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Truman council votes 4-1 to pursue Martin County police contract pending attorney review
Summary
The Truman City Council voted to pursue a contract with Martin County for police services, 4-1, after comparing in-house coverage costs and a county proposal; the decision is subject to city-attorney approval and budget adjustments to cover a future squad car.
The Truman City Council voted 4-1 on Sept. 30 to proceed with contracting with Martin County for police services, with the agreement contingent on approval by the city attorney. Councilor Chris Mosloski made the motion, Ron Kelley seconded it, and Councilor Patty Truax cast the lone dissenting vote.
Mayor Jake Ebert told the council he and Councilor Brian Nickerson had met earlier with Interim Chief Mike Schutz about staffing and compensation. Ebert said Schutz is requesting an hourly rate of $40.32 effective Jan. 1, 2025, followed by 3.2% cost-of-living increases in 2026 and 2027, with contract renegotiation beginning in 2028. Ebert also said a squad car will likely be needed in 2026 and that $15,000 should be added to the budget for the next four to five years to cover that expense.
Ebert presented budget comparisons intended to show the relative cost of maintaining an in-house officer versus contracting. He said the proposed 2025 police budget is $189,554 and calculated an hourly coverage cost of $105.51 after accounting for vacation, holidays and patrol hours in Northrop. By contrast, Truman would pay only for hours an officer is within the city limits under a Martin County arrangement; Martin County’s quoted cost for 2,080 hours with a step-8 officer was $181,999, or $87.49 per hour.
Council discussion addressed the trade-offs between the continuity and direct control of a city officer and the lower hourly cost offered by Martin County. The motion to pursue the county contract specifies that the city attorney must review the agreement before it is finalized.
If the council and city attorney approve a contract, staff noted that the police budget will require adjustments to reflect the contracted hours and to reserve funds for the planned squad car purchase. The council did not finalize those budget amendments at the special meeting; the motion was limited to pursuing a contract with Martin County and returning the agreement to the city attorney for review.
