FORT DODGE, Iowa — Webster County has paid over $300,000 since last summer to outsource inmates to surrounding jails because the county jail is over max capacity.
In November, a referendum to build a new Webster County Jail failed to receive 60% votes to pass.
That means the sheriff's office and Fort Dodge Police Department sometimes aren't able to arrest "people that should be probably arrested," Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener said.
"They are cited and released by local law enforcement. We're losing some of our resources by pulling deputies off the street to transport those inmates to other places."
Fleener added the sheriff's office averages 15 inmates a month outsourced from Webster County, and sent to 12 nearby counties: primarily Guthrie, Hamilton and Humboldt counties.
When people who are arrested need to be transported elsewhere, that takes an average of two officers off the streets a day. Fleener said law enforcement would rather have those officials on patrol and dedicated to "the spots with crime areas."
Webster County's current budget line for transporting inmates is $500,000, and it has already surpassed 60% of that budget. If it does exceed its line, Fleener said the county will have to scrap for dollars elsewhere in its budget.
In terms of bringing a new referendum up to vote, Fleener said "it's needed," but has no definite plans to do so for the rest of 2024.
Fleener also faces a Libertarian challenger for his job in the upcoming November election.