Thursday, August 12, 2010
Volume 98; Number 9
A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560
Two file for Sheriff
Mikkelson seeking re-election
Todd County Sheriff Pete Mikkelson.
Babe Ruth State Champions
A joyous Babe Ruth Team was escorted home by the Browerville Fire Department and numerous fans after clinching the State Championship on August 8th
Inset photo: Paul, Benton, and Kelli Johnson put up a congratulations sign just prior to the teams arrival. See story and additioanl photos on page 12.
Wed. Aug. 11
Mostly Sunny
86°/64°
www.bladepublishing.net
By Rin Porter
First elected in 2006, Todd
County Sheriff Pete Mikkelson is
running to win a second term in
this fall’s election. The sheriff
sat down with this reporter in
late July to talk about his first
four years as sheriff and what he
would like to accomplish if he is
re-elected. He would like your
vote because he believes he has
done a good job as sheriff, he has
been financially responsible with
the budget of the Sheriff ’s
Department, and he has helped
the department to progress in
different ways.
Mikkelson says he has done
his best to be accessible to the
public as sheriff. “I have an open
door policy,” he explained.
“Each day I return every phone
WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT
Thur. Aug. 12 Fri. Aug. 13 Sat, Aug. 14 Sun. Aug. 15
T-Storms T-Storms T-Storms Mostly Sunny
85°/65° 84°/64° 77°/56° 77°/57°
call and every email. I’ll meet
with anyone who wants to come
and see me. I’ve been visible to
the public through the media
and at public events like our
booth at the county fair and the
town parades. I’ve worked to
keep the public informed
through our monthly newsletter
and our website. I’ve managed
my staff well and provided excel-
lent public safety services to the
public.”
Mikkelson has been financial-
ly responsible with his budget
during his four years as sheriff.
One of the most important duties
of a sheriff each year is to pro-
pose a budget to the county
board, and monitor that budget
each year. With around 50
employees, a fleet of vehicles, a
large inventory of specialized
equipment, a 52-bed jail, and a
large office, the Sheriff ’s
Department budget is big and
complicated.
During the past four years,
there has been virtually no
Mon. Aug. 16 Tue. Aug. 17
Mostly Sunny Mostly Sunny
77°/54°
75¢
change in the number of person-
nel employed by the Sheriff ’s
Department. The main increas-
es in the budget have been due to
changes in personnel costs and
upgrades in technology.
“We apply for state grants for
various purposes, and that
brings money in,” he said. To
increase the department’s rev-
enue, Mikkelson has negotiated
with the State of Minnesota and
with other counties to bring in
inmates to fill the beds in the
Todd County Jail.
“Typically we earn $550 per
day by housing an average of 10
state inmates. Each one is
scheduled to go to boot camp
after his or her sentence, which
gives them an incentive to
behave well. We also hold
inmates for Pope County, which
currently does not have a jail.
We house about five inmates for
Pope County and other counties
each day, at $55 per day, for anoth-
Continued on page 12
Wed. Aug. 18
Showers
73°/53° 74°/55°