At the March 18, 2025, City Council meeting, North Bend took a step toward determining the future of its police services.
Jarrod Burguan from the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM), a national firm with over 400 public safety evaluations under its belt, presented findings from its comprehensive study comparing three options: continuing to contract with the City of Snoqualmie Police Department (SPD), contracting with the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), or forming a standalone North Bend Police Department (NBPD).
“We started this project off with discussion with the previous city manager that highlighted some of the concerns that North Bend had with the increase in costs from Snoqualmie for the services provided asked us to focus on what would it take for the City of North Bend to stay with Snoqualmie and then provide the pros and cons of the contract versus doing it yourself,” said Burguan.
Evaluating the Options
Since 2012, North Bend has contracted with SPD for policing services. The agreement has been amended multiple times, most recently in January 2025, to extend coverage through May while options are evaluated. The 2024 cost of the contract was $2.51 million; under the current short-term renewal, North Bend is paying an annualized rate of $2.83 million. Snoqualmie’s adopted 2025 budget proposes raising North Bend’s cost to $4.05 million.
Because public safety services represent the largest portion of North Bend’s general fund budget, the decision carries weight in terms of cost, community impact, service quality, and long-term sustainability.
CPSM’s Analysis
To help inform the decision, CPSM collected and analyzed workload data, interviewed personnel from both cities, conducted on-site observations—including a ride-along with Snoqualmie officers in North Bend—and reviewed industry-standard staffing models.
SPD’s current workload in North Bend shows roughly 5,237 total events annually or about 14.3 per day. Said Burguan, “What we basically determined is that the required staffing for the actual workload in the City of North Bend is about one officer on average.”
Of these, 50.5% were community-initiated, and 42.2% were officer-initiated. Based on this workload, CPSM developed a single, integrated patrol staffing model for a potential city-operated North Bend Police Department.
The recommendation includes 16 sworn officers and one administrative assistant, structured around four corporal-led patrol teams with staggered 12-hour shifts to maintain consistent coverage and officer safety. “From an officer’s safety standpoint, you’ve got to have at least two people on duty,” noted Burguan while minimizing overtime.
According to Burguan, because Snoqualmie currently shares officers between the two cities, North Bend benefits from having a second officer on duty without fully staffing that position on its own. A standalone department must fill those roles with city staff to maintain coverage and safety.
The full department would include a police chief, two sergeants, a detective, and supporting civilian staff.
Comparing the Options
To help the City Council visualize the fiscal and operational implications of each option, CPSM provided a side-by-side comparison of key metrics:
The table provides a side-by-side comparison of North Bend’s three police service options. “FTEs” refers to full-time equivalent personnel. “Annual OPEX” represents yearly operating costs, while “Cost/Capita” shows how much that cost breaks down per resident. “One-time OPEX” includes startup costs like equipment and onboarding, and “One-time CAPEX” refers to major capital expenses, such as building a police facility—which would only apply if North Bend formed its own department.
Notably, while the city-run department has the highest estimated cost, it also provides the greatest local control. In contrast, contracting options reduce operational burden but limit North Bend’s authority over staffing, budgets, and service priorities.
Resident Sentiment
Results from the city’s 2023 community survey offer additional context. Among eight major city service categories, police services ranked third in satisfaction, with 73% of respondents saying they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied.” This rating was notably higher than the national average (55%) and the Northwest regional average (60%).
However, only 25% of respondents identified police services as a top priority for improvement over the next two years, ranking it fifth. The city’s Importance-Satisfaction analysis further classified police services as a “medium priority” due to its relatively high satisfaction and lower urgency for change compared to other services like economic development or street maintenance.
While satisfaction remains high, the City is also considering issues of cost, long-term sustainability, and local control when determining future policing options.
Facility and Staffing Needs
If North Bend pursued a city-operated department, it would also need a dedicated police facility. Based on a space needs analysis provided by Integrus Architecture, the city would require a 6,500-square-foot facility to accommodate 20–25 staff.
Finance Director Martin Chaw presented a conceptual plan and estimated total project cost of $6 million—$4.5 million in construction costs and $1.5 million in soft costs (such as design and permitting). If financed through general obligation bonds over 20 years at 5% interest, the city would face an annual debt service of roughly $500,000.
Chaw noted that the design reflects standard law enforcement needs, including a sallyport, interview rooms, a fitness area, locker rooms, and space for community training. The proposal is strictly conceptual and intended for comparison purposes only. Councilmember Joselyn clarified, “This is for solely the purposes of comparison to bring information to council. This is nothing that’s presently being envisioned or planned.”
He also reviewed updated staffing and cost assumptions across the three service models. Under the current arrangement, North Bend is served by one dedicated Snoqualmie officer and a second “floater” who shifts between the two cities. King County’s base proposal includes one officer on-site and one nearby, while an alternative offers two full-time officers in the city, increasing overall staffing to 12–14 FTEs. Chaw explained that with more staff, fixed costs can be spread more broadly, reducing the per-officer expense.
Councilmember Koellen questioned a comparison table showing asterisks next to several specialty services under the standalone department model. Chaw clarified that the stars indicate services that would be accessed through mutual aid or small agency coalitions. “The stars mean that those resources would be available to us either through mutual aid or through the small cities task force,” he said.
Acting Police Chief Gary Horejsi elaborated on how those services work in practice. While major crime response resources—like regional detectives, SWAT, and specialty units—are available to participating agencies, they are controlled by the task force board rather than local command. “It is very much available,” Horejsi said, “but it is not at our discretion or Snoqualmie—it’s at the task force discretion.”
In a 2024 homicide case in North Bend, Horejsi responded in his prior capacity as an Enumclaw officer because the case met the criteria. He explained that mutual aid was scaled back after prior overuse and is now reserved for higher-priority cases. Lower-level investigations are expected to be handled by local agencies.
Horejsi noted that while grants typically cover helicopter support through Guardian One, other services like K-9 assistance can generate costs depending on the city’s resources. “If we had our own K-9 unit, and it was deployed, and then we needed to call another agency for assistance, we’d be more likely to get billed than if we didn’t have the resource at all,” he said.
He added that King County’s response times may be slower, so the department often seeks assistance from nearby agencies like Redmond or Renton. “If Redmond has a dog on duty or Renton has a dog on duty, I’m going to ask for those first because they’re going to get here quicker,” he said.
The discussion also touched on oversight. While a standalone department would give the city complete control over staffing and policy, Chaw noted that King County offers two advisory committees—one focused on finance and the other on leadership. However, final decisions would still rest with the sheriff’s office.
Public Safety as a Top Priority
The City’s largest annual expense remains police services, making this a critical decision for public safety and financial planning. North Bend’s objectives include long-term financial predictability, high-quality community policing, and transparent reporting.
When asked by Councilmember Koellen which option he thought would work best for North Bend—contracting with Snoqualmie, contracting with King County, or forming its own department— Burguan said that while creating a new department was often considered impractical in the past, more communities are exploring it today due to frustration with contract arrangements.
Still, he said a regionalized model, such as a contract or partnership allowing shared resources, is likely the most practical option for a city of North Bend’s size. He emphasized the importance of surge capacity—the ability to bring in additional officers or support during major incidents or periods of high demand—something more challenging to achieve with a small standalone department.
During the meeting, council members voiced concern over the tight timeline for reviewing police service proposals from Snoqualmie and King County. With policing representing nearly 30% of the city’s budget, several felt the proposed schedule—requiring written responses, presentations, and scoring in rapid succession—did not allow adequate time for review.
To ensure a fair and thorough evaluation, the council discussed adjusting the timeline and asked city administration to work with both agencies on a more flexible schedule. Their goal: to allow for meaningful analysis and discussion while keeping the process on track.
In the meantime, CPSM’s presentation serves as a roadmap for Council and residents alike to understand what’s at stake. Whether North Bend maintains its current contract, shifts providers, or goes independent, the overarching goal remains to ensure effective, responsive, and sustainable policing for the growing community.
