4/22/17 – The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office will be returning a much larger number in budged funds to the county than in year’s past. Sheriff Dale Schmidt discussed his 2016 Office Annual Report at the monthly meeting of the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, where he said that over $1.1-million will be returned. Schmidt says that several factors go into that number such as an increase in fundraising efforts and open positions within the department but the improved relations with federal agents played a big role. In recent years, the county has housed federal detainees in its jail through agreements with the Immigration Customs Enforcement and U.S. Marshals at a cost of $75 a day per inmate. In 2015, the Sheriff’s department budgeted 235 inmates contracted from the federal government but struggled to maintain that number which Schmidt attributes to several different factors including happenings at the federal level. In 2016, Schmidt says the relationship improved and as a result the jail had an average of 270 to 280 contracted beds per day throughout the year. Between the beds and transportation money received from the federal government, the Sheriff’s Department brought in a great deal of revenue into the county to help offset costs. Schmidt says that the improved relations resulted from tweaking medical services provided to detainees and assured the federal government that they would improve their procedures. Schmidt notes that his department will continue to budget conservatively. He says that he could budget for 270 beds per day moving forward but does not want to put the county in a position if they fall short.