City, county agree to agree on law enforcement

By Sara QuamThe face-off between the city of Luverne and Rock County over law enforcement costs came to an end Tuesday night. Both elected bodies agreed on a contract outline that will be finalized Feb. 15."Amen," said city council member Bob Kaczrowski, as city and county elected people and employees shook hands, exchanged pats on the back … and even hugged.Along with county commissioners and city council members, Sheriff Mike Winkels signed the resolution.The joint resolution to continue contract law enforcement services amends the current contract to allow the city to pay $604,000, instead of $669,000.Commissioner Ken Hoime said, "I think we need to get some things healed between the city and county, but it’s costing the county money. … I guess there’s no perfect solution."The motion to pass this new joint resolution was made on the city side by Kaczrowski and seconded by Esther Frakes. On the county side, the motion was made by Jane Wildung and seconded by Richard Bakken.City Administrator Greg LaFond said, "We are extremely pleased that the joint agreements for law enforcement and the pool will continue. The resolution provides for a fair and equitable commitment by all the parties. Everyone wins with the agreement reached between the City and the County. It’s time to move forward as one community of citizens."Frakes said, "The agreement assures the city that there will be no decrease in the level of law enforcement or dispatch services from the current level, and the specialty services (K-9 unit and investigator) are able to remain in place. The county knows that the city will share the expenses for at least the next five years so that the county may begin plans for improvements to the law enforcement center, and the county also knows that it has a partner in the operational budget."The contract to be signed on or before Feb. 15 is new, and includes the following provisions:
Upon execution of this law enforcement extension, Rock County will continue its joint powers agreement for the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center.
The county agrees to provide not less than 24-hour patrol and investigative coverage to the city of Luverne from Jan. 1, 2006, through Dec. 31, 2010.
The city’s annual contract price for law enforcement will increase over the prior year’s contract at the same rate as the county’s budgeted increase for law enforcement. The city cannot contract for an increase of more than 5 percent without the city’s agreement.
Payments will be quarterly instead of the annual payment method used
If the city’s Local Government Aid (from the state of Minnesota) decreases by more than 15 percent, the city can negotiate a new contract price and change services it wants provided.Kaczrowski said in a meeting Friday, "We want to be able to negotiate to cut back on our service contract."
The city and county liaison committee, made up of two commissioners and two councilmen, will work with the sheriff to develop a system for providing information and reports of law enforcement activities.Not ‘all ayes’ County Commissioner Ron Boyenga voted against the contract, mostly, he said, because the county’s continued partnership in the Pool and Fitness Center was a condition."Without that, I might be able to support it," he said. "I hope that for [County Attorney Don Klosterbuer and County Administrator Kyle Oldre’s] sakes, it works out because they’ve had quite a year."Bakken said he was happy to sign on for a commitment to the Pool and Fitness Center, an asset he said is good for all of the county.Boyenga had concerns other than the pool attachment:
Other cities that contract for law enforcement with the county will have problems.Boyenga said, "They’re going to say Luverne got a deal."Bakken said, "We need to let the smaller cities know our thinking as soon as possible because I certainly don’t want people to think we’re making a run on them."The smaller cities in the county are in the second year of a three-year contract.
Boyenga was also concerned that the county set the levy and is spending over that by changing Luverne’s contract. He estimated that with lost law enforcement revenue, gained pool expenses the county will pay an extra $130,000 this year.
Boyenga said he didn’t like how commissioners did business with this round of negotiations, meeting in small numbers or talking to council people on the phone, ironing out details before the meeting. He said, "There were three drafts before last Friday and it didn’t give me a chance to represent my constituents. This type of thing should be done as a group in a public meeting."