The Cass County Sheriff's Department has financial problems it hopes voters can fix.
On Tuesday, residents of Cass County will go to the polls and vote yes or no on two questions affecting public safety.
See a full sample ballot for Cass County here.
Sheriff Dwight Diehl said he lost six deputies last year to better-paying jobs and that his jail is overcrowded by more than 30 inmates.
“For the last five or six years, we’ve been asking for pretty substantial increase in our budget," Diehl said about the department budget.
His requests were repeatedly turned down by the county commissioners.
“Safety is a concern for everybody, and I think the public understands there’s certain things that should be funded," he said.
Diehl admits he personally doesn't like tax increases, but because he's seeing more inmates committing more serious crimes, he doesn't want to see Cass County lose its handle on public safety.
He believes the increase would cost a household about $4 or $5 more a month.
-----
Lexi Sutter can be reached at alexandra.sutter@kshb.com.
