The Bagley City Council hosted a public meeting this past week to consider disbanding the local police department, following a path pursued by a few dozen cities around the state.

Bagley, with a population of nearly 1,300, is the Clearwater County seat. City leaders say the police department accounts for about a third of the annual budget. They're considering contracting with Clearwater County for law enforcement services instead.

The goal, Mayor Duane Lewis told the audience gathered at the public library Wednesday, is to look for cost savings.

"This is for us to be gathering information so we know what to do as a council, if we're going to move forward or if we're not," said Lewis "Why we're here is to see if the city residents are willing to pay more to have that service. At our budg

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