Goodhue City Council Moving Forward After Police Department Resignation
Goodhue, MN (KROC-AM News)- Starting August 24, the City of Goodhue in southeast Minnesota will no longer have a police department.
The Goodhue City Council discussed the resignations of all members of the city’s police department during an emergency meeting Monday evening. Goodhue Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck said the city received the resignations on Friday and the council approved accepting the resignations unanimously Monday.
Buck says the Goodhue Police Officers will remain employed until August 23. Buck and City Councilmember Chris Schmit are set to meet with Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly on Wednesday to discuss the agency providing law enforcement coverage to the city when the officer's resignations take effect.
Buck assured council members that ongoing cases within the city’s jurisdiction will be handed over to Goodhue County and anticipates a smooth transition from the city to the county. She says the State Patrol can also provide coverage, pointing out that State Hwy. 58 runs through the eastern edge of Goodhue.
Buck and council members expressed a desire to bring the police department back to Goodhue, however Buck described it as an uphill climb and pointed to the combination of Goodhue’s current officer salary structure and the over 200 police officer openings statewide as something the city will have to overcome to restore its police department.
Buck and council members on Monday discussed raising the city’s funding for police officer salaries. Buck says the city is working with the League of Minnesota Cities to chart a course to budget for a police department with higher officer salaries.
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