Holts Summit agrees to expand police service to New Bloomfield

With unanimous support, the Holts Summit Board of Alderman agreed to expand the city’s police service to include New Bloomfield. The two cities are separated by less than 10 miles.

“Now it’s going to be a whole different ball game,” said New Bloomfield Mayor Pro Tem Martha Siegel. “It’s kind of like our Police Department is going on steroids for the moment.”

The City Council of New Bloomfield has until June 15 to agree to the same terms, but Siegel said there has only been support for the deal.

“The benefit is just helping our neighbor out,” said Chief Kyle McIntyre of the Holts Summit Police Department.

The agreement includes a $20,000 price tag for New Bloomfield. Siegel said the cost is worth the 24-hour police service, which the city has never had.

“The citizens of New Bloomfield are going to be satisfied and they’re going to like what’s being done,” she said.

Once the deal ends on New Year’s Eve, the two municipalities will need to renegotiate terms of the deal in order for it to continue.

No new officers or schedule change will occur because of the deal. Holts Summit officers will simply include New Bloomfield when responding to calls.

The Holts Summit city administrator, Rick Hess, says the costs of expanding will be minimal.

“We are not going to incur a lot of additional expenses. The officers will already be on duty, they will already be out patrolling,” Hess said. “Over a week’s time it might take an extra three or four gallons of gas.”