MARSHALL — Lyon County and the city of Marshall’s shared law enforcement building is a facility that doesn’t close down, Marshall Public Safety Director Jim Marshall said. It’s part of the reason why the building needs around $102,000 worth of updates to its air conditioning and security systems.

On Tuesday, members of the Marshall City Council approved funding requests for part of the cost to replace the security system and part of the air conditioning system at the Law Enforcement Center. Lyon County commissioners approved a similar request last week.

Marshall said the electronic security system, which helps control door access at the LEC offices, started failing in mid-January. It’s become a safety concern for employees, he said.

“We have employees who can’t get through the building, who can’t get to their office,” Marshall said.

An air conditioning condenser and coil at the LEC are also a high priority for replacement this year, he said. The parts that need replacing are more than 20 years old, city staff said.

The LEC building dates back to the 1990s, although the current Lyon County Jail was built more recently. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Department and the Marshall Police Department both operate out of the LEC. Under a joint powers agreement, both Lyon County and the city of Marshall are responsible for common costs of operation for the facility, Marshall said. Those costs include repair and maintenance of mechanical and electrical systems, roofs, utility costs and custodial services.

Marshall said the joint Law Enforcement Center management committee met Jan. 25 to talk about replacing the electronic security system and an air conditioning condenser and coil unit.

Lyon County received cost proposals to repair or replace the electronic security system, and for the air conditioning replacements. The lowest proposal cost for the security system was about $39,000, from Brothers Fire and Security of St. Cloud. The lowest proposal cost for the air conditioner was $63,900, from Bisbee Plumbing & Heating.

The city’s portion of the expected repair costs is about $51,477.

“Neither item had been planned or budgeted for this year, but both required immediate attention,” Marshall said. In considering the need for the security and air conditioning updates, he said it was important to remember, “The Law Enforcement Center doesn’t close. It does not rest.” Its systems don’t really get a chance to slow down like they might at other public buildings.

Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson said the city hadn’t budgeted for the repair costs, as they weren’t aware of the need during the 2018 budget process.

“Our intent at this point is to utilize reserves, and then backfill those reserves with levy dollars in 2020,” Hanson said.

Marshall said the joint LEC committee is also planning to meet more often, and come up with more detailed plans for capital expenditure needs.

Council members voted to approve the city portion of costs for the security and air conditioning updates.

With funding approved, Marshall said repairs to the electronic security system could be made in a couple of weeks.