City eyes elimination of LPD
Contract with sheriff's office considered to cut costs
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
February 11, 2009
Libby officials are looking into the possibility of eliminating the city police department in favor of a contract with the county sheriff's office, but LPD Chief Clay Coker says history shows the idea won't work.
At last Monday's city council meeting, Mayor Doug Roll asked council members if they wanted him to open discussions with the sheriff's office regarding the potential for a contract. After getting the go-ahead from the council, Roll said he would pursue the matter.
Councilwoman Peggy Williams noted that the issue has been discussed "numerous times" at the council's weekly breakfast meetings held at 7 a.m. on Wednesdays. Councilman Bill Bischoff said Roll should see if the sheriff's office is interested in the proposal, and Councilman Lee Bothman agreed.
"I think it's something that needs to be explored," Bothman said.
Roll said after the meeting that he plans to discuss the issue with Sheriff Daryl Anderson this week. He stressed that no decision has been made to disband the police department, but the council is interested in seeing if there is a potential for cost savings via a contract with the sheriff's office.
"That's actually been discussed for a number of years, but it's never gone past that," Roll said.
The city currently budgets around $350,000 per year for the police department. Coker, who wasn't present at last week's council meeting, said he doubts a contract with the sheriff's office would save any money.
"It didn't work well in the past, and it cost the city more money than it saved," he said.
The city had its own police department from 1909 until 1982, when the department was disbanded in favor of a contract with the sheriff¡¦s office, Coker said. At that time, the city's eight officers were replaced with six sheriff's deputies funded by the contract and assigned to patrol duty in the city.
As costs rose, the number of deputies funded by the contract was cut from six to five. Dissatisfaction with the service provided and the increasing cost of the contract led the city to end the arrangement in 1996 and go back to having its own department. That year, the county wanted $250,000 to continue the contract, Coker said, but the city was able to fund its own department with five officers for $237,000.
"If we had stayed with the county, it would be over $500,000 now," Coker said.
Coker said he plans to meet with council police committee chair D.C. Orr to discuss the matter and suggest that the committee recommend against disbanding the department.
Union rules require the issue to be approved by a labor-management committee before any contract can be discussed with the sheriff's office, Coker added.
"Rest assured that the current union will vehemently oppose and try to block any attempt," he said.
In other business last week, the council:
- Approved an increase in fees charged for cemetery lots from $300 to $350.
- Approved an increase in the salary paid to the council president from $300 per month to $400. The monthly salary for other council members will remain $300, and the mayor's salary will remain $600 per month. Williams cast the only vote against the proposal.
- Approved a request from the Libby School District to make the intersection of Sixth Street and Idaho Avenue, near Asa Wood Elementary, a four-way stop. The intersection was previously a two-way stop.
- Discussed how to best utilize a $400,000 settlement reached with International Paper as compensation for underground contamination that prevents city residents from using water wells. Roll said he would like to see at least half the money used to subsidize sprinkling in the summer months and the rest used for infrastructure improvements. The issue was given to the water and sewer committee to look into and make a recommendation.
_______________________________________
Editor's Note: See the February 10, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, now on Tuesday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
|
