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Sheriff Tom Burch obtained county board approval Tuesday to renew a contract to provide police service to the city of Cass Lake, with a $37,000 lower cost than this year.

Burch said he is dropping a charge, but not the service, for supervising the three deputies assigned to work in Cass Lake. He said he hopes by lowering costs he will encourage other cities to hire the sheriff's office for police protection.

Cass Lake's contract will drop from the $290,000 maximum the city pays in 2011 to $253,000 in 2012. The city cost in 2010 ran less than the contract maximum, because the city is billed on actual expenses for the service.

Mayor Wayne LaDuke told the board complaints about police service have dropped significantly since the sheriff's office assumed police protection at Cass Lake. It has save the city money as well, he said.[[In-content Ad]]

Burch asked the commissioners to encourage residents in their area to sign up for the new Nixle emergency notification system now available through the sheriff's office. People can learn more about the system and sign up through the sheriff's website, www.co.cass.mn.us/sheriff/sheriff_home.html or by contacting Emergency Services Director Kerry Swenson at 547-7437.

People can sign up for alerts either by text message or email, Burch said. The alerts will include tornado warnings, sex offender notifications, Amber Alert missing children reports and other emergency notifications.

Burch said the system is designed only to alert people for real emergencies. It will not overload your inbox or text system whenever a thunderstorm moves through the area. It only gives real tornado warnings and ignores watches, he said.

Burch obtained board approval to renew county participation in a statewide Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force through May 31, 2012.

The board approved a 3.5 percent increase in the per meal rate A'viands LLC Charges the county to provide meals for jail inmates at Walker. The July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012, rate will be $1.14 per meal.

In addition, A'viands charges a base per day rate of $189.78 for up to 24 meals, $217.37 for 25 to 49 meals and $244.66 for over 49 meals.

Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.

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