FDL City Council Hears About Need For Upgraded Security At City County Building

Fond du Lac County Judge Dale English made an impassioned plea to the Fond du Lac City Council Wednesday night to budget for upgraded security at the City-County Government Center. He and the other judges would like to see a secured entrance at the north end of the building with metal detectors that everyone would have to go through. He told the Council it would be better to be proactive than reactive. He says every study he has read about courthouse security has said it’s not a matter of if a tragedy will happen at your courthouse; it’s a matter of when it is going to happen at your courthouse. City Manager Joe Moore agreed something has to be done, but the Council needs to know the scope and the costs. Moore pointed out they spent a year and a half planning the public safety training facility, which will cost $3.9 million and will take as much care on a new pavilion for Lakeside Park. He feels courthouse security and the money that will be spent on it over the next 10 years should be getting as much consideration. He says over a decade that is about a $2 million to $3 million investment. Also Wednesday evening the Council repealed and recreated the City’s fireworks ordinance, which will only allow the sale of non-explosive seasonal novelties and pyrotechnical displays will require a permit.