A couple random thoughts . . .

Your New Prague Area School District has offered a case voters should approve an additional $450 per student levy for 10 years – not “forever” as Director Dan Call told the board he had been telling constituents back in August.

Call, who told the school board he opposed the levy request, was corrected on the misinformation. Hopefully, he has since touched base with all those folks and provided them accurate information.

Whether you decide to vote for the district’s levy request or against is your business. All we ask is that you use accurate information, make your decision and vote. Last fall, only 69 percent of the community’s eligible voters participated in the twoquestion levy request. While that’s better than the state turnout rate – 60.4 percent, according to United States Elections Project and the Minnesota Secretary of State – it’s still sad only slightly more than two-thirds of eligible voters decided the issue.

Having heard the superintendent’s information presentation more than once, the district has told voters everything it knows for certain. It doesn’t know what grades will be positively or negatively impacted by the levy vote’s outcome in 2024-2025 without knowing what K-12 enrollment will be in ‘24-25. We’ve read and fact-checked all the letters to the editor and spoken with groups on both sides of the issue.

Nobody who pays attention to their community can say they didn’t know about this levy request.

A new police facility

We read last week the New Prague City Council continues to struggle with a decision on a new police building.

No doubt, it’s an important decision. The facility could easily cost $12 or $14 million. Council members are trying to whittle it down to $8, $9 or $10 million. Spending money wisely is important. But this is not a new issue. The city has known for some time it will eventually make a decision, especially when its officers have inadequate space.

The city is currently storing some evidence in space previously meant for other purposes. Expensive police cars are being parked outside in some cases. Officers’ personal vehicles are parked in unsecured space, potentially accessible to vandals. The current police department lacks the facilities for secure interviews of potentially dangerous and violent people, requiring pulling an officer off the street or the suspect be interviewed at the county jail in Shakopee. Officers also lack the space to conduct the administrative tasks they perform.

And with all that, Councilor Shawn Ryan recently suggested as a space and cost-saving measure officers clean their firearms at home at the kitchen table just to save a few bucks. The potential liability to the city such a proposal creates is tough to calculate. Fortunately, Mayor Jirik, who has a background in law enforcement, tactfully pointed out the idea is untenable. Councilor Ryan tried to walk back the suggestion, but the fact it was even proposed shows the importance of moving forward, not backward, with the notion the city must address its police facility.

New Prague is fortunate the building still meets Bureau of Criminal Apprehension standards for security. The building does not have a secure holding area and has only one interview room. Years ago, Scott County finally addressed its jail facility knowing it faced the loss of a Department of Corrections permit to operate a county jail if a new facility were not built. After years of stalling, the county exhausted its bag of tricks when the DOC finally said enough was enough.

The time has come for New Prague to stop kicking the can down the road. It’s operating a modern police department from a nearly 100-year-old building. It’s OK to be conservative, cautious. It’s short-sighted to continue to push the decision off just because you don’t want to deal with the cost and pithy complaints from taxpayers. The city’s architect told the council the price goes up 5 percent or more annually just by waiting.

New municipal facilities, like schools, fire stations or police departments, should reflect community values. New Prague could build a gray, cinderblock facility patterned out of the communistera architecture. The police department is the city’s most expensive department to operate and arguably its most visible group of employees. New Prague is wisely trying to meld the growth of the community with its facilities needs.

Build a new police department wherever it makes sense and make it expandable to allow for the next generation of needs we don’t foresee today