GROVETON — At a special meeting of the Groveton City Council on Thursday, city leaders opted to not renew a contract with Trinity County for law enforcement duties.
The city initially had a contract with the county, at a cost of $155,000 per year, which came about in 2024 after then-Mayor Ralph Bennett fired all police officers in November 2023.
That contract was for the Sheriff’s Office to provide two deputies whose main duties would be to patrol a 5-mile radius around the city while enforcing most laws, including traffic infractions, as well as providing animal control.
However, Mayor Hayden Lee said that the council members will now investigate other avenues for law enforcement specifically for the city.
In the meantime, the Sheriff’s Office still has to respond to emergency calls but will not enforce city ordinances or city traffic infractions, and without two officers dedicated to the area.
“The Sheriff’s Office will still answer calls, but instead of 2-3 minutes response time, it could be 20-30 minutes,” Lee said. “They won’t do any investigations because they’re short-handed; still, there will be law enforcement to a certain extent, mostly for emergencies.
“All they did was terminate the contract,” Lee said. “Nothing has come forward to be the next step.”
The vote was 4-1, with Council Member Joe Don Kennedy abstaining.
While the council did not discuss next steps, Lee said the matter will be on the next meeting agenda.
In a separate matter, the council discussed issues with its current well and will be exploring options to replace or repair it.
