A rendering of the outside of the proposed Law Enforcement Center, viewed from 2nd Ave., (Wilkins Architecture, Design, Planning, Courtesy)
KEARNEY — A majority of voters cast their votes against a proposed $72 million joint Law Enforcement Center that would have been located near the Buffalo County Courthouse.
The tally of the votes was 7,641 against the bond issue and 3,778 in favor, or 66 percent to 33 percent.
The current Kearney Law Enforcement building, located at 2025 Ave. A, 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 (KPD) and Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO). They occupied the site in 1993 and have been located there for the past 31 years.
Sherry Morrow, Buffalo County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, said that co-location is more than the two law enforcement entities occupying the same space but its been formalized over the years through a number of inter-local agreements.
Morrow said that co-location has become the culture of both groups and has already had a long history, and she hopes it continues if the voters approve the bond to allow for construction of the new LEC.
Sheriff Neil Miller, said that there are around 30 joint groups that have been formed between the sheriff’s office and the police department. He said these agreements and partnerships have long benefited the citizens of Kearney and Buffalo County.
Miller said that as the elected sheriff of the county, he would only be responsible to the citizens of the county. However, through this co-location, he is also accountable to his peers in the KPD and the City of Kearney.
Miller said both groups have jointly provided law enforcement from the same building for the past 30 years and this has ensured that both groups are on the same page, that they have conversations, that they can work through any disagreements.
In the last joint meeting between the city and the county, it was noted 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.
“As Kearney and Buffalo County grow, so do they demands on law enforcement. The current facilities no longer meet their needs. Instead of costly renovations, the most cost-effective solution is a new co-location facility at the Courthouse and Jail site, ensuring KPD and BCSO have the space and resources needed to serve our community,” per the bond information website.
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 a fifth dispatcher for a reason.
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.
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 including the LEC West, 8,545 square feet, across the street from the LEC and a storage annex, 4,940 square feet.
It was noted that the investigators for both the BCSO and KPD are still co-located, but they have had to be relocated to the LEC West due to lack of space for the work they need to do.
After a study of four different sites, locating the new LEC near the Buffalo County Courthouse met all of the criteria that had been laid out.
Sertich went into more detail about the plan, which is to build 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.
Sertich 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.
