VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The architectural firm of Klein McCarthy gave a presentation to Barnes County Jail Committee members on Monday, November 4th.

They presented a draft of the proposed facility to be built east of the National Guard Maintenance facility along the I-94 corridor in Valley City. The committee and other county officials reviewed bids from five construction manager companies.

During the meeting, some Barnes County officials were surprised to hear city officials say the police department will not be located in the new law enforcement center at this time.

Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud said the estimated cost share of $4 million dollars is to much for the city. He said right now the city is committed to paying off the permanent flood protection project over the next ten years.

The following is a response from City Administrator David Schelkoph: “I would like to clarify the last statement in your article about the county jail. The flood protection project will not be paid off in 10 years. As you know funding from the state has not been sufficient to complete the flood protection project in the original 8 year schedule. Right now we are 7 years into the project and at the completion of Phase IV the city will be approximately 40% completed with permanent flood protection. The city is planning on this project taking at least ten more years before the we can complete this work. After that the city will be paying for the flood protection construction costs over the next 30+ years. At tonight’s commission meeting the city will be considering the extension of the city’s 0.5% sales tax another 15 years to accommodate this change in timeline. If the City Commission decides in the affirmative, this extension will be brought before the citizens of Valley City for an advisory vote.

Sorry for any confusion in this matter. To clarify the city’s position on this subject. Valley City has a perfectly serviceable Police station right now. Any current O&M costs are far less than taking out a 20 year bond worth $4 million. In fact the bond payment alone for the city would be $275,000 +/year. To pay for this bond the city would have to increase our mil levy rate or property taxes by approximately 25% for something we don’t need.

There are other benefits to the current location of the PD. The centralized downtown location creates a more convenient access for the general public. The proximity to City Hall makes it very easy for citizens to get all of their city needs taken care of at one location. As you know the Fire Department is also right next to City Hall and the PD. All of these things combined make the operational advantages of a joint law enforcement center insufficient to merit the additional cost to the city.

This topic is on the Finance agenda at today’s meeting to make sure there is consensus among the commission.

Dave

David Schelkoph

City Administrator

Valley City, ND 58072

Office Phone # 701-845-8120