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Prairie Township renews contract with Sheriff's Office
(by Brandi Daniels, staff writer - February 01, 2011)
The Prairie Township trustees agreed to renew their contract with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for 2011.
The Franklin County Sheriff will provide 152 hours per week of police protection to the township by assigning, exclusively to the township, one deputy sheriff for 16 hours a day, seven days a week. The sheriff will also assign one deputy sheriff for eight hours a day, five days a week.
The contract states these deputies will be assigned “to keep the peace, protect the property and perform other necessary police functions in (the) township.”
Under the contract, the township agrees to pay the Franklin County Sheriff $316,157 for the period of Jan. 1, 2011, through Dec. 31, 2011.
The 2010 contract cost the township $303,484. The new contract is a $12,672 increase from last year.
“The board of trustees and the residents have always expressed the fact that they are pleased with the level of service they get from the sheriff’s office, and the costs do continue to go up, and the board is determined to provide this as a basic service,” said Tracy Hatmaker, Prairie Township administrator.
According to the Jan. 1 estimates from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), Prairie Township has an estimated population of 17,610 with 6,826 households.
Prairie Township has one of the largest populations in Franklin County.
“We have some urbanized areas that require special attention and it’s not just on a criminal basis. We also have a lot of traffic and a lot of issues along those lines,” Hatmaker said.
Prairie Township has worked with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for many years and Hatmaker said he thinks this is a good thing.
“They get involved in some pretty heavy stuff, too, with drugs and burglaries. So yeah, they do a good job, but they do stay busy and I think that it’s a good service for the residents,” Hatmaker said.
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