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Madelia schedules public forum after resignation, explores county contract amid staffing shortfall
Summary
City staff told the Madelia council that two recent departures leave only two officers on duty and that hiring and training timelines mean new recruits would not be fully operational for months; the council scheduled an Oct. 23 public forum and will weigh a county contract or hybrid coverage by the end of October.
A city staff member told the Madelia City Council at a workshop that the council plans to accept the resignation of officer Rob Crusher, who will become chief in Lake Crystal, and that the city now has only two officers on patrol. "We just lost another officer. So after that, we only have two officers currently," the staff member said, naming the remaining officers as Travis and David TR.
The staff member outlined the time it takes to hire and certify new officers: background checks, site reviews and physicals can take "two to three months," and new officers face roughly six months of training after hire. "Even if we hired them today, they technically wouldn't even be coming in until just January," the staff member said, describing why the department will need interim coverage.
To give residents a chance to weigh in, the council scheduled a public forum for Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m. and set linked budget and workshop meetings the following days to consider options and costs. The staff member said the council and police commission will review current applicants and the chief posting before deciding how to proceed.
Council members discussed two main short-term options: continue trying to rebuild the city's own force (hiring a chief and officers) or contract with the county for law-enforcement services. A county representative described a common model for small cities as "two dedicated deputies" plus a sergeant assigned to the jurisdiction, but participants cautioned some city duties—particularly ordinance or code-enforcement work and nuisance letters—might not be included in a county contract and would require other arrangements.
The staff member said the city is exploring hybrid arrangements and on-call contracts to fill coverage gaps while recruiting, and urged the council to reach a decision by the end of October so the community can be informed and schedules can be set for January. "We're going to accept applications, explore our options and come up with a decision one direction or the other and basically having enough time to inform the community," the staff member said.
A council member recommended consulting the League of Minnesota Cities for model contract language; a workshop participant said the League has standardized forms that smaller cities often use as a starting point for county agreements.
The council did not announce a final decision during the workshop; the scheduled Oct. 23 public forum and the end-of-October target are the next procedural steps reported at the meeting.
