Two appointments to the new Webster County Public Safety Authority were approved by the Fort Dodge City Council Monday.

The council appointed Ryan Gruenberg as the city’s representative. He is a former Fort Dodge Police Department captain who is the vice president of operations at Iowa Central Community College.

The council also approved Vickie Reeck as the joint city-county representative on the authority’s board. She is the former community and economic development manager in the city’s Development Services Department. Her appointment must also be approved by the Webster County Board of Supervisors.

The Board of Supervisors must also make the third appointment to the authority’s board. That individual will represent the county.

Councilman Cameron Nelson was absent from the otherwise unanimous vote to approve the appointments. There was no discussion on the matter.

The Webster County Public Safety Authority was established earlier this month with the mission of planning a potential new Webster County Law Enforcement Center to replace the current problem-plagued structure at 702 First Ave. S. If the voters approve a tax to finance the center during the Nov. 3 general election, the authority will oversee its construction and would own the completed building. The city and county would pay rent to the authority, which would be used to pay off any bonds issued for the construction of the building.

The new building would house the Fort Dodge Police Department, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the jail and the 911 dispatch center.

The current Law Enforcement Center has multiple problems, including chronic overcrowding in the jail, which forces the Sheriff’s Office to pay other counties to house inmates. The building also has water leaks, sewer backups, mold and generally unreliable building systems.

The location of a new Law Enforcement Center has not been determined, although it will have to be in the city limits as a result of Fort Dodge’s participation in the Public Safety Authority.

The tax levy that would be needed to finance a new Law Enforcement Center hasn’t been determined.