Decorah City Council is split in response to County

The Decorah City Council voted 3-2 Monday night to refer IT issues between the city and county to a meeting of the city's Personnel Committee.  The vote reflected differences of opinion among city council members.

Council member Gary Rustad urged the city council, "Let's get all the facts."  His plea convinced fellow city council members Dan Bellrichard and Andy Carlson to refer the issue to the Personnel Committee.

City council members Steve Luse and Kirk Johnson voted against the measure, however.  Luse said after reading the county's letter to the city he felt like they were trying to hold the city over a barrel.  Johnson agreed that the letter was "a clear threat" and said the county's request for $45,967 from the city for its share of equipment purchases was "a number drawn out of a hat."

Both city and county officials have talked of possibly holding another joint meeting on Thursday of this week to continue their discussions.