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Brown County sheriff asks commission to restore raise, seeks $24,000 coroner compensation amid dispute over hiring decision
Summary
Sheriff David Lunsman told the Brown County Commission he believes commissioners withheld his 2025 raise because he hired his wife; he requested $12,000 for himself and $12,000 for his chief deputy to cover coroner duties and described ongoing tensions over oversight, training and jail decisions.
Sheriff David Lunsman told the Brown County Commission he was informed the panel would not grant him a 2025 raise because he hired his wife to assist with corrections duties and said he wants the commission to reconsider.
Lunsman told commissioners at the meeting that he and his chief deputy perform coroner duties in addition to their regular work and that those duties now consume more time than when he assumed the sheriff—s office. He formally requested compensation of $12,000 a year for himself and $12,000 a year for his chief deputy to cover coroner-related responsibilities, a total of $24,000 annually. "I take on extra duties and... we're the only two that do the paperwork to the state just so that it's consistent every single time," Lunsman said.
The sheriff said the withheld raise stems from commissioners— displeasure with his decision to hire his wife, who is listed as a correctional officer and performs some work from home. Lunsman said his wife offered to perform the duties voluntarily and that she holds degrees relevant to the job. "I hired somebody that does have a professional degree in what I needed in order to be able to get this done," he said.
Commissioners responded that their ability to influence an elected official—s personnel decisions is limited, but that the commission does control the budget. Commissioner Dwayne said he would view the resignation of the sheriff—s wife as a "positive move" and would reconsider the pay decision if that occurred. Another commissioner explained the commission used the budget (purse strings) to withhold the pay increase and asked Lunsman to provide documentation of his training program and coroner workload.
Lunsman pressed several broader concerns at the meeting, including what he described as prior attempts by the commission to limit duties of the sheriff—s office (access to keys, staff reassignments, and a separate dispatch proposal) and the financial fallout of a previously purchased jail facility that was later sold. He said moving inmates to outside facilities will cost an estimated $250,000 this year. He also asked for clearer, two-way communication with the commission.
On training, commissioners asked for a concrete training manual rather than an overview. Lunsman said a formal training manual was under development but that the employee working on it (his wife) was temporarily unavailable because of injury. He said the jail and corrections staff need a standardized program to improve retention and performance.
No formal action was taken at the meeting on the sheriff—s pay request. Commissioners agreed to schedule further discussion. Lunsman also said he would bring more documentation about coroner calls and training to a future meeting.
Ending: Commissioners and the sheriff agreed to pursue additional information and follow-up meetings; no vote was taken on the $24,000 coroner compensation request during the session.
