Council discusses end of law enforcement agreement, battery facility

At their regular meeting on March 9, the Northwood city council discussed how to progress with the end of an agreement for law enforcement, and were asked to register comment on a battery facility along the Shell Rock River.

Earlier in the day of the meeting, the City of Northwood had received official word that Worth County would not be continuing the agreement that has had the Worth County Sheriff’s Office provide law enforcement in Northwood.
The current agreement ends on June 30. Under the agreement, the Worth County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement in the city.
The City pays an annual fee to the County, which covers 24/7 law enforcement. Under the agreement, the City provides two vehicles and the use of a downtown corner building.
Sheriff Jesse Luther was at the meeting to discuss the situation and answer what questions he could.
Luther began by saying that since the discussions began in September, he has remained in favor of the arrangement between the City and the Sheriff’s Office, and that he remains in support of the deputies serving the City.
Part of the agreement stated that when it ends, the four deputies hired to serve in Northwood would be turned over to the City, for potential employment as city police officers.
Luther said that he didn’t have many answers, including how it would work to have the employment of four deputies transferred to the City.
Luther said that he would be consulting with a human resources attorney about that stipulation of the agreement.
The deputies had been contacted, and told the agreement would be ending, but that the exact nature of their jobs and how they might be transferred to Northwood weren’t yet defined.
There was confusion amongst the city council and Luther. They said that the last they knew, the County and City had been pursuing a one year agreement, which would have given the County and City more time to figure out how to proceed.
Council member Teresa George-Zenz asked why the supervisors had changed their mind so suddenly.
Luther said that he wasn’t sure. As little as two weeks earlier he had still been working on a one year agreement. He said he was at just as much of a loss about the decision as the council.
George-Zenz said that just over three months was not a lot of time to figure out what to do with four deputies and two vehicles. She said that the City and Luther had been left high and dry.
The council asked about the law enforcement agreements with other cities in the county. With the exception of Manly, which still retains a police department, the remaining four cities have police coverage at a per capita rate of $38.25 starting on July 1, building towards $40 the next fiscal year.
Those agreements are for the nearest deputy to respond when there are calls in those cities.
George-Zenz suggested that if the City pursued a per-capita agreement with the Worth County Sheriff, the City would still have to hire someone to enforce city ordinances, as that would not be a part of a per capita agreement.
The supervisors have said at their meetings that, based on call volume, the City of Northwood would need to pay a higher rate than the county’s other cities.
Council member Dan Reeder said that the City would have to consider this down the road, should the County need assistance from the City.
Luther said that the supervisors have mentioned forthcoming funding issues with  limits on local property taxes that have and may come from the Iowa Legislature.
Luther shared that the supervisors have said that his is one of the county departments that may have to look at cuts. Luther said that could be an issue if one deputy is transporting an inmate to Mitchell County, and a remaining deputy is otherwise unavailable. Luther said that if the City of Northwood does have its police force again, they would not be likely to have an officer leave to back up a county deputy.
Mayor Doug Moehle had a request for Luther. He asked that if for some reason one of the four deputies dedicated to Northwood left the department, they not be replaced, to help the City limit the number of deputies it will look to employ.
Council member Dan Reeder asked that a lawyer be hired to review the agreement between the County and the City to see if it could be fully enforced, including the requirement that the City attempt to hire the deputies.
Luther said that he didn’t yet know how the City or the County could proceed so soon after the supervisors’ decision was made.
Mayor Moehle said that no matter what the situation may be, the City has to proceed to have something in place by July 1. He added that he was disappointed in how the current agreement will end, but that the City would move on.
A special session, including law enforcement discussion, was set for Monday, March 16. See more in next week’s Anchor.

Also at the meeting, a group of citizens, some of Northwood and some living near Glenville, shared concerns about the potential impact a large battery facility would have on the Shell Rock River, should an accident or disaster occur.
Their concerns were in regards to the proposed location of a battery structure, a kind that stores energy from wind and solar farms.
Concerns were shared that if an accident or natural disaster struck the facility, it could leak into the nearby Shell Rock River or nearby drinking wells.
The City of Northwood would be the first city along the Shell Rock River to be impacted by a potential leak of the chemicals used in the batteries.
An administrative law judge was reviewing the application for the site, and comments were still be accepted through March 16.
After hearing about the project and the citizens’ concerns, the council agreed that the City should submit a letter in opposition.