City Council has some serious homework to do

Between now and their Feb. 20 meeting, members of the McCook City Council need to do a lot of homework concerning the proposed jail, safety center and the possibility of city-county cooperation on law enforcement.

These are all major decisions and they need to be approached with an open mind and an eye on the future of Southwest Nebraska.

McCook Police Chief Ike Brown presented his viewpoint at Tuesday night's council session, saying he regards the county's jail plan as too expensive. However, questions have been raised about the figures he used. In his remarks, Chief Brown said a $5.8 million jail will cost Red Willow County taxpayers $557,000 per year for the next 20 years.

That figure was challenged this morning by Reuben Hoff, Jr., chairman of the Jail Task Force. According to the estimate presented to the task force by Kirkpatrick Pettis, a bonding company, Hoff said the estimated cost to the county's taxpayers for a $5 million bond issue would be $330,000 per year for a 20-year payoff period. That cost figures out to 6 1/2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, he said.

The council, and the taxpayers, need to check this out. The city and the county boards also need to seriously examine the feasibility of combining the McCook Police Department and the Red Willow County Sheriff's Department. Since a large percentage of the city and county population is centered in and around McCook, it would be more efficient and less costly to have one, instead of two, law enforcement agencies.

Even if combined law enforcement cannot be accomplished immediately, it needs to be a long-term goal. With that in mind, the police department and the sheriff's office need to take advantage of every opportunity to cooperate.

The jail task force's work is a good starting point. The task force recommendations deserve close attention, as do the thoughts of Chief Brown, Sheriff Gene Mahon and, most importantly, the people of McCook and Red Willow County.

What will serve the people best, now and in the future? The council will have a major influence on that decision.