Foley, Benton County At Odds Over Police Contract

FOLEY -- Cities across Minnesota are watching -- and waiting -- to see what the state does with their Local Government Aid.  The city of Foley is no exception.  Whether or not they have police service is in question.

Since 2004 the city of Foley has had a contract with the Benton County Sheriff's Department for police service.  They have three deputies that have been hired to specifically patrol the city, for a total of 17 hours a day.  It costs the city just under $300,000 a year.  And both sides have agreed it's an arrangement that's worked well.

Now city administrator Rich Zimmer says he's worried that if L-G-A gets further reduced the city wouldn't be able to pay for the full service.  He's asked the county to include in the new contract a paragraph that would allow the city to give the county a 90-day notice if they want to reduce the number of patrol hours.

Benton County Sheriff Brad Bennett says the three deputies hired to patrol the city are paid by the city contract, and the county isn't in a position to take-on those salaries.

The current contract is set to expire on April 20th.  If the two sides can't work-out a deal before then, Foley may have to go without designated police services.