Daniels County approves public safety commission agreement with added oversight

Daniels County commissioners approved a city-county public safety commission agreement after members secured language requiring procurement review, regular financial updates and a low initial spending threshold.

Logan, who introduced the draft, urged the board to try the arrangement as a one- or two-year pilot, saying, "there is a built-in out if it's not working" and the commission could be dissolved if it proved unworkable. Commissioners insisted the agreement explicitly preserve county oversight: one commissioner asked that the agreement include an articulated procurement policy and a continuing $500 expenditure limit before the commission may spend without prior county approval.

Christie, the county finance lead, explained the budget mechanics and stressed that city funds routed to the commission still must be accounted for so payroll and deputy wages remain funded through the proper general-fund lines. Commissioners sought clarity about whether the city payment would go into the commission's budget or directly offset general-fund payroll; staff said the parties can structure that either way but the annual budget will specify salary allocations.

The board asked for two edits before finalizing the agreement: an explicit procurement-policy reference and a clause describing final hiring approvals to be made at the recommendation of the public safety commission but confirmed by the county. A motion to approve the agreement with those two changes carried by voice vote.

The county will forward the corrected agreement to the city for its consideration and return a final resolution once the version with the agreed edits is exchanged. Commissioners said they expect monthly or quarterly financial reports from the commission during the pilot period and reserved the right to reassess the arrangement if budget or oversight problems emerge.