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County sheriff’s office outlines UAS budget, mutual‑aid concerns; commissioners ask for MOU and fee review
Summary
The county’s UAS (drone) team budget and funding shortfalls from neighboring jurisdictions were discussed; commissioners asked staff to examine mutual‑aid MOUs, cost recovery and potential annual subscription models after Benson County and the city failed to provide previously promised contributions.
Chris Jaeger briefed commissioners on the county’s UAS (drone) team and its roughly $30,000 budget allocation for Ramsey County’s portion. He said the UAS team has lost promised contributions from Benson County and from the city and that other entities have stopped providing funding. Commissioners and staff discussed that mutual‑aid agreements currently cover an initial short response window but some entities charge fees for service beyond that period.
Jaeger described the UAS program as a regional asset used for law enforcement searches (missing persons) and other incidents; he said usage by neighboring jurisdictions is frequent and that the county has at times been asked to provide UAS services with little or no reimbursement. Commissioners asked whether formal MOUs exist with neighboring counties and townships; Jaeger said mutual‑aid agreements exist for fire, law enforcement and EMS but that written MOUs and fee structures will be reviewed and updated. He said the county will be redoing MOUs tied to radio/911 upgrades and will begin reviewing other MOUs for UAS and related services.
Discussion highlights: Commissioners and Jaeger discussed options such as charging an annual subscription fee for outside jurisdictions, creating a per‑incident billing structure for extended deployments (beyond an initial mutual‑aid window) and re‑opening conversations with Benson County to secure promised funds. Jaeger said batteries and operating costs create out‑of‑pocket costs for volunteer pilots and that a modest contribution model could help replace consumables.
Outcome: No formal vote was taken. Commissioners asked staff to research other counties’ approaches to mutual‑aid billing for UAS assets, to draft standard MOUs and to return with a cost‑recovery proposal.
