Willows is staring down the end of sheriff-provided patrols at the close of the month, after the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office announced it will terminate its law-enforcement contract with the city. Officials say that once the deal ends, urgent calls will be shuffled to other agencies while city leaders and the county try to patch a shaky mix of funding and staffing.
County: The Numbers Don't Add Up
Sheriff’s officials say the current contract, about $2.3 million for this year, does not cover what it really costs to police Willows, which they peg at roughly $3.4 million annually. That nearly $1 million gap, the sheriff’s office said in its release, is unsustainable, and state law requires counties to bill for the full cost of services instead of quietly subsidizing a city. As reported by The Sacramento Bee, the Board of Supervisors also signed off on a limited-term exception meant to give Willows a bit of breathing room to chase more money.
City Pushes For Mediation
Willows officials say they formally requested mediation in mid-March after negotiations stalled, seeking a neutral third party to investigate concerns about how services are being delivered and to help ensure residents continue to receive law enforcement services without interruption. In a March 18 press release, city leaders cast mediation as a constructive move while they weigh options that include rebuilding a stand-alone Willows police department, per the City of Willows.
Agreement Timeline
County records show the two sides hammered out an interim contract that took effect January 1, 2024, and was supposed to run through June 30. The Board of Supervisors approved that deal as a stopgap while Willows studied a possible return to local policing. According to the Glenn County Board minutes, the county signed off in December 2023 on a multi-million dollar agreement that was intended to cover about two and a half years of law-enforcement services.
What Residents Will See Next
The sheriff’s office says it plans to roll out an online crime-reporting portal specifically for Willows and to route calls to the county dispatch center to the California Highway Patrol or to Willows Fire until the city issues new directions. The release and subsequent reporting also note that voters approved a 1.5% Measure I sales tax in November 2024 to fund public safety and that Willows Mayor Evan Hutson has publicly floated bringing back a city police force, a project officials warn could take at least a year to pull off. As reported by The Sacramento Bee, residents and business owners say they are bracing for a stretch of uncertainty.
For now, the gap is expected to be more logistical than legal: the county says it will no longer subsidize Willows, while the city pursues mediation and debates how to pay for, or possibly re-establish, its own department. Local leaders say they are hoping the next few weeks of talks result in either an extension of the current arrangement or a clearly mapped transition plan. If not, everyday patrols in Willows will look very different starting July 1. Council and county meetings set for this month are likely to be where residents get their most timely updates.
-2.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)