CASCADE — A proposal to establish a municipal police department in Cascade failed to move forward Thursday, Sept. 10.
WATCH Madison Collier's report from the meeting:
The Cascade Town Council was expected to consider the first of two required approvals for Ordinance 2026-03. Council member Ralph Schneider made a motion to move forward with creating the Cascade Police Department, but no other council member seconded it.
Cascade Mayor Wes Seabolt asked for a second three times before declaring the motion dead. Since it did not receive a second, the council never cast a formal vote.
“This agenda item is dead at this time,” he said.
If the proposal had been approved, startup costs for the department were expected to exceed $256,000. Its estimated annual operating cost was nearly $174,000.
The council previously tabled the ordinance to allow for additional discussions about Cascade’s law-enforcement options.
Town leaders said an Aug. 26 meeting with county representatives revealed the town and county had been referencing different versions of the law-enforcement contract. They said following the meeting, questions remained about the services included and what a future contract could cost.
Cascade currently relies on the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office for law-enforcement services. The contract discussed by town leaders was said to have been estimated at least $93,000.
“At this point, it’s just, are we willing to pay $93,000 to basically get essentially what we’re getting right now?” Council President Kristen Riley said.
During public comment, residents questioned whether Cascade needed its own department, how it would be funded and whether its officers would enforce civil town ordinances.
“How do we plan to fund the police department?” Nick Malone, a Cascade resident, asked.
Although town leaders said the approved budget included funding for either law-enforcement option, the proposed department did not advance at the public meeting.
No additional vote was scheduled, leaving the proposal unable to move forward for now.
