North Bend City Council voted unanimously May 29 in favor of an interim police services contract with Snoqualmie, though the council previously notified Snoqualmie on May 20 that it would be terminating services.
The May 29 council meeting was a special meeting, outside of the council’s usual schedule and announced just the day before. The meeting was called specifically to vote on an interim contract after Snoqualmie Mayor Katherine Ross notified North Bend Mayor Mary Miller on May 27 that without a new contract, Snoqualmie would cease to provide police services to North Bend starting June 1.
North Bend has been contracting with Snoqualmie for police services since 2012, with the last interlocal agreement for services being put forth in 2019. That agreement was renewed in January to last until May 31. In those five months, North Bend City Council members discussed what they would like to do for future police services, and on May 6, council members voted unanimously in favor of contracting with King County Sheriff’s Office instead of Snoqualmie.
North Bend formally notified Snoqualmie of termination on May 20, but North Bend’s interlocal agreement with Snoqualmie includes an 18-month written notice of termination, indicating services from Snoqualmie wouldn’t cease until late 2026. This period of transition is important for all parties involved, North Bend City Council members said.
But on May 22, Snoqualmie City Council directed city staff to take any actions necessary, “from negotiation through litigation,” to get North Bend to “confer” legal authority of law enforcement to Snoqualmie. Without it, Snoqualmie council members said Snoqualmie Police Department officers couldn’t work for North Bend.
Ross then sent a letter to Miller on May 27, expressing concerns of legality and stating that the two cities needed a new contract for interim services starting June 1. Ross also requested a decision by the end of day May 28.
As it is law that a city has to give the public 24 hours notice of a council meeting, the North Bend City Council met May 29. At the meeting, North Bend council members voiced frustrations, saying they felt they were being pressured into making a decision.
Councilmember Mark Joselyn also noted that the 2019 interlocal agreement lapsed at the end of 2024, and the renewal was not solidified until late January, but Snoqualmie did not consider ceasing police services at that time.
“What has changed between then and now so that all of a sudden we are being threatened with a lack of police services, which we believe solidly we are under contract to receive?” Joselyn said during the meeting.
He added: “The denial of police response by the administration of Snoqualmie goes to the heart of why the North Bend City Council voted unanimously on May [6] to part ways.”
In order to ensure the safety of North Bend citizens, they said, North Bend City Council agreed to Snoqualmie’s interim contract. Councilmember Brendan Elwood proposed one revision to the contract, specifying that certain sections of the 2019 agreement would remain in effect to “maintain the status quo of police services.”
The contract says the city of North Bend will pay the city of Snoqualmie $219,849 for police services each month throughout the contract.
At a special meeting May 30, Snoqualmie City Council voted unanimously in favor of the terms offered by North Bend. According to a statement from North Bend, “the interim agreement addresses near term concerns that both cities have expressed while providing a longer timeline to resolve additional important points.”
“Residents will wake up on June 1 with the same police service they have had for a decade,” North Bend Mayor Mary Miller said in a statement. “That is the most important thing they need to know.”
