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Council tables Mower County law enforcement center agreement over auditing concerns
Summary
Council debated a proposed agreement with Mower County to formalize APD tenancy and cost-sharing for the law enforcement center but tabled the proposal after members raised concerns about auditing access and vague financial documentation.
A proposed agreement between the city and Mower County that would revise cost-sharing and operational terms for the joint law enforcement center was tabled by the Austin City Council after several council members expressed concern that the draft lacked clear audit provisions and sufficient documentation of expense allocation.
Craig, the staff presenter, explained that the draft creates a budget review committee, sets quarterly reimbursements at 14.89% to reflect the square footage APD occupies, and includes provisions for technology migration and data-request processing. He also said the migration of the city off Mower County's technology system had a target date of March 1, 2026. The memo and agreement text were in the packet, and staff asked for council direction.
Several council members asked whether the change from a fixed dollar amount to an expense-based allocation could increase taxpayer costs and whether the city would be able to verify invoices. "We're basically going back to what we had before, but that overall financial exposure makes me a little uneasy," Craig said, noting the county had been reluctant to provide full invoice detail. Council members asked whether the proposed budget review committee could provide additional transparency. One council member said a motion to approve lacked a second and therefore died.
After further discussion, councilmember [motion maker not named in transcript] moved to table the item for more clarification; the motion passed. Staff said they would seek more clarity and return with proposed revisions to allow for spot audits or clearer documentation of allocation methods.
The tabling preserves council leverage to request more explicit audit or invoice access and indicates additional negotiation with Mower County is expected before any final approval.
