Deschutes County is set to extend an agreement with the city of Sisters, providing around-the-clock sheriff’s office patrols in the city and surrounding areas.

Sisters hasn’t had its own law enforcement agency since the city disbanded its police department in 1998. The city has contracted with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for patrols since 2002.

But the latest agreement expires June 30. And extending it would cost Sisters more than $1.6 million over the next three years in payments to Deschutes County, or an average of $544,000 a year, according to an outline of the proposal filed with the county in May. The current three-year agreement costs the city $1.4 million, or an average of $468,000 a year.

City officials call the sheriff’s office agreement vital to ensure a timely response to reports of thefts, burglaries and other crimes.

“For us to do it on our own, with our own police force, my understanding is it would cost us a lot more,” Sisters City Manager Andrew Gorayeb said Monday.

Sisters’ population has grown considerably over the past 15 years.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 959 people lived within the city boundaries of Sisters in 2000. By 2010, that figure had more than doubled, to 2,038, though part of that is because the city annexed land.

The alternative to contracted sheriff’s patrols would be an occasional presence in Sisters as part of the department’s regular patrolling of western Deschutes County.

Extending the contract would ensure at least one sheriff’s deputy is patrolling the city and surrounding areas “98 percent of the time,” Capt. Erik Utter with the Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

Deputies work out of a sheriff substation in the city, which is manned by a deputy and an administrative staffer, to coordinate responses. Deputies work 12-hour shifts in Sisters, Utter said, with one patrolling during the day and another working nights to ensure businesses are safe from burglars and vandals.

Under the contract, the Sheriff’s Office would guarantee a minimum of 120 hours of patrol coverage within the city each week. Utter said deputies almost always spend more than that in Sisters.

Deschutes County commissioners have the final say on a contract extension. They’re expected to discuss it at a public meeting today.

The Sisters City Council approved the proposal last month, and a memo to the county commissioners from the Sheriff’s Office legal counsel recommends they approve the extension.

Gorayeb said the roughly $1.6 million deal costs Sisters taxpayers less than Bend and Redmond taxpayers pay for police services.

“It’s a good deal,” Gorayeb said. “The sheriff’s office is doing a really good job for us.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, eglucklich@bendbulletin.com