North Mahaska Schools seek resource officer from county sheriff
Jan. 3—The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors is considering hiring an additional sheriff deputy who would function as a part-time school resource officer at North Mahaska Community Schools.
North Mahaska Community School Superintendent Angela Livezey attended the board's meeting Tuesday morning, along with Mahaska County Sheriff Russ Van Renterghem, to present to the board about the need for a resource officer at the school.
"Governor Reynolds tasked Iowa schools across the state to conduct a vulnerability assessment to identify factors that you could do to enhance safety. One of our factors was a school resource officer. We believe the resource officer would enhance safety and would be a win-win for both the school and the county," Livezey said.
"It would provide an extra resource for the county to be able to be on patrol and serve citizens better, as well as provide a resource within the school for a portion minimum of 16 hours a week during the school week and provide that enhanced safety opportunity."
The school district first approached the Mahaska County Sheriff's Department last June about the possibility of having a deputy on site at the school. Van Renterghem says that with the current staff in the department now, the department doesn't have the manpower to provide a resource officer, and an additional officer will need to be hired.
Van Renterghem told the board the county sheriff's office has a longstanding relationship with the North Mahaska Community School District and frequently answers calls to the premises. In 2022, the sheriff's office responded to 57 calls from the school for various reasons, including suspicious vehicles, property damage and juvenile complaints, according to Van Renterghem.
The average response time between time of dispatch and the arrival of a deputy at the school was 12.78 minutes in 2022. In 2021, the average was 12.6 minutes, and in 2022, it was 9.29 minutes.
"Just the fact that you have a uniformed deputy in school is a preventative measure," Van Renterghem said.
Van Renterghem also told the board that having a resource officer at the school would provide a nearby officer able to respond to emergency situations in the New Sharon area. Van Renterghem told the board the resource officer could be available to respond to emergent situations, such as domestic violence complaints, where a more rapid response time could save lives.
The current proposal is for Mahaska County to hire an additional deputy with the understanding that the deputy will function as a school resource officer at North Mahaska for four hours each day. The cost to the county for hiring an additional deputy would be $62,451. The county would contract with the North Mahaska Community School district to have the new deputy function as a resource officer for 16 hours per week at a rate of $50 per hour. The total reimbursement the county would receive from the school district would be $41,600.
The remainder of the deputy's time would be spent serving the county doing regular duties as a member of the sheriff's department. There would be additional costs to the county associated with hiring a new deputy, including the cost of an additional vehicle for the sheriff's department.
No action was taken on this item.
In other news: — The board approved the Southeast Connector Project as well as the certified site and application for a Revitalize Iowa's Sound Economy Grant. The project is a three-way collaboration between the Mahaska Chamber and Development Group, the City of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County. It will include constructing a certified site and transloading and storage facility, as well as building a connecting roadway between Highways 63 and 23.
The latest total projected cost of the project is $15,787,761. The county will apply for the RISE Grant to cover 65% of the cost, which would be $10,262,050. The county and the city will each cover half of the remaining cost. With these projected costs, each party's share will amount to $2,762,860.
Channing Rucks can be reached at crucks@oskyherald.com.
