A Nissan Versa resembling this one is at the center of a discussion about a trade between two Pacific County agencies.

SOUTH BEND — Tensions over a travel trailer owned by the Pacific County Department of Health and Human Services were mostly settled during a workshop on Dec. 2 by the Pacific County Commission.

Just shy of three weeks prior, the commission and Pacific County Sheriff’s Office were involved in a heated exchange at the Nov. 12 commission meeting. The sheriff’s office requested to trade a patrol vehicle to the health department for a 2019 Heartland Sundance Travel Trailer.

Commissioner Jerry Doyle immediately opposed the request, vowing his mind would not be changed and that he would vote against it. He added that he wouldn’t even attend a workshop on the idea.

“I just think this is a terrible idea,” Doyle said. “That is my take on it, and you guys know my feelings on it now and that is all I’m going to say about it.”

Commissioner David Tobin voiced concern over what he thought was the request and the sheriff’s office’s misrepresentation of its intended uses. The agency had stated it would have multiple functions, including training and search and rescue operations.

Doyle ultimately showed up to the workshop along with his fellow commissioners Lisa Olsen and Tobin, and Pacific County General Administration members, including Chief Administrative Officer Paul Plakinger, were also in attendance.

Sheriff Daniel Garcia attended via Zoom, and Undersheriff Mike Ray, Chief Criminal Deputy Randy Wiegardt, Chief Civil Deputy Hollie Billeci, and Inspector Michael Parker attended the meeting in person.

According to Plakinger, the meeting started with some back-and-forth between county officials and the sheriff’s office over the previous meeting. Billeci, who previously spoke with the Observer about the situation, said the issue blindsided the sheriff’s office.

Her recollection of the events and email records insist that they came to the table with a strong request, which was shot down.

The agenda item shows that the agency was trading a 2019 Nissan Versa for the travel trailer when, in fact, the car had been sold to the health department on Aug. 13 for $9,800. Billeci says the agency was trading a different vehicle.

“It is an old patrol vehicle; the other one is a Nissan Versa used for civil staff, with a cage for them to transport more easily, safely with mentally unstable or situations like that,” Billeci said. “So, they have a better vehicle for doing that, [it’s] bigger and safer.”

At the time, Olsen suggested deferring the request pending a workshop among the parties to discuss the issue further.

“Realistically, when you actually break this down and look at it, there was an agenda item put before the board; the item was deferred to have a workshop, which is not uncommon,” said Plakinger. “We do that with departments under the board if there is something that goes before the commissioners and they feel that there is insufficient information for them to make an informed decision.”

“Then they might defer that item — not take action on it — to have a workshop so that it can be brought up for later consideration. That is exactly what happened here,” he added.

The workshop lasted approximately 40-45 minutes on Dec. 2; no formal action was taken or recommended. Sheriff’s office personnel expressed displeasure with how the Nov. 12 meeting went, including Doyle’s comments.

Doyle added at the meeting that it wasn’t entirely his viewpoint of why he had previously stated he would not attend. He mentioned “out-of-town plans” as another reason he would likely not be present.

The meeting saw no significant progress in determining what to do with the trailer. Currently, the most likely option is using an online government surplus auction site. The county would likely explore other options if the trailer doesn’t meet a sale threshold.

Another potential issue is how the trailer could be used since it was purchased with covid-19 funding, and any funds from its sale would have to go back into the originating account. It is unclear when any formal action will be taken.

Billeci could not be reached for comment at the time of the article submission. If comments are provided, the story will be updated.