approved a $79,000 payment to Weld County Regional Communications during the council’s business meeting on March 15. The money pays for Fort Lupton’s participation in dispatch services for 2022.
Police chief John Fryar told the council he under-budgeted this item a year ago. The 2021 budget included $50,000. This year’s budget included $61,500.
Staff notes said the use of the service increased, plus there were unfunded costs to the dispatch center in Greeley based on changes in law and state-negotiated contracts.
“I did not take into account the cost of the infrastructure that’s required,” he told councilors. “I’ll have to submit a supplemental budget requisition for those costs later.”
Fryar also said the city’s fee for dispatch service is $4.57 per call and $1.50 for the infrastructure.
“It’s something I don’t see rolling backward anytime soon,” Fryar said.
Monthly police report
Fryar also supplied a recap of the month of February to the council in the packet for the March 15 meeting. Kaitlynn Walker completed her sergeant’s training. Max Hefner and Ryan Thomeczek are the newest patrol officers and started training this month.
Through February, police answered more than 1,900 calls for service, a 13 percent drop from a year ago. Police arrested 41 people through the first two months of the year compared to 467 a year ago.
February’s specific numbers included almost 1,000 calls for service, 21 traffic accidents, 12 DUI cases, 11 stolen cars and 10 sex crimes. Most of the activity – 27 instances – happened at U.S. Highway 85 and State Highway 52.
Other business/coming attractions
Council approved a contract with Imperial Custom Concrete for work at Coyote Creek Golf Course. The contract cannot exceed $225,000, and the money comes from the city’s golf enterprise fund.
The city’s annual Easter egg hunt is at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 9, at the recreation center, 203 S. Harrison Ave.
Council’s first meeting with a 6 p.m. start time is Tuesday, April 19. Townhall meetings also begin at 6 p.m.
