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Kenneth votes 'no' on sheriff contract

By
Mavis Fodness

Beginning in 2022, residents of Kenneth won’t see regular patrols from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, and some of their calls won’t be handled by a peace officer.
The Kenneth City Council voted 3-1 Dec. 15 against signing a new five-year law enforcement contract with Rock County. The move saves the city $3,413 annually.
“They (the council) are sick of the costs going up all the time,” said Kenneth Mayor Keith Hoven, “Like any small town, we are struggling.”
Councilors Duane Nieuwboer, Laurie Gangestad and Paul Tweet also voted to discontinue the sheriff services in the city of Kenneth. Councilor Sheri Vyskocil voted “no.”
Kenneth was part of a multicity agreement for one law enforcement officer to be shared among six Rock County communities.
After years of little to no wage and equipment cost increases, the new five-year contract proposed annual increases of 2 to 3 percent through 2026.
The amount of the contract varied according to population.
At an estimated 60 residents, Kenneth was contributing the lowest amount among the six communities.
The mayors and council members from each of the small cities were invited to a meeting earlier this year to discuss the new contract.
Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre said the cost of an officer along with equipment costs (including a vehicle) have risen to an estimated $90,000 a year.
Together, the communities have paid $63,520 toward the one officer.
The county budget covered years of shortfalls.
Kenneth’s share under the proposed contract to begin in 2022 increased $1,095 from the $2,318 paid in 2021.
According to Sheriff Evan Verbrugge, the majority of the calls to the cities of Hills, Beaver Creek, Magnolia, Hardwick, Steen and Kenneth involved animal complaints, domestic issues and mental health calls.
Calls from the 1,582 small city residents in the county make up about 1 percent of the total call volume to the local sheriff’s office.
Without a law enforcement contract, an officer will not respond to dog, animal or neighbor complaints.
“We would only be responding to gross misdemeanor and felony calls,” Verbrugge said.
Each of the other small cities in Rock County has agreed to the new five-year contract.
The communities, the populations and law enforcement costs for 2022 are:
•Hills, 686, $39,026
•Beaver Creek, 280, $15,929
•Magnolia, 196, $11,150
•Hardwick, 189, $10,752
•Steen, 171, $9,728.
In another cost-cutting measure, the Kenneth City Council voted to disband the community’s volunteer fire department in 2017 and contract for fire coverage through the Lismore Volunteer Fire Department.
At their Dec. 15 meeting, Kenneth council members voted to adopt a levy for taxes payable in 2022 that remains at $16,000 for the second-straight year.

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