Tecumseh is considering eliminating its four-member police department and instead contracting with Johnson County sheriff's department for protection.
Lavern Bartels is mayor of the southeast Nebraska town of about 1,600. He said Tuesday that the city could save $120,000 a year by
opting for full-time county coverage.
Councilwoman Beth Rossi prefers local officers and says voters should have final say on the department.
Bartels says it's too late to put the issue on the May 11 ballot. He doesn't want to spend city money for a special election, so the soonest the voters could rule would be in the November election.
He says that for now, the short-handed department will be bolstered by a temporary hire and 40 hours of coverage a week from the county.
