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The Lakes Area Police Commission members crafted a compromise last week to address at least one of the many hurdles impeding unanimous support behind a future new, expanded department facility.

The commissioners directed Lakes Area Police Chief Bill Schlumbohm to enter into a contract hiring Kraus Anderson for a study of the facility, a project estimated at $9 million. It is planned for a site that was already owned by Chisago City, in the central area of Lakes Area service territory.  This study will include a satellite office in Lindstrom.  

Kraus Anderson will delve into the finer details of materials, current market costs, offer construction alternatives and other factors for the new police headquarters.  The firm will review  the creation of a substation for Lakes Area Police, in Lindstrom City Hall.  The substation or satellite space, is being placed more prominently within the new project scope and its function and costs are going to be made clearer.

In 2023, the four-person Police Commission welcomed two new Lindstrom city members who won election. Mayor Judy Chartrand and Council person Brian Norelius slowed the new police facility’s progress immediately.  The facility had made the governor’s list of preferred bonding funding last session— but was not approved by the full legislature.

Chartrand and Norelius cite Lindstrom’s fiscal and future operational concerns as reasons for wanting to take another look at the facility.  They say some red flags were ignored by former elected officials who they allege simply rubber-stamped whatever the police department wanted.  

In the February 2024 legislative session the police commission was hoping to  move up in the aid pipeline  for a grant of $3 million from the state.  This would be one third of the facility cost.

Lindstrom City Council recently, under a new city administrator and guidance of a 10-year financial plan,  determined its contribution can’t be more than $2 million.  The Kraus Anderson report will aid in determining cost reductions.

Another issue presented by Lindstrom is that the agreement whereby Chisago City and Lindstrom share the department budget 50-50 does not now extend as many years as the new facility will be viable.  Norelius has posed the question;  if the Lakes Area two-city combined organization dissolves for whatever reason—there is no clear way for Lindstrom to divest of the facility.

The commissioners were agreeable to tackle agreement revisions at a later date.

Another concern is cost-share for the facility itself.  

At 50-50 there is no accommodation for the fact Chisago City is will grow more than Lindstrom and has more open space to develop.  Chartrand and Norelius argue the per capita share for the facility will gradually become less and less equitable.

Chisago City’s Jeremy Dresel and Bob Gustafson, however, have not yet embraced making any change in the facility cost-share.

The four commissioners did vote to contract for lobbyist services for one more state legislative session.  There was a vote to support $26,000 which is set aside now in the 2024 budget.

 On the widely publicized School Resource Officer law revisions, which may or may not justify a special legislative session to fix, Chief Schlumbohm told commissioners Chisago Lakes District 2144 and the Lakes Area Police SRO program is up and running just like always. The Chief said he is not taking SROs out of schools, adding, “The district is thankful to have us there.”

The law is causing confusion and multiple departments are pulling SROs statewide.  It is a “bad law” Schlumbohm commented and “poorly written,” but Lakes Area will operate within the conditions set and do its best.

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