Chelsea – Talks are underway in Chelsea about creating its own police department, a move that would take millions in funding.
Currently, that is handled by 13 Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies handle law enforcement in Chelsea, but that could be changing as the county commission is looking to get out of contracting with municipalities over a certain population, and Chelsea has grown to around 17,000 residents.
Among the considerations is where to build a home for the police department, along with paying for it. Right now, the city pays about $1.7 million a year to contract deputies. Running its own police department is estimated to be between $5 million and $7 million annually.
The first step would be looking to free up funds inside their budget, along with anticipation of increased sales tax revenues from new development. Chelsea currently has no property tax or gas tax.
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