Members of the Sherburne County Board agreed Tuesday they were not in favor of changing the formula for funding the Tri-County Regional Forensic Lab.

 

In 2008, Sherburne County, Anoka County and Wright County signed a joint powers agreement to fund the crime lab based solely on county population figures.

 

This year, Sherburne  County will contribute $268,000. Wright County’s portion is $367,944 and Anoka County will pay $1,000,086.

 

Last September, citing inequities in the formula, the Wright County Board of Commissioners indicated their intent to consider withdrawing from the agreement unless changes to the funding formula were adopted before the end of June of 2015.

 

Wright County’s other option, if it decided to withdraw from the agreement,  would be to use the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) lab in St. Paul to process evidence for trials.

 

In a letter to the Sherburne and Anoka County Boards dated May 15, 2015, Wright County Coordinator Lee Kelly said the Wright County Commissioners, Sheriff Joe Hagerty, County Attorney Tom Kelly and staff met with Lab Director Scott Ford to discuss the funding formula. 

 

As a result of that meeting, Wright County is requesting the formula be based 60 percent on population and 40 percent on usage of the crime lab.

 

Kelly said the board would be discussing it at another meeting in late June.

 

“Essentially, the Wright County Board is meeting June 23 to discuss the formula change,” Sherburne County Administrator Steve Taylor said Tuesday. “They’re interested in the Sherburne County Board’s position.”

 

Commissioner Felix Schmiesing, who serves on the crime lab advisory board, said there have been discussions over the years about the funding formula, and the result has been not to change it.

 

“This year we asked the sheriffs to review it. The recommendation was to leave the formula as it was,” he said.

 

Schmiesing said there are flaws with any formula, but he felt it was the most fair way to base it on population.

 

“If you begin to go to a funding based on usage, are you a partner or are you a customer?” he asked. “That’s one of the things we wanted to avoid.”

 

Commissioner Bruce Anderson, who was Sherburne County Sheriff when the lab was started, said everyone involved agreed to the funding formula right from the beginning.

 

“We had statewide support. We had lengthy discuss with the three sheriffs and county boards before we even entered into this,” he said. “When all the boards approved this, it was unanimous.”

 

Sheriff Joel Brott said they reviewed a number of issues regarding the formula.

 

“We looked at Part 1 crimes, Part 2 crimes, number of officers and all these different things and we came back with the same thing, which is the fairest way to fund the Tri-County Forensic Lab is based on population,” he said. “When you start trying to fund the lab based on usage, I don’t know how you budget for that.”

 

“This is the fairest way, and it was when we initiated putting this crime lab together,” said Anderson.

 

Schmiesing said any of the commissioners would be willing to speak with Wright County about the issue.

 

“We certainly hope Wright County can see their way to continue with us,” he said.