By Sara StrongRock County and the city of Luverne still disagree on how to fund shared operations. They met in a liaison session Monday night to discuss a few joint issues: property assessments, law enforcement and the Pool and Fitness Center. Mayor Glen Gust said the city would approve the three-year contract for assessing services."That’s some good news to get off on the right foot, here," he said. Assessments determine property owners’ share of the tax levy. The city previously terminated its joint powers agreement for assessments through the county. The city agreed to pay the county’s proposed $37,128 to $40,158 through the next three years. The city received three proposals for assessing services. One withdrew, and the other offered a different approach but similar fees to that of the county.Law enforcement and dispatch Law enforcement is a big ticket item for both bodies. The proposed sheriff’s budget for next year is $669,000 for each. That’s an increase of 49.5 percent.Gust said he was "shocked at the percentages" of increase from this year’s numbers. The increase surprised the city in part because the county included the dispatch budget in its law enforcement budget. Previously, they were separate budgets and separate agreements. The city pulled out of the joint powers agreement for dispatching effective at the end of this year. To make up the lost revenue from the city, the county rolled the dispatch costs into the law enforcement costs.The county says it has to provide support services and staff to continue with its law enforcement contract with the city. Dispatching has to be a part of that, and the city has to pay for it.City Attorney Ben Vander Kooi said, "There’s a reason there were two contracts over the years. You’ve taken the two and collapsed them into one, that’s what you’ve done. ... You’re changing the scope and service of the contract and we don’t think that’s appropriate." County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said the existing contract for law enforcement, signed five years ago, has a paragraph that indicates dispatch is a part of law enforcement services. It says: "The County shall furnish and supply all supervision, equipment, communication facilities (pursuant to the agreement of the parties), dispatching services, necessary office space, supplies and personnel to administer and operate the law enforcement department and to render the service required under this agreement." Klosterbuer said in a letter after the meeting, "I do not understand how the city in good faith can allege that ‘dispatching services‚’ is not part of the scope of the Law Enforcement Contract. It appears to be a material provision thereof.’ City Administrator Greg LaFond said, in both history and practice, the contracts and budgets were separate and they should remain that way. County Administrator Kyle Oldre said Monday, "You want to keep the same level of service and pay less?"LaFond said, "Yes." Oldre said, "Any time the city wants to pay less for services, the county has to pay more." LaFond said he is sympathetic to budget restraints, but is obligated to try to save city taxpayers money. Klosterbuer said the county is fulfilling its obligation for services, and the sheriff’s budget reflects the cost of those services. Councilman David Hauge said the city shouldn’t be obligated to pay for prisoner room, board and medical care as part of its contract law costs. Those costs were always a county expense, even when the city had its own police department.The city and county will continue to discuss law enforcement issues. Later in the month the city will propose a new means of funding contract law after receiving more information from the city.Pool and Fitness Center The county previously terminated its share of the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center. Oldre said, "One of the few things we do as a county that isn’t a mandated service is the swimming pool, and we have to cut costs." The city and the county will each come up with proposals on how to split the assets of the facility, which both have funded since its construction.