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Sheriff’s office: new Winona County jail operating as designed; medication law raising costs
Summary
Chief Deputy Jeff Mueller told commissioners the new 80‑bed jail has been operating smoothly with an average daily population near 20 and noted state medication-law changes are increasing county costs for inmate medications.
Chief Deputy Jeff Mueller gave the Winona County Board an operations update on Dec. 16, saying the newly opened jail is functioning at low occupancy and the county is covering increased medication costs tied to a recent law change.
Mueller said the facility is an 80‑bed design composed of 51 housing units — 29 double‑bunked units yield the stated 80 beds — and that the facility’s average daily population is about 20.25. He told commissioners average daily bookings remain steady (approximately 4.4 per day) and that length of stay averages about 8.65 days for males and 5.69 days for females.
The sheriff’s office reported that programming and mental‑health housing units are in place and that the new jail’s podular design allows staff to supervise more people efficiently without increasing FTEs compared with the old jail. Mueller said the jail has not needed to house inmates in other counties since it achieved operating capacity.
Mueller warned that a change in state law regarding in‑custody medication administration and discharge supplies is adding costs to the county. He said the jail is currently purchasing medications for inmates and that reimbursement is limited; staff noted the county may be able to recoup some costs when inmates have insurance, but in many cases recoupment is not feasible.
Ending: Commissioners asked for a short follow-up presentation with numbers on program participation and the fiscal impact of medication requirements; the sheriff’s office agreed to provide those figures.
