Jacob Sertich, an architect with Wilkins Architecture, Design, Planning, presents the Law Enforcement Center (LEC) project conceptual design, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The City of Kearney and Buffalo County held a joint meeting in support of the new Law Enforcement Center project, which is set to be located near the county courthouse along 2nd Ave.
Sherry Morrow, chairperson of the Buffalo County Commissioners, started the meeting by saying that the most visible part of the connection between the county and the city is the co-location of the Kearney Police Department and Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office in one space.
Morrow said that this co-location is essential to the future and that they start the project soon and do not wait for five years down the road, when costs will grow.
Jonathan Nikkila, mayor of the City of Kearney, said that the co-location works and everyone that has been a part of it has made it a success for the past 30 years. Nikkila also noted from speaking with community members, that people expect the co-location of the law enforcement agencies to continue into the future.
Buffalo County Sheriff Chief Deputy Dan Schleusener and Kearney Police Department Captain Kevin Thompson also spoke on the value of co-location on behalf of their agencies.
Schleusener said that since 1993, it is estimated that co-locating the BCSO and KPD has saved the taxpayers $30 million. Looking out into the next 30 years, co-location is expected to save the taxpayers $62 million.
In addition to the savings to the taxpayer, Schleusener said that the agencies share around 30 to 40 joint services, software, tools, etc. He said the BCSO and KPD can have a unified response to different situations across the city and the county.
Schleusener called the partnership a “force multiplier” and that the familiarity between the deputies, officers and administration helps to foster a positive environment.
Thompson said that a new LEC is needed because the agencies are out of space at the current LEC. He noted that he has seen spaces that were once used for storage closets converted into offices. In one space, an area made for two to three sergeants is now being used by six to eight sergeants.
It was noted that in 1993, there were 73 staff members made up of sworn and non-sworn staff, this has since grown to 130 in 2025 and is expected to hit 200 by 2055 as Kearney and Buffalo County continues to grow and the need for law enforcement services increases.
It was also noted that the 911 dispatch center employs 16 dispatchers, with four on a shift at a time, but they have no space if they needed to flex in fifth dispatcher for a reason.
Sheriff Neil Miller appeared remotely from a training and said he is 100 percent in support of future co-location.
Miller said that the full benefits of co-location cannot always be whittled down to a dollar amount or a number, but the efficiencies created through it have helped to make both agencies more effective as they enforce the law in the city and the county.
Miller closed by saying that the continued co-location is one thing he is proudest of when it comes to his law enforcement career.
Jacob Sertich, an architect with Wilkins Architecture, Design, Planning, presented the Law Enforcement Center (LEC) project conceptual design.
Sertich provided a brief timeline of Wilkins actions since they were contracted to handle the study. From February to April 2024, they conducted the existing facilities assessment.
In May 2024, Wilkins, police and county staff toured law enforcement facilities in Nebraska, Texas and Iowa. In January 2025, they also conducted tours of the Nebraska Dispatch Center and the Nebraska State Patrol headquarters.
From January to February 2025, there has been additional planning, analysis and design creation.
Sertich said the current Kearney LEC building was built in the 1940s as the headquarters for a power company. It was remodeled in the early 1990s to accommodate the co-location of the Kearney Police Department and Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office. They occupied the site in 1993.
The total square foot of the current LEC was 26,825 square feet, with 15,067 square feet on the first floor and 11,758 square feet on the second floor.
Due to a lack of space in the current LEC, they have had to move into additional space included the LEC West, 8,545 square feet, across the street from the LEC and a storage annex, 4,940 square feet.
The total square footage use by both law enforcement entities is 40,310 square feet.
Due to the growth in the last 30 years and to accommodate for the needs in the coming 30 years, Sertich said the proposed LEC should be around 92,000 square feet.
To that end, Wilkins look into four different locations for the new LEC.
The first would be to expand upon the existing LEC and adjacent properties at 2025 A. Ave. The second site would be to expand near the existing Buffalo County Courthouse, jail and adjacent properties at 1512 Central Ave.
There were two other sites mentioned, an existing impound lot at 321 Central Ave and an existing city property on the north side of town at 48th St. and N Ave.
Sertich said the site near the courthouse passed their first screening, while the other had various points of failure.
Sertich said the complication of remodeling and expanding the existing LEC would be the cost of acquiring more property surrounding the location and the extended construction timeline of having to build the new expansion and move all the staff out of the current LEC site while it was remodeled.
The overall cost would also be around $5 million more than the other plans.
Sertich went into more detail about the site plan near the courthouse and would be built in the area between W. 14th and W. 15th St. Part of this area included the former Mid-Town Inn site, which has since been acquired by the county and demolished.
The LEC at this site would be a two-story location with a basement. The first floor would contain 51,937 square feet, the second floor and basement would both be 24,528 for a total of 102,961 square feet.
Gary Peters with MCL Construction, said the cost of the project, including hard construction costs, design and engineering fees, bond issuance fees, quality control, inspections, furniture and equipment would be around $72 million.
Brad Slaughter with Northland Securities, a First National of Nebraska company, said the $72 million would be amortized over 25 years. He said with a five percent increase in valuation in the county to $8.24 billion, the levy increase is 6.2 cents per share, while a 10 percent increase in valuation would result in a levy increase of 6.0 cents.
The future timeline of public education, bond election and possible construction is a as follows:
- July 8 – Buffalo Co. Commissioners calls for bond election
- Aug. 11 – Kearney Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 12 – Elm Creek Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 13 – Ravenna Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 14 – Amherst Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 15 – Shelton Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 18 – Pleasanton Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 19 – Riverdale Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 20 – Gibbon Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 22 – Kearney Town Hall Meeting
- Aug. 18-22 – Ballots mailed to registered voters
- Sept. 9 – Bond Election
- Sept. 2025 0 March 2026 – Final Design, Engineering
- April 2026 – Bidding
- May 2026 – Aug. 2028 – Construction
- Aug./Sept. 2028 – Occupancy and Public Opening
