City, County Renegotiate Law Enforcement Contract

By Gordon HopkinsJefferson County and the City of Fairbury have been in discussions to make changes to their law enforcement contract. The 10-year contract first came into effect in 2018 when the city opted to disband the Fairbury City Police Department and turn law enforcement duties over to the county.Commissioners have noted that costs for serving the city have proven to be far more expensive than originally anticipated during the original contract negotiations. Those increasing costs have been exacerbated by ongoing inflation, supply chain issues and staffing shortages.The Law Enforcement Committee met on Monday, September 19, at the Fairbury City Offices. The committee is part of the contract between the City of Fairbury and Jefferson County. The bulk of that meeting was not open to the public as it involved contract negotiations. In addition to the committee, in attendance were Sheriff Nick Georgi, County Attorney Joseph Casson, County Commissioner Michael Dux and Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown.The next day, Sheriff Georgi met with county commissioners to provide them with an update.Increased ExpensesThe current contract allows for up to a three percent increase in payment by the city every year. The city has tentatively agreed to an increase of up to six percent a year for the next three years before returning to three percent a year for the remainder of the contract.Dux said, “I told them we have been behind for quite a few years on the contract. And, as we propose to them, a 10 percent (increase). But they kind of counter offered and go six percent for three years.”After discussions with city representatives, Sheriff Georgi said, “They don’t feel it’s their fault that the contract was low-balled when it was offered.”Commissioner Mark Schoenrock disagreed, “That’s not true. Because when the original contract was negotiated, the City of Fairbury had three representatives there as well. We discussed all elements of the contract. So to say that, that’s just simply not true.”It should be noted that, while the county was forced to raise the tax levy by 4.66 percent, the city was able to decrease its levy from .74 to .69 percent.UnionOne of the primary causes of the increased expenses is the staffing shortages that have plagued both the public and private sectors, which have required employers to increase wages and benefits to attract and retain workers.On June 28, 2022, Jefferson County Commissioners and Sheriff Nick Georgi signed a contract with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) establishing a union for the Sheriff’s Department in Jefferson County.Unions allow for “collective bargaining,” meaning they negotiate for all workers in the union, rather than having each worker negotiate individually.After negotiating with union representatives, it was decided deputies would be paid a minimum of $23.15 an hour if uncertified. This amount does increase as a deputy attends the academy, gains certification, graduates from probation and continues to work for the department. The wages currently cap at $26.50 an hour for deputies with certifications of three or more years.Deputies are not obligated to join the union. All deputies will get all the benefits of a union contract whether or not they are dues paying members.Code EnforcementWhen the original contract was implemented, the city hired a Code Enforcement Officer to deal with certain complains outside the purview of the Sheriff’s Office, such as animal complaints or overgrown grass and junked cars parked inappropriately.While the Sheriff’s office does not officially deal with code violations, resources are still required to handle the various calls that come in after hours.So the city has agreed to hire a second Code Enforcement Officer.Schoenrock said, “That is, I think, a pretty significant reason why it’s taken more of our resources to deal with that when the city should have been doing it. So, I think that’s a big positive step forward.”The sheriff also pointed out that there have been no citations issued since the police department shut down. Georgi indicated the Code Enforcement Officer will begin issuing citations and those citations will be prosecuted by the county attorney’s office.Changing the Contract DateAlso, among the proposed changes to the contract is moving the date of renewal from July to November, because budgets are not completed in July.Next StepThe Law Enforcement Committee and Commissioners all approved the changes to the contract. The next step is to present the proposed changes to the Fairbury City Council.The contract does have a termination clause, meaning either side can exit the contract with a one-year notice. If the city council opts not to accept the changes, Dux said, “But we can also tell them, take it over yourself.”The city is legally obligated to provide law enforcement services. If either side chooses to terminate the agreement, the city will have to provide services to the public.

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