Next week, the Americus City Council could finalize the dissolution of the town’s police department.
Following a special town hall Tuesday, the City Council has a meeting at 7 pm this upcoming Tuesday. A vote to dissolve Americus PD is expected.
City Council President Nicky Nuessen says concerns began developing during the COVID-19 pandemic — and in the past few months, all but one officer has resigned for unlisted reasons. Law enforcement coverage was already a concern because officers also had full-time jobs that took precedence.
Dissolution is an option the board has been considering for over a year. Nuessen says the City Council tried everything to keep the department running.
The plan has been to have the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office to serve Americus, but as the primary law enforcement agency as opposed to overlapping local coverage. There is no official agreement at this time, but Nuessen says there is no need for a signed agreement because deputies already serve the Americus area as funded through Lyon County tax dollars. She says citizen safety is of utmost importance to the City Council.
Nuessen also says impacts to property taxes are pending, in part due to code enforcement matters, but she expects a reduction in costs with Americus not needing to fund a fully-staffed police department. She believes tax levies will be lower as a direct result of that step.
Once the Sheriff’s Office officially begins its new role, Americus residents can call 9-1-1 for emergencies or 620-341-3205 for non-emergency calls.
