Sheriff's 2024 annual report shows budget overrun, staffing pressures and rising jail daily population

The Washington County Sheriff's Office presented a 41‑page 2024 annual report to the Public Safety Committee on June 26 that the sheriff described as a historical record of staffing, operations and finances for the agency.

Sheriff Schulteis told the committee the agency’s total 2024 budget was $26,400,000, with $21,500,000 funded by the county levy. The sheriff said final expenditures were about 2.6% over budget — roughly $691,000 — attributing much of the overrun to jail overtime, minimum‑staffing requirements and a budgeting vacancy‑offset mechanism known as contra wages that did not match actual hiring patterns.

The report itemized patrol and corrections staffing and operational statistics. The sheriff said patrol consists of 59 patrol deputies (including three contract deputies assigned to the Village of Richfield and a shared position with the Town of West Bend), three lieutenants, nine sergeants and specialized units including a multi‑jurisdictional SWAT team (23 operators, 15 from the sheriff’s office) and a field force team beginning implementation with 26 identified members. The agency reported 43,000 calls for service in 2024 and six fatal crashes, down five from 2023.

Captain Laymon summarized corrections data: the adult jail has 321 beds and the juvenile secure detention facility has 26 beds; total bookings in 2024 were 3,868 (3,607 adults and 261 juveniles). The adult average daily population (ADP) rose from 170 in 2023 to 200 in 2024, producing an overall ADP increase of about 11.3% year‑over‑year. Laymon said the jail’s primary operational challenges remain opioids and mental‑health needs; the county provides in‑jail education through the West Bend School District’s Washington Street School.

Captains and staff highlighted contracted services: medical care by Advanced Correctional Healthcare was increased from 128 nursing hours to 208 hours weekly; food services were provided by Summit (202,575 adult meals served in 2024 and 9,929 juvenile meals); and the electronic monitoring program averaged 10 participants per day in 2024, down from 14 in 2023.

Captain Robert Stacer reviewed administrative and communications topics, describing the countywide radio system buildout (microwave ring, HVAC upgrades and UPS installations at tower sites) and an expected transition off rented towers in October. Stacer said the communications/dispatch center was seven dispatchers and two supervisors short of authorized staffing and that consolidation (Hartford in 2024 and Germantown ongoing) increased calls; Hartford’s consolidation contributed an estimated 7.2% call increase. He described two PSAP grants: a 90/10 grant that funded Hartford consolidation elements and a 2025 PSAP grant (approx. $740,000, 90/10) to support Germantown consolidation and a move from analog to redundant VoIP phone lines in dispatch.

Committee members thanked staff for the report and emphasized mental‑health pressures in the jail and the county’s reliance on public‑safety staffing to provide daily services. Several committee members praised leadership and frontline staff; the committee deferred several additional reports to the next meeting due to time constraints.