What Nowthen might not get if it doesn’t pay sheriff
The Nowthen City Council is reconsidering its decision to sharply reduce police coverage next year and has invited Anoka County Sheriff James Stuart to a meeting Dec. 28 to discuss the city's options.
Stuart sent a letter to council members Tuesday listing the types of incidents he would no longer investigate next year if the city doesn't start paying for his services.
The list includes burglaries, noise complaints, trespassing and traffic violations, as things Stuart would not respond to. The sheriff would still investigate deaths, vehicular injuries, car thefts and sex crimes, as is required under state law.
Stuart's list provides an insight into the dynamics swirling in an increasing number of communities as cities contract with sheriffs for law enforcement or otherwise try to determine what level of law enforcement they want
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The letter also outlines a less expensive contract than the sheriff initially proposed. It would not require the city to pay for a new patrol car, and it would use a different staffing model.
The annual cost would be $213,740 starting in 2013, about $35,000 less than the earlier proposal. The sheriff has offered to provide the coverage at half price for the first year, an option that also existed under the initial contract he proposed.
City Clerk Corrie LeDoucer says it's probably too late for the city to increase its $1.1 million property tax levy for next year. She says the city could scrape together the $106,000 needed for the first year of the contract by refinancing its debt and tapping some unspent funds.
Nowthen, population 4,400, is the only city in Anoka County that does not have a police department or a contract for coverage from the sheriff. Incorporated in 2008, Nowthen is Minnesota's newest city. It used to be called Burns Township.
Previous sheriffs have tried to get Nowthen to start paying for patrols. Stuart is the first one to outline consequences if it did not.
Here's the letter from Sheriff Stuart.