WALLACE — The Shoshone County Commissioners met Wednesday with Sheriff Shawn Wehr and Undersheriff Travis Skinner to discuss the county’s law enforcement agreement with the city of Mullan. 

Currently, the city pays the county $12,000 annually to the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office for services within the municipality. Unlike other cities, the agreement does not require a minimum number of patrol hours from the SCSO. 

Skinner said the county’s cost to respond to a call in Mullan is about $80 per hour, including fuel, equipment and a deputy’s wages. 

“We’re looking at services that are required by the county and what would be considered enhanced services,” Skinner said. “We have to look at the services we’re providing.” 

At the current rate of $12,000 annually, the city pays about $33 per day. The SCSO responds to hundreds of calls in Mullan each year, with each call averaging 1.5 hours. 

Skinner acknowledged that operating at a loss is not ideal for the SCSO but said the goal is to find a middle ground acceptable to both the city and county. 

“This isn’t about recovering costs, it’s about cost sharing,” he said. 

Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Allen also attended the meeting and explained that agreements between counties and cities are common, though their structures can vary widely. 

He said there are essentially two ways the SCSO can work with a municipality. 

The first is a general collaborative effort to improve law enforcement in the city. The second is a formal contract outlining specific goals and measurable expectations for law enforcement presence. 

“I think those are two very different structures, right?” Allen said. “If the parties are desiring the former and are saying we just want to work collaboratively to improve law enforcement in general because indirectly that means that we're also improving law enforcement with our municipality.” 

This arrangement is similar to the county’s contract with the city of Wallace. In exchange for an annual fee, Wallace receives a guaranteed number of patrol hours each month and a deputy presence at events, including City Council meetings. 

Skinner said the department has considered raising the daily rate to about $56, which would increase Mullan’s annual payment to $20,000. He added that the department is also open to negotiating a more detailed contract. 

Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman reiterated the need to define which services are mandatory. 

“Can you give the cities an exact report saying these fell into this category and these fell into that category,” he asked. 

Wehr said those questions would be addressed during contract negotiations and that SCSO dispatchers would be trained to categorize calls accordingly. 

“It’s a matter of sitting down with the city of Mullan and their expectations,” Wehr said. “What kind of contract they want and how we’re going to provide it for them.” 

During public comment, resident Matt Beehner expressed concern that the county has historically lost money on law enforcement contracts with municipalities. 

“It’s time to pay up and make it fair to the county,” he said. “You guys need the money in your sheriff’s office.” 

In the coming weeks, county officials plan to meet with Mullan’s city leadership to discuss expectations and develop a plan based on those discussions. 

    Wehr