Although the signs showed support for Nickerson getting their police force back, the votes didn’t come out that way.

The vote total according to the Reno County Clerk’s Office shows that 181 voted “no” for bringing a force back compared with 129 who voted “yes” wanting the city to spend the money for a force.

The vote was held at the request of the Nickerson City Council and was non-binding, meaning the council would still have the final say.

The force was disbanded last year by the city council after the cities police chief resigned. The city believes it would have cost about 160-thousand dollars to bring a two person force back into service.

The county mailed out 696 ballots, but only 310 were returned in time to be counted or about 40%. With the vote coming out the way it did, it appears that at least for now, the city of Nickerson will continued to rely on the Reno County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services.