Goodhue County sheriff says it has tentative deal with Goodhue for police services

A week after the city of Goodhue’s police department suddenly resigned, the city appears to be close to a deal for policing services to cover the rest of the year.

Wednesday, the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office said it met with Goodhue city leaders and reached a tentative agreement for the rest of 2023. However, that deal — the details of which haven’t yet been publicly announced — is still pending city council approval.

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The sheriff’s office says it will have further talks with the city about police services for 2024.

It comes after Goodhue Police Chief Josh Smith resigned late last week following requests for higher pay and better recruitment efforts. The other officers in the department followed suit in support.

The city of Goodhue has fewer than 1,500 residents and is about an hour and 15 minutes southeast of the Twin Cities. The police department had fewer than 10 officers, including the chief, and many of the officers were part-time.