Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Corrections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Waseca County reviews plan to shift jail to 72‑hour model; staffing, housing and MOU with neighboring county discussed
Summary
County staff presented an operational plan to make the new judicial center and a 72‑hour jail model work together, proposing two additional deputy positions, partnering with a neighboring county to house inmates longer than 72 hours (daily housing rate discussed), and directing staff to produce usage and transport data to set an implementation date.
Cheryl, speaking for the sheriff's office, briefed the board on operational changes planned as part of a transition toward a 72‑hour jail model tied to construction of a new judicial center. She said current staffing includes eight full‑time jail employees, eight dispatch staff, and 15 licensed deputies; the proposed model would add two licensed deputy positions (one to staff the front‑door metal detector and bag scanner and one roving deputy), and two additional squad cars. The county is also discussing acquiring a transport van for moving multiple inmates.
Cheryl said the county has been speaking with a neighboring county about housing inmates who stay longer than 72 hours; that county’s daily housing rate was cited in the presentation as $75 per bed per day. Jail administrator Dan said the jail staff is compiling data on daily population and transport frequency and expects to provide more complete statistics early next week to inform cost analysis and scheduling. Commissioners urged clarity about who would be responsible during staff absences, court paperwork and public defender form handling, and whether jail staff would be sent to certification for warrant/portal access if those duties transfer from dispatch.
Board members discussed possible target transition dates (October 1, January 1 or April 1 were mentioned) and emphasized the need for a memorandum of understanding (MOU/MOA) with the receiving county before a formal cutover date. Commissioners also requested operational numbers and cost modeling to feed into the county’s budgeting process; jail administrator Dan said he would compile the requested statistics for the subcommittee.
The presentation contained no formal board action; commissioners reserved budget and staffing decisions for later consideration pending the requested data and any required memoranda.
