Editorial: Time to get moving on LEC

Talk about it

In early 2008, the engineering firm of Short Elliot Hendrickson drafted plans for an expansion of Murray County’s law enforcement center (LEC).

More than two years later, those plans still haven’t been converted into action on an improved facility. All the while, costs of any new construction to rise.

What are Murray County commissioners waiting for? The county board again put off a decision Tuesday on an expanded Slayton LEC, and we see little reason at this juncture — given the commission’s track record — to expect one anytime soon, leaving another construction season without moving forward on a project that’s sorely needed.

Certainly, there are reasonable concerns about how much the project will eventually cost, particularly given the trend of statewide local government aid cut to municipalities and counties alike. But when commissioner Bob Moline said Tuesday that he wanted a more exact figure on how much the expanded LEC would cost, there was a simple answer to the question — move forward with the project and start obtaining bids. The longer the delay, the greater the inevitability of higher costs.

The other key factor in the board’s stagnation on the issue appears to be plans to create a centralized dispatch system in southwest Minnesota. But given Slayton’s current LEC facilities, and the amount of time commissioners are taking to advance work on an improved one — as if they’re waiting for every element to come into an exact alignment — should anyone expect a central dispatch to wind up in Murray County?

It’s time to stop for commissioners to stop waiting and start acting.

Tags: murray county, law enforcement center, opinion, editorials, lec