(Spirit Lake)– A request to lift the city’s hiring freeze drew no action at Tuesday’s Spirit Lake city council meeting.
Police Chief Jeff Hanson made the request, saying his department is already down one officer and it’s getting difficult to fill shifts due to vacations, continuing education for officers, and other factors. Hanson added the situation is only going to get worse as the busy summer season approaches and calls increase even more. He presented the council with statistics from the county communications center showing a large volume of calls Spirit Lake officers responded to recently.
Councilman Clyde Ihrke said those numbers are enough to convince him of the need to hire another officer. Fellow councilman Jeff Thee agreed, saying public safety is at risk. Councilman Jerry Harbst was skeptical, though. He questioned the timing of the city taking on any new employees right now. Fellow councilman Steve Balm was critical of the city’s funding priorities in the past, saying the problem has now come home to roost. Balm said the money could have been better used to hire the officer.
Funding for the officer was included in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. But Balm said he was concerned over the impact it may have on future years’ budgets.
A motion by Thee to lift the hiring freeze was seconded by Ihrke. But after several council members said they want more time to think it over and hear from constituents regarding the issue, Thee withdrew his motion.
