The city recently ended its contract with the Benton County sheriff's department in favor of a less expensive deal with a private security company. Now Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson has offered to help mediate talks aimed at putting security back in the hands of sheriff's deputies.

The Peace Officers Standards Training Board rejected the city of Foley's plan to hire private security guards to replace county sheriffs deputies. Foley's attempts to switch to private security would make it the first city in the state to ditch public law enforcement services. The city says it's a cost-saving move.

The Foley city council voted to end their contract with the Benton County Sheriff's Department to save money. They'll pay nearly half as much to a private security company instead to safeguard the city.

The executive director of the police standards board charged with blocking an effort to hire private security to replace county sheriffs deputies says the claims are "fiction." A Foley city official confirms that the agency contacted the proposed security outfit but did not take action.

The city voted to sign a contract with a private security company after failing to reach a new contract with Benton County. Foley has been contracting with the county to provide law enforcement since the city cut its own police staff in 2003. Foley is the first city in Minnesota to hire a private police force.

The central Minnesota city previously contracted with the Benton County sheriff's office but switched in a cost-cutting move -- making it the first in the state to hire a private security company to patrol its streets.

Minnesota's state and local government agencies will contract with more than 20 private-sector consultants tasked with rooting out waste and finding ways to deliver better services more efficiently.

Robbinsdale School District officials say they can save $2 million a year by privatizing student busing. Many parents oppose the plan saying the service might be cheaper, but at what cost?