By a most narrow margin, Bridgeport City Council voted Monday night to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Clarksburg, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and the Harrison County Commission to provide manpower to the Drug Enforcement Administration to combat the drug epidemic – primarily opioid abuse - in the immediate area.

 

According to the two-year contract, both Bridgeport and Clarksburg would contribute up to $40,000 annually for such manpower to be provided through the sheriff’s department.

 

The matter has been discussed since August when the DEA first approached the city, requesting up to two full-time positions for the organization’s tactical diversion squad to be based in Clarksburg.

 

A former DEA officer – a career which spanned more than 22 years - Councilman Lowell Maxey has been instrumental in the establishment of that DEA tactical diversion squad “TDS” and has stood firm on his position that Bridgeport should provide manpower from its own police department; either a current member or new hire. But some members of Council preferred to solicit interest from other government entities to share the financial burden.

 

On Dec. 19, Council member Diana Marra made a motion that the city negotiate an intergovernmental agreement to fund 50 percent of the salary for the position – up to $40,000 annually. Maxey said he didn’t see it being successful and that a pooling of funds was not a conducive way to provide a position that the DEA was investing in so significantly because an entity could pull out at any time.

 

At that Dec. 19 meeting, the vote was split; Marra, and Councilmen Jeff Smell and Dustin Vincent voting in favor of the motion and Councilmen Maxey, John Wilson and Recorder Hank Murray voting against it. Mayor Greer broke the tie, casting his vote in favor of Marra’s motion, but said if the matter didn’t’ come to fruition within 45 days – if there were no takers on contributing to the salary – that he would support Maxey’s position.

Since that time, Greer has been doing the legwork on the agreement and communicating with other parties involved, as well as DEA representatives. Though entities are willing to collaborate, it is still not known if the DEA will accept the plan. Greer first shared that possibility with Council during a work session which preceded last night’s Council meeting.

 

“I was told during a telephone conversation and many of you have received similar communications that the DEA does not believe that’s the kind of agreement they want to have, so they may or may not accept a second person from the sheriff’s office,” he said. “But they should have opportunity to review the contract and discuss with the sheriff and powers to be.”

 

In a lengthy statement made by Maxey at last night’s meeting, he said he believes the DEA's hesitancy is because their request isn’t just about manpower or money to provide such manpower.

 

“If that were the case, they would just assign a few additional agents to the TDS and go on with the effort without local partners,” he said. “To DEA, its objective is to develop relationships with specific partners and that’s why they came to us first.”

 

It is Maxey’s understanding that Bridgeport Police Chief John Walker prefers to provide the manpower from his force and that several of his officers are interested in the position. According to figures provided by Assistant City Manager/Director of Personnel Jimmy Smith, Maxey said $59,900 would cover salary and benefits of a newly-hired Bridgeport police officer.

 

“So basically we’re haggling over $19,900 between hiring our own police officer for the TDS and paying for a deputy sheriff,” he said.

 

Both Wilson and Murray expressed concerns with the proposed intergovernmental agreement, including the fact that it contained a number of blanks, awaiting monetary figures, depending upon the candidate for the position. They were also concerned that Bridgeport would be investing in the extensive training of an officer, who once finished with his or her TDS work would return to the sheriff’s department.

 

Vincent said he didn’t see it that way, but rather as a collaborative investment.

 

“If we are proposing $80,000 for an officer and at the end of those two years, the officer goes back to the sheriff’s department, I don’t look at it as money wasted by any means,” he said. “It’s two years of us participating in a program, two years in the fight against (the drug epidemic) and two years of training that would still be utilized in our area.”

 

Vincent said this isn’t just about Bridgeport or Clarksburg, but a regional issue.

 

“I think we’re making a strong statement that the city of Bridgeport and the city of Clarksburg and others are all coming together to put a united front toward this huge statement,” he said.

 

Murray said he tended to agree with Maxey with regard to the fact that the city is spending $30 million on an indoor recreation complex – which, by the way, he is in favor of – but that the proposed $59,900 to hire a Bridgeport police officer is a very small part of the budget in the grand scheme of things.

 

Maxey did make a motion that instead of spending up to $40,000 for the Harrison County Commission to hire a deputy sheriff, that the city add another $19,900 and hire its own police officer to participate in the TDS program. That motion failed.

 

Vincent proposed a motion that Council approve the resolution to enter into the intergovernmental agreement – pending changes/clarifications as discussed. Again, the vote was split: Vincent, Smell and Marra voting in favor and Maxey, Murray and Wilson voting against the motion. Greer broke the tie with an affirmative vote. He said he will follow up with the other entities in the agreement, as well as the DEA, and report back to Council at the conclusion of those meetings.

 

Also Monday night, Mayor Greer shared bids received for construction of the new indoor recreation complex and provided a proclamation to Bridgeport’s Red PeeWee football team for claiming the league championship. In work session, Council discussed in depth its part in the recommendation of a board member to Centra, as well as the possibility of Waste Management’s implementation of a rate increase. Coverage of all of those matters are forthcoming on Connect-Bridgeport. 

 

See video and photos of Mayor Bob Greer reading and presenting a proclamation to Bridgeport Red PeeWee football coaches and players HERE.