After a recent Council Bluffs City Council vote, the city’s attorney Dick Wade sent a letter to the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors requesting a mediation attempt.  The mediation would be used to settle a long-running dispute concerning the local law enforcement center building.

According to Wade, council members value their relationship with the Board of Supervisors, and thinks it is in everyone’s best interest to resolve the matter with mediation.  The City Council wants to sit down and discuss the issue face to face and find a resolution that benefits everyone.  Wade sent the letter after the council held a unanimous vote to request a mediation attempt.

According to Wade, the city already has a mediator in mind for the case, but knows how important it is for both sides to agree on a mediator in order for the session to be successful.  The mediator contacted by the city has agreed to work free of charge.

County Attorney Matt Wilber stated his office will meet with the city’s attorney to discuss the potential to resolve the issue through mediation in the coming days, but he refused to say any more about the request, expressing concern that anything else might cause problems and exacerbate existing tensions.

In April, the Board of Supervisor voted to deem the building’s useful life complete, which triggered an end to the right to occupy the building for both sides.  The police department is supposed to be able to remain in the building without paying rent, at least until the new headquarters is completed and ready for occupancy.