Rural Floyd County Residents Likely to Pay More for Law Enforcement

Residents in Floyd County’s smaller communities will likely be paying more for law enforcement coverage.

Rudd, Rockford, Floyd, Colwell, and Marble Rock have 28E agreements with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) to provide law enforcement services. The per capita rate for that service increased from $4 to $7 this current fiscal year, with Floyd County Supervisors on Monday (01.13) in agreement to up that to $9 starting July 1st, still below the state average of about $40.

The County also has an on-call agreement for $50 an hour with the City of Nora Springs, with a proposed increase to $65 an hour. 

That’s FCSO Sheriff Jeff Crooks addressing Supervisors Monday (01.13), claiming he was under the impression from Nora Springs Mayor Randy Hassman the City would hire another officer to lighten the County’s load.

Hassman added that even if Nora Springs hires an officer, they’re likely to lose them to other law enforcement agencies, often to sheriff’s departments.

Crooks noted the rates charged those communities for law enforcement only cover wages and benefits, not wear and tear on squad cars.

Supervisor Boyd Campbell encouraged a more proactive approach.

Supervisors took no action on the rate increases, preferring to get more input from the other mayors who were not in attendance for Monday’s discussion, other than Hassman and Marble Rock’s Jerry Engelhardt.