By Dave Baumeister
County Correspondent
SIOUX FALLS – At the Tuesday, Dec. 5, meeting, county jail warden Mike Mattson told Minnehaha County Commissioners about their “Walk-in Warrant” program set for last weekend on Dec. 8 and 9 to help resolve people’s outstanding warrants.
On those days, the sheriff’s office waived the usual $25 warrant fees for people who walked into their office and surrender themselves during these times.
This Monday, Mattson reported that the program saw a total of 19 people representing 29 warrants turn themselves in to avoid the fee and clear up outstanding obligations before the end of the year. According to Mattson, the program was available to those who had outstanding warrants for all petty offenses, bench warrants, Class 1 to 4 misdemeanor arrests, possession of controlled drug warrants, and most Class 6 felonies (not including sex crimes, domestic violence or stalking charges).
Civil and criminal child support warrants, as well as all juvenile warrants were also eligible.
“People who are eligible and have Minnehaha County warrants are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to have their warrant addressed and be given a court date prior to the new year,” Mattson said.
Retention bonuses
With a unanimous vote, the commission agreed to extend job retention bonuses for sheriff’s deputies and correctional workers.
Human Resources Director Carey Deaver explained that since the bonuses were put in place, the turn-over rate for corrections officers has been reduced by 50%. The bonuses are $1,000 for every nine months of continued employment up to three years, which amounts to a total of $4,000.
Salary briefing
Deaver also gave a report on what her office is proposing for salary increases for all elected and appointed department heads.
Last September, a 5% increase was budgeted for 2024, and that is what she suggested now.
However, county auditor Leah Anderson asked for more for herself.
She explained that after she was elected in 2022, she was started at the base salary for her position of $89,232. At that time, other county department heads were given a 14.5% raise, but as Anderson was more than three months away from starting her new job, she was not eligible for that raise.
However, at the meeting, she asked for that raise plus the 2024 5% raise to be instituted in 2024.
While they did not act this week, commissioners will discuss the raises and vote on them at their next meeting.
And that next meeting will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19, in the third-floor meeting room of the Minnehaha County Administration Building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
