Mar-Mac police officer resigns
By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor
The Mar-Mac Public Safety Commission accepted the resignation of officer Brad McNett at its March 7 meeting. McNett’s resignation will be effective March 16, leaving the department short handed.
A third full-time officer has already been budgeted for in the upcoming fiscal year, however, the commissioners did not move to fill the position, feeling it would be best to evaluate the direction of the Mar-Mac Unified Law Enforcement District first. In the time it would take to hire and certify an officer, the year would be half over.
“We cut the budget every year, and it can only be cut so far until you have to cut personnel,” said chairman Robyn Denning. “Both cities have to come forward and say where this is going. Until we get some direction, there’s no sense to advertise. That wouldn’t be fair to the candidate.”
“There are things that have to be brought up and talked about,” added commissioner Pam Brodie-Fitzgerald, who said she would work on arranging a meeting between both the Marquette and McGregor councils to discuss the matter. That includes discussing the officer replacement along with residency requirements, she noted. “It needs to be done.”
“It’s a big discussion,” Denning agreed. “If we go from three to two officers, it could change how this whole thing is conducted.”
Denning said he would like to see a recommendation by or before the next commission meeting, so they can discuss either replacing the officer or restructuring the budget.
In the meantime, police chief Jason Bogdonovich assured the communities will not have a lack of coverage. He and officer Rodger Sear will have more on-call time, and the department will have to rely on reserve help. That can be difficult, though, he said, when most reserve officers have full-time jobs.
“It’s tough for scheduling,” he noted.
The commission wondered if the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office could help with coverage. Bogdonovich said that’s an option, but he was wary of taking advantage of them. It would also cost the department more, he added.
“It’s been like this before,” Bogdonovich said of the department’s staffing turnover. “There’s a lot that goes into being a police officer. It’s a difficult field in law enforcement, and not as many people are interested. Everyone’s having issues, not just us.”
