By Sara StrongWith law enforcement contracts hanging by a thread, the city of Luverne asked special legal counsel to research which services it could get without a contract with the county. The Rock County Sheriff’s Department is funded half by the county, and half by the city of Luverne through a contract. The city and county had a similar relationship for dispatching services, but that contract ends at the end of the year. The city this year has disputed its contract amount, saying city taxpayers pay twice — once through the city levy, and once through the county levy. The county says that’s the case with all cities that contract for law, and that Luverne gets more services for its larger contract amount. Special counsel Chris Hood said, "All the city is trying to do here is settle terms and conditions for services at an equitable rate." After outlining a few options to the Luverne City Council, Hood said he still recommended negotiating a contract for law enforcement services with the county."I see nothing but a downside for the county to not come to the table in good faith," Hood said. Hood said the city could sue the county under a few circumstances if services weren’t adequate.If the city and county are to come to terms on a contract for joint law, and possibly reinstate the dispatch joint powers, Sept. 1 is the deadline. Even if the contract is cancelled by September, the contract would be in place until the end of 2005.Hood said, "Rolling that budget into the other contract, in my opinion, is totally inappropriate." Greg, "To the extent that the Sheriff’s Department provides services to other cities, they’d have to provide the same in Luverne."
