Danbury can start sharing officers

Danbury City Council changed a longstanding ordinance that prevented its officers from working law enforcement jobs elsewhere when commissioners by the city. A problem recruiting and retaining officers had them rethink that policy.

“The city didn't allow our city police to have a dual permission to work for another municipality or work on side jobs,” Mayor Sue Powell said. ”Our chief that we have now has been in negotiations. We had a couple other municipality police chiefs working on agreements to allow their officers to do part-time work over at our city.”

Police Chief Randy Rhyne has been a one-person operation since April when he took over the department, which had been effectively disbanded for lack of officers. The Brazoria County Sheriff's Office has been supplementing his efforts.

He believes allowing officers to work side jobs and with other departments will benefit Danbury, Rhyne said.

“I asked the council to remove that from the city's ordinance to allow me to try to recruit some people for dual-commission,” he said.

The dual commission saves Danbury money because the officer's full-time agency covers their insurance benefits, training and other expenses related to maintaining their law enforcement certification, he said. Danbury only would be responsible for the officer's hourly rate.

“I'm able to bump up my hourly rate for a dual commissioned officer because most of their benefits are being paid by the other agents,” Rhyne said.

In other business, council discussed a franchise tax issue with Comcast, which has not been making payments required under its agreement with the city, Powell said. Council took no action as it awaits more information.

Comcast has made a settlement offer to the city, but the company hasn't provided some critical details the city needs to move forward.

Council also took up a proposal for memorial benches at Skrabanek Park.

“The whole idea behind it is just to have anybody who wants to do a memorial at the city park, let them have the opportunity to do it as a bench," Powell said. "The policy is trying to standardize which bench, which picnic table and so that all purchase from the same place and do not look different. The city will install and maintain the memorial's condition.”

A memorial bench will also be installed at the park in honor of Harold Peltier, a lifelong Danbury resident and farmed there for 60 years.

Andrew Tineo is a reporter for The Facts, contact him at 979-237-0151 or andrew.tineo@thefacts.com.