Polson approves additional police officer

POLSON — The city commission voted unanimously Monday evening to accept a COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) grant that will allow the city to hire another police officer.

The grant, which pays for three years of an officer’s salary with the stipulation that the city pay the fourth, had already been awarded to Polson but awaited approval from the city commission. Civilian assistant Brian Kunz had compiled research on violent crime within city limits to portray the need for an extra officer, and a recent alleged homicide may have showcased that need, city manager Todd Crossett said.

“We just had a violent incident a week ago, and if the time had been slightly different, there might have been one officer responding instead of two,” Crossett said. “The need, I think, is there.”

While the need did seem evident to most councilmembers, others expressed concern about the city’s ability to pay the additional officers fourth-year salary.

“I feel very uncomfortable making a prediction that in four years we can fund this,” commissioner Elsa Duford said. “Not that I don’t support the police department, it’s just the ability to swing this, so I’m not feeling very positive.”

Other councilmembers argued that the poor economy is exactly why the extra officer will be needed in future years.

“With less jobs, people steal and the worse the economy, people get down and drink and get into trouble,” commissioner Don Smith said.

Crossett said that as a last resort, the commission could tell the federal government that the city is unable to pay the salary if they are indeed unable to come up with the funds. Crossett cautioned that this would hurt the city’s standing if it were to again apply for a federal grant, and that coming up with the money would be a realistic goal.

“It’s a really important service and I think it needs to be strong,” commissioner Judy Preston concluded before the 7-0 vote passed to accept the grant.

In other news, the council unanimously voted to renew Judge Doug Olsen’s contract with the city for another four years.

“He’s happy to continue working with us and he’s doing a good job,” Crossett said.

The council also unanimously approved to extend the contract of city auditor Ronald Paul Foltz for three more years.

“Someone else would probably be double what he’s charging for next year,” mayor Pat DeVries said.

In a decision that was met with a round of applause, the commission voted unanimously to approve the interlocal agreement outlining the transfer of the city library to the library district. The legal document, which Crossett commended city attorney James Raymond for researching and creating, contained the parameters of the deal, including the successful transfer of employees, the library building, records and other pertinent pieces to the newly formed district. The council also agreed to pay the library’s expenses for the first half of next year until funds begin to come in. The library district will not be required to pay back that money, the commission agreed.

“The taxpayers said they wanted this district to succeed, and this is our way of helping it succeed,” councilmember John Campbell said.

The Polson City Council will next meet on Monday, Dec. 20.