Dodge County Sheriff opposes possible spike to jail housing costs

Dodge County is one of only eight Minnesota counties that doesn’t have its own jail. Instead, the county contracts with neighboring Olmsted County Detention Center, paying a $75 per diem per detainee rate set by the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association (MSA).
Olmsted County Commissioners questioned that set rate during the June 16 Administrative Committee meeting, citing rising costs and increased budget demands.
OCDC estimates that the per diem cost of housing a detainee is $325, more than triple what Dodge County currently pays. Commissioners discussed raising per diem rates to $100 — as well as for the entire $325 estimated cost.
The committee voted to move the discussion before the full board, which meets July 7.
For Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose, the rate hikes miss the point of the program.
“These rates were never meant to cover operating costs — they are rates used to supplement beds that would otherwise be open and not used,” Rose said in an email to the DCI.
Dodge County has contracted with Olmsted County Detention Center since 2022, originally at a rate of $60 per detainee per day, which was later increased to the current $75 per day per detainee rate, due to rising jail housing costs.
Rose estimates that Dodge County spends roughly $200,000 annually on bed space in Olmsted County.
“Those inmates are housed in existing facilities without requiring additional staffing or significant added operational costs, providing Olmsted County with revenue that helps offset other jail expenses,” Rose said of the agreement between Dodge and Olmsted counties.
According to Rose, other neighboring counties — like Steele County — have indicated that they could provide detention services at the $75 per diem rate which “suggests the rate the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is currently paying remains competitive both regionally and statewide and provides a reasonable benchmark,” Rose wrote.
Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson disagreed, citing other counties like Big Stone County that pay rates higher than MSA’s $75 per diem for long-term or contract lodgers at $100 per diem per detainee.
Torgerson said that he was attempting to raise the question of increasing MSA’s per diem rates through the proper channels.
“I can not predict the response at this point, but the question will be raised,” he wrote in an email to the DCI.
Rose said that rate increases due to rising costs are understandable as the cost of operating a jail increases, but called the discussed per diem rate hike to $325 “far beyond what we would consider reasonable.”
Despite the discussion in committee, Rose spoke highly of cooperating with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.
“Sheriff Torgerson and the team at the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office have been outstanding partners,” he said. “They have always been professional, responsive and committed to working collaboratively with neighboring counties.
“It’s difficult to understand the rationale for walking away from a partnership that has worked well for many years and has provided value to both counties.”