Sacramento County extends Isleton police services as mayor vows debt recovery

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved a contract extension for the Sheriff’s Office to provide services in Isleton, which dissolved its police force in 2012 due to financial restraints.

The approved contract will extend Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office services until 2029.

The small Delta city of Isleton is in $4 million in debt, which has accumulated over decades over financial mismanagement. Isleton owes the Sheriff’s Office roughly $400,000 for its services, a sheriff’s spokesperson told The Sacramento Bee on Monday.

Because Isleton is “unlikely to generate sufficient tax revenue” to fund its city administration and other operations, the city is at bankruptcy risk or could disincorporate all together, a report from the county stated.

Mayor David Kent said the county still has to ratify the agreement, which was submitted by the Sheriff’s Office. It also needs to be reviewed by Isleton’s city manager.

“It’s crucial, and I deeply appreciate the county’s concern for public safety as a paramount concern,” Kent said.

Kent added that Isleton is working with the county on a recovery plan for the city’s debts. He said Isleton is currently in the process of “catching up on all of (its) audits” with professional auditors. Details of the recovery plan cannot be shared entirely, he explained, because the plan has yet to be shared in a public session. He added that negotiations are ongoing between Isleton and the county.

“This will become the public’s interest, the county’s interest, and everyone’s interest,” Kent said. “That’s the most important first step, the individual methods and strategies and priorities to recover more revenue and pay more bills on any given day.”

Isleton also owes more than $600,000 to Sacramento County, $195,000 to the state Employment Development Department and $145,000 to the Small Cities Organized Effort. These funds have accumulated due to unpaid taxes, interest and penalties.

Regarding when a potential recovery plan will be discussed, Kent said it “depends on each credit” and debt obligations. Additionally, information will “come to light” as the terms of the plan are negotiated.

“I don’t presume that with the past legacy, that it’s going to be settled in a one-time plan,” Kent said. “I think it’s going to be adjustable.”

Emma Hall

The Sacramento Bee

916-321-1047

Emma Hall covers retail and business for The Sacramento Bee. Hall graduated from Sacramento State and Diablo Valley College. She is Blackfeet and Cherokee.