The city budget was passed in special meeting recently, and police wage outlay dominates police spending for Stanley.

With the budget passed in an otherwise unexcit – ing special session that saw little input or comment, police wages and salaries at Stanley were budgeted at $346,517, while that for a 'salvage and hoist' was the next highest expense for local police, at $15,000. The just over one-third of a million dollars in police wages overall-split between the chief, four full-time union police officers, and several part timers- was made after a budgeted $333,000 in police wage expenses in 2021 came to $251,406.07 in actual police wage spending for last year. The three years prior, meanwhile, average out to $319,924 when rounded up. The overall city budget across all departments, meanwhile, is $2,576,630.

As to the joint committee meeting of Tues – day night it was decided that…-well, not much exactly.

Meeting attendees Tuesday November 30 at the Stanley Fire Hall included Stanley Mayor Al Haas and council members Rick Hodowanic and Holly Kitchell, along with City Clerk Nicole Thiel and Stanley Police Chief Lance Weiland.

Appearing for Boyd, meanwhile, were Vil – lage President Bob Geist and trustee Casey Dorn, who handles police matters in the village. With Boyd currently patrolled by brothers-inlaw Louie Eslinger and Darryl Pries after they finish their duties at Cadott, talk at the Novem –

ber 30 meeting revolved around details includ –

ing a minimum 30-hours a week need for cover – age at Boyd, the question of whether to contract for services or else to merge, whether squads would be community specific, and the benefit to Stanley of having another full-time officer, the city's benefit out of the deal. As to Boyd?

"To me it would be easier if you handled ser – vices and we write a check," Geist said of the village government preference for a contract versus department merger.

Another thing Geist shared, meanwhile, was that the Boyd squad didn't have the best home at present, housed in a building with a dirt floor. Weiland of Stanley shared that squad housing wouldn't be a problem with Stanley's new po –

lice building, set to have three stalls once com – pleted. With paper staff called away from the Stanley Fire Hall mid-meeting to other import – ant duties, a check back with city hall days later, revealed that a lot remains to be decided.

"There were no motions or anything," Thiel shared of the meeting's outcome. "So pretty much nothing." Stay tuned as this story contines to unfold.