Daniels County dissolves Scobby law-enforcement interlocal agreement; commissioners outline how city funds will move to Public Safety Commission

Daniels County commissioners voted Jan. 20 to approve a stipulation dissolving the county's interlocal agreement with the city of Scobby that had governed joint law-enforcement services. The board moved to dissolve the agreement after county and public-safety commission representatives said the city has taken parallel action and the commission would now coordinate regional public-safety funding.

The action followed a lengthy discussion of how the city's previously earmarked annual contribution—referred to in the meeting as roughly $148,000—will be handled going forward. Commissioners and staff debated whether the funds should continue to be billed and reimbursed to the sheriff's general-fund payroll or transferred directly into a dedicated Public Safety Commission fund. County counsel and commission staff said the city has pledged to transfer the money and that the Public Safety Commission would be responsible for allocating it to salaries, equipment and other priorities.

County counsel noted the dissolution does not remove oversight: the Public Safety Commission will prepare regular reports and the commissioners retain approval authority over the commission's budget. The treasurer flagged accounting implications: payroll and deputy wages are currently charged to the county's general fund, and moving those line items into a new public-safety fund will require bookkeeping changes during the next budget cycle. Commissioners discussed creating a separate line-item account so city transfers would be visible and trackable even if the money is held in a commission-controlled fund.

Supporters at the meeting said placing the funds under the Public Safety Commission could let the county pool city money with mill-levy and other sources for longer-term investments—such as equipment or continuity funding when deputies are not fully staffed—rather than paying only when invoices occur. Skeptics asked for precise accounting language and a clear statement of what parts of sheriff payroll would shift to the commission fund.

Outcome and next steps: The board approved the dissolution by voice vote and signed the stipulation. Commissioners asked county staff and counsel to confirm the precise dollar amount the city has earmarked, to prepare any necessary accounting changes for the upcoming budget and to provide a reporting template so the city can see how its funds are spent.