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Madison County commissioners accept $1,100 payment from Virginia City for sheriff services, with 5% annual increase
Summary
At a Jan. 27 special meeting, Madison County Commissioners approved a $1,100 annual payment from Virginia City toward sheriff services, with a 5% yearly increase; one commissioner voted against the deal after an earlier mediation motion failed for lack of a second.
Madison County Commissioners voted Jan. 27 to accept a $1,100 annual payment from the town of Virginia City to cover a portion of sheriff services, with the payment to increase 5% each year. The motion passed 2–1, with Commissioners Duke W. Gilman and Ronald E. Nye voting in favor and Commissioner William A. Todd opposing.
The vote resolved a short special meeting called to consider a proposed memorandum of understanding between Madison County and Virginia City about sheriff services. Madison County Attorney Colton Lauer presented documents the county had prepared and said the board needed to weigh the town’s budgeted expenditures for services, the cost of providing patrol and emergency response, and the county’s existing contract with Twin Bridges.
Mayor Justin Gatewood asked the commissioners to consider Virginia City’s limited tax base, noting the town has 34 mills and that charging 14 mills would equal nearly half of the town’s total property tax capacity. Gatewood also pointed out that the town houses the police station but that fewer than 1% of emergency calls in 2024 originated from Virginia City. Timber Pruett, Virginia City’s clerk and treasurer, told the board the town ran a $550 deficit last year.
An attendee listed as Kacey Smart (identified in the meeting roster as “Sanitation”) proposed adopting a fixed fee for each emergency call as an alternative to calculating town contributions by mills. Commissioners discussed whether to base the town’s obligation on a percentage of revenue rather than a mills calculation and noted that Virginia City collects a resort tax that other towns do not.
Commissioner William Todd moved to send the matter to mediation, but his motion received no second and "died on the floor." After further discussion, Commissioner Duke W. Gilman moved to accept the $1,100 payment with a 5% annual increase; Commissioner Ronald E. Nye seconded. The board recorded the vote as Gilman and Nye in favor, Todd opposed.
The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn that passed unanimously. The board noted the next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Public Meeting Room of the Administrative Building in Virginia City.
