SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota county is fielding requests to hire more attorneys and sheriff’s deputies as its drug epidemic intensifies, but officials say there isn’t enough money to go around.
Minnehaha County commissioners told the Argus Leader (https://argusne.ws/2tifIel ) they don’t have enough funds to fill requests from the South Dakota attorney’s office, the public defender’s office and the sheriff’s office.
Filling them would require cutting spending in other areas, said Commissioner Jeff Barth.
“We won’t be able to fund all of them. That is the nature of the business,” Barth said.
Barth said there also isn’t enough office space to accommodate the additional staff being requested.
Public safety issues have exceeded revenue by three or four times, said Commission chair Gerald Beninga. Law enforcement has used at least 45 percent of the county’s budget every year since fiscal year 2013.
Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead said drug use in the county and state has risen in recent years with the resurgence of methamphetamine, and agencies tasked with dealing with the meth epidemic have seen an increasing demand for services.
The county sheriff’s office saw a 13 percent increase in drug-related arrests last year. The main drugs the sheriff’s office deals with are marijuana, meth and prescription pills.
Milstead said he’s requested to hire another jailor and a patrol deputy for 2018.
“It’s just across the board,” Milstead said. “This is a very difficult thing to manage with the existing resources.”
Commissioners must have a proposed budget outline for next year by the end of July. A final draft is needed by September.
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Information from: Argus Leader, https://www.argusleader.com
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