Reactions from Pinson residents seems mostly positive to a proposal for a new city police force.

A near-capacity crowd gathered Thursday night at city hall for a special public hearing, where Councilman Joe Cochran give details of his plan to set up the new department, which would replace the contract the city now has with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for additional patrol cars.

Residents peppered Cochran — who roamed through the audience with microphone in hand for those who had comments — with questions about how the new department would be paid for, whether his cost estimates were accurate, and how the proposed force compares to others from cities of similar size.

Cochran proposes paying for the new force with an increase in the city’s sales tax to 4 percent. Customers currently pay half that; the total sales tax comes to 8 percent with state and county taxes added in. Cochran’s plan would bump that up to 10 percent.

“That’s the same amount that’s charged by almost all our neighboring communities, including Trussville and Gardendale,” Cochran said.

The proposed force would have eight patrol officers, two sergeants, a detective, a captain and a police chief. The department would be based in the space now occupied by the Pinson Library; it would move to a space in the Rock School Center.

Some attendees, as well as a couple of council members, questioned Cochran about his methodology for determining expenses.

“The salary numbers are pretty solid, and I’ve plugged in high-end numbers for things like cars,” Cochran said. “Those numbers could come in somewhat lower.”

The plan would also require that a municipal court be set up, but those typically pay for themselves with court costs levied against offenders. Cochran estimated the court would actually provide revenue of about $20,000 a year.

Cochran estimates that the sales tax would bring in roughly $1 million a year. Coupled with the $340,000 Pinson now pays the for the sheriff’s contract, that would provide enough revenue for the proposed force.

Cochran said it would take about two years before Pinson police officers actually hit the streets. The tax revenue collected up to that point would go toward start-up expenses.

The next step in the process will be for Cochran to formalize his plan and put it before the council. The sales tax would not be subject to a referendum; it would be entirely within the council’s purview to raise the tax and establish the department.

“We have more research to do as a council on this,” Cochran said. “I’m shooting for the end of the year to have a vote on this.”