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Lamberton officials weigh $194,000 county police contract as chief takes medical leave; council OKs clinic sewer repairs
Summary
After Police Chief Walker said he will be on extended medical leave, Lamberton officials discussed county coverage that would cost about $194,000 per year and approved interim police reporting and repairs to a sewer failure at the Allina clinic. Council directed staff to explore alternatives and approved the clinic repair work.
Lamberton’s City Council on Aug. 12 heard that Police Chief Walker will be on extended medical leave and discussed interim coverage options that could carry a significant price tag.
Chief Walker participated by Zoom and told the council he will be out for an extended period; Clerk Valerie Halter said she and Walker have been exploring options for maintaining police coverage while he is absent. Halter said the county’s 2024 contract, calculated by population, would require Lamberton to pay roughly $194,000 a year for coverage and that the county also proposed additional charges of about $93 per hour for certain instances. Councilmembers discussed those figures and other possible approaches but did not adopt a final replacement plan at the meeting.
The council voted to approve the police report as presented (motion: D. Irlbeck; second: L. Bittner).
Separately, the council authorized repairs at the Allina clinic after Halter described a failure in the sewer line under the lab room. An earlier attempt by the clinic’s contractor to install an internal sleeve failed, Halter said; the remaining option is to dig up the lab-floor area and replace the damaged pipe. Halter presented a quote from Lamberton Plumbing and Heating and said Allina had requested the sidewalk be replaced and had expressed interest in future window replacements. Council approved proceeding with the sewer repair (motion: D. Irlbeck; second: L. Bittner).
Halter noted the clinic’s contract with the city is scheduled for renewal in February and said she will work with Allina on renewal terms and any other improvements the provider requests. Council asked staff to return with cost comparisons and other coverage options for police services before making any long-term commitments.
The meeting record shows no formal change to staffing levels or approval of a long-term contract at this session; the discussion produced direction to staff to continue exploring options.
