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Wabasha County sets 2026 salaries for county attorney, sheriff and commissioners; votes recorded
Summary
The Wabasha County Board set the 2026 salaries for the county attorney ($135,300), sheriff ($140,900) and county commissioners ($25,900), recorded votes and discussed performance concerns about the county attorney; the sheriff salary vote included one dissenting vote.
The Wabasha County Board of Commissioners set the 2026 salaries for several elected officials during its regular meeting, approving a $135,300 salary for the county attorney, $140,900 for the county sheriff and $25,900 for county commissioners.
The board debated the county attorney’s salary at length. One commissioner, citing statutory duties, department feedback and comparative salary data, raised concerns about the county attorney’s prosecutorial experience, missed deadlines and what the commissioner described as inadequate handling of social-services cases. That commissioner said multiple departments and partner agencies reported delays that had required the county to retain outside counsel for certain matters.
“Multiple departments, partner agencies, community members have reported concerns regarding delays, missed deadlines, and incomplete case handling,” the commissioner said during the review.
After discussion, the board moved to set the county attorney’s 2026 salary at $135,300. A roll call later in the meeting recorded four ayes and one abstention on that motion.
The board then set the sheriff’s 2026 salary at $140,900. A roll call recorded four ayes and one nay (Commissioner Wabi cast the lone no vote).
For county commissioners, the board corrected a packet typo and approved a $25,900 salary for 2026, retaining per-diem policy of $50 for meetings under four hours and $100 for meetings over four hours; the chair receives a $500 additional stipend and newly elected commissioners receive an iPad as part of compensation.
Each of these salary settings is required annually by statute and applies for the 2026 calendar year. Board members said they reviewed job duties, statutory requirements and comparison-county data prior to voting. The county administrator and department heads provided supporting materials and a memo from the county attorney was included in the record.
Next steps: administrative staff will implement the salary changes for the 2026 pay period and record the official minutes and payroll adjustments.
