Lindon not dropping Pleasant Grove police pact

LINDON — Rather than dump Pleasant Grove and look for new police options, the city of Lindon has decided to delay that decision and focus on improving the relationship it already has.

"It seems to me that the idea of doing something different at this precise moment might be a little premature," said Lindon City Councilman Bruce Carpenter. "Given what looked like a shift in perception ... perhaps we ought to see if we can resolve some of these things."

Lindon officials have contracted with Pleasant Grove for emergency services for nearly 23 years but recently got the impression they were being asked to branch out on their own.

They considered contracting with Orem, Utah County or starting their own police force and were scheduled to make a decision Tuesday night.

However, after considering discussion from an emotional public hearing June 12, the City Council decided to delay making any changes.

In that June 12 meeting, Pleasant Grove Mayor Mike Daniels told the council he didn't want Lindon to leave but acknowledged the city's right to do so.

Lindon's concerns are not with the quality of emergency services, and officials have heard no complaints from residents.

Instead, the City Council was concerned about what it felt was a lack of detail regarding how money was being spent and how administration was carried out — all concerns Pleasant Grove officials said they were willing to address.

"With the more openness between both cities, we may be able to iron this out," Councilman Toby Bath said.

"I'm certainly not in mind to make a huge leap if we can solve some of the issues that we have and move on in a better way," added Councilwoman Lindsey Bayless. "That would be my choice. But we do still have certain issues to resolve."

These concerns could be solved easily if the two entities spent more time in face-to-face contact, suggested Tad Raban, who lives in Lindon and works for the Pleasant Grove/Lindon Fire Department.

"We're going to ask Lindon to come up with a more specific list of what they'd like and we'll work to meet those needs," Daniels said after the meeting.

Dates for future goals and meetings will be set during the next City Council meeting.

"I think there's been a lot of willingness from Pleasant Grove to resolve issues," Bayless said. "Now is the time to do it and make some constructive choices and step toward the future."

---

E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com