The City of Mayville is exploring
the option of eliminating their police department and contracting with the
Dodge County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services. A press
release from the city says in July, representatives from Mayville approached
Dodge County Sheriff Pat Ninmann to provide a cost estimate for the Sheriff’s
Department to provide full-time, around-the-clock law enforcement services for
residents, if the City abolished its police department. Mayor Jerry Moede
says under Sheriff Ninmann’s proposal, the level of service provided by the
Sheriff’s Department would be nearly identical to the level of service
presently provided, and would save the city approximately 150 to 250 thousand
dollars a year. Moede says since 2010, the
City has been negotiating with the police union on a new contract, but to no
avail. Moede says while other departments have seen their budgets cut or
frozen, the police union has not submitted a proposal that helps the City
achieve any measurable cost savings. Mayville’s
unionized officers have decided not to comment on the matter at this
time. But Police Chief Chris MacNeill says his officers have the
knowledge and experience of policing a municipality and have deep ties to
Mayville. While Mayville could see significant cost savings by contracting with
the Sheriff’s Office, Moede concedes the city could lose out on other benefits
of having its own police force. The
Mayville City Council will discuss the proposal at a special common council
meeting August 12th.
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