The Uintah County Commission approved two agenda items tied to the Sheriff’s Office during last Monday’s meeting. The first was a renewal of the cooperative agreement with the Uintah Basin Consolidated Communication Center for dispatch services. Attorney Jonathan Stearmer stated that this is simply a contract approved on a multi-year basis between the state and local entities including Duchesne and Uintah Counties, Roosevelt and Vernal Cities, and other related agencies. The agreement was renewed to run through June 30th, 2022. The second item approved was an agreement between the Sheriff’s Office and the state of Utah for court bailiff services. Stearmer explained that the agreement is a standard multi-year contract. While the Commission approved it, there was discussion on how the Sheriff’s Office is reimbursed by the state for bailiff services. State court security director Chris Palmer presented and answered questions on the topic explaining that the legislature has not given enough funding to fully compensate for the bailiff services in the counties across the state. He stated that he plans to push legislature to increase the funding as this is a crucial part of court security and he indicated it will take a unifying of counties across the state to ensure the legislature listens.
