Winneshiek County sheriff outlines steady budget, warns of social-services reimbursement uncertainty

Sheriff Dan Larson told the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 that his office’s proposed budget for fiscal 2026 is largely unchanged from the prior year but faces pressures from staffing and possible cuts to social-services reimbursements.

Larson, appearing at the supervisors meeting to review his department’s budget, said payroll and benefits account for the major pressures but that most non-payroll items remain flat. “The budget’s tight this year,” Larson said. He told supervisors the office has kept expenses down and historically returns unspent appropriations to the general fund, estimating the county has returned roughly $200,000 on average per year and “a little over $2,000,000 over the last 10 years.”

Why it matters: Larson said the sheriff’s office counts on that built-in margin to avoid emergency amendments later in the…