Des Moines County Sheriff Glenn Denny updated supervisors Sept. 30 on jail population, partner relationships and emergency planning, reporting the county jail had 70 inmates that morning with five individuals housed out of county.

Denny said the sheriff's office has met with its medical provider and with FlowState officials; the expectation is that, if the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) provides services through FlowState, the change could take effect Jan. 1. Denny said that transition, if finalized, would reduce the county's annual jail medical costs by roughly $12,000 because the mental-health component would be provided through DHHS.

Denny also described county deputies'participation with the U.S. Marshals Service's regional fugitive task force. He said two Des Moines County deputies are part of the task force and that Burlington and West Burlington have officers who participate; the arrangement, he said, provides manpower and resources in locating violent individuals and bolsters offender registry and compliance work.

On operational topics Denny said the sheriff's office updated the West Burlington emergency operations plan and noted the jail population skewed: the jail has 14 cells normally dedicated to females and that female populations can vary, requiring some inmates to be held out of county.

Ending: Denny closed by thanking staff and describing continued coordination with regional partners; supervisors did not take action related to the report at the Sept. 30 meeting.