Spring Grove council approves 4'1 three-year contract with Houston County sheriff's office

SPRING GROVE, Minn. — The Spring Grove City Council voted Dec. 30 to approve a three-year inter-agency agreement with the Houston County Sheriff's Department that reduces the city's annual cost to $220,000 and changes how law-enforcement coverage is scheduled.

City Attorney Greg Scheiber outlined the contract's major terms, including a three-year initial term requiring renegotiation at its end, an annual base cost of $220,000 and scheduled 5% increases beginning in 2026 and again in subsequent years. Scheiber also flagged the agreement's audit provisions in Section XI, advising the city to exercise its right to request documentation and review billing and coverage data.

Sheriff Brian Swedberg told the council that deputy pay rates for the contract were set "using deputies at the midpoint of the wage scale in order to balance coverage between lower- and higher-paid deputies assigned to Spring Grove." He said deputies typically receive a 3% annual step increase plus a $3.50 cost-of-living adjustment and that the department will use a logging system for deputies to record dates and times they are present in Spring Grove.

Council members and staff pressed for practical clarifications. Clerk/Administrator Jana Elton asked how ordinance violations would be handled and whether some ordinance-related duties could be shifted to the Administrative Assistant; Sheriff Swedberg said those topics would need further discussion and suggested violations could be entered into the sheriff's system. Elton also asked how variable costs such as fuel would be tracked; Swedberg stated, "there is no precise method to track fuel usage by municipality and that estimates are used due to deputies traveling throughout the county."

Council Member Morgan Buckland sought clarity on expected coverage hours; Scheiber earlier summarized that the prior agreement provided 70 hours per week while the proposed contract provides 70 hours every two weeks, and Sheriff Swedberg said coverage hours will rotate among deputies and shifts under the new arrangement.

On the motion to accept the contract, Council Member Eric Ostern moved to approve the agreement and Mayor Bryan Wilhelmson seconded. The motion carried 4'1: Ostern, Michael Hagen, Morgan Buckland and Mayor Wilhelmson voted yes; Council Member Trent Turner voted no.

Mayor Wilhelmson asked whether the city could add an additional deputy later if needed; Sheriff Swedberg said the contract could be amended to consider that possibility.

The agreement gives the city explicit audit rights and requires recordkeeping steps the council said it would use to seek transparency on costs and coverage. The council adjourned at 2:49 p.m.