Sheriff cites need to update vicious dog laws, get illegal dumping under control
- Charlene Sims, Journal staff
- Jan 15
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 16
By Charlene Sims
MOUND CITY – Linn County Sheriff James Akes met with the Linn County Commissioners on Monday, Jan.12, to discuss dog regulations, budget and trash dumping along roadways.
Akes brought up the recent incident with the dog attack that resulted in the death of a 13-year- old boy at Holiday Lakes. He told the commissioners that he received a copy of a dog resolution passed by the commission in 1995 on the books with Linn County. Some of it was focused toward the pit bull breed.
“We’re probably going to have to start working on something, modifying, replacing something like that. It’s going to come to light,” said Akes. “It’s something to familiarize yourself with.”
He said he could not remember the exact number of the resolution but he would send it to the commissioners.
“Just in the last two years, there’s been more conflict with dogs,” Akes said, “and if we need to maybe get another county or something and see what their resolutions are towards dogs, towards vicious dogs, towards dog bites and things like that. Probably need to get that. That’s coming.”
Commission Chair Alison Hamilton said that last week they had it on the agenda to go into executive session but did not.
“I think that we need to put that back on the agenda, probably,” said Hamilton.
“Well, it’s (the resolution) from 1995 and we definitely need to take a look at it,” said Akes.
Commissioner Jason Hightower asked if County Counselor Jacklyn Paletta would get that resolution and be prepared to discuss it with the commissioners next week.
Paletta agreed.
Akes reported to the commissioner that he had $223,000 left over in the sheriff’s department fund and asked if $152,000 of it could be moved over to the equipment reserve fund with the remainder going to the general fund. He explained that the county’s Tasers needed to be replaced, and rather than increasing his budget in 2027 he would like to move the money and purchase them in 2026.
Akes had given the commissioners an invoice sheet with the cost that showed a $63,000 discount for purchasing them this year.
Hightower said, “It’s a good idea to move this over instead of sending it back to the general fund and then having to raise your budget in the future.”
Commissioner Jim Johnson and Hamilton had other questions before agreeing to Akes’ request.
Johnson asked where the $223,000 came from. He wanted details on why that was left over, and he asked if that was also in the 2026 budget.
Akes explained that it was the amount left over in several line items, “It’s unused fuel, medical expenses in the jail, there was a line item that we had for inmate transportation and there was another line item for inmate supplies.”
Hamilton asked, “I don’t have a problem with you using that money for the Tasers, I just have a general question. When we approve $152,000 to go back in to anyone’s budget or whatever it is and you stay that you are going to use that for Tasers, how are we tracking that?”
Akes answered, “So the equipment reserve is it’s own account. And I have no problem presenting the documentation and Joannie (county treasurer) is sitting here and Chasity’s (county clerk) sitting here. They’re very accountable.”
County Clerk Chasity Ware answered, “The notes in the document state what it is used for. Most of the departments are saying this is what I’d like to use this money toward and so there’s a parentheses that states this is where that money needs to be used at.”
Hamilton said, “And they’ll still do what they want to do with it.”
“With our approval,” replied Hightower.
“I just had a citizen ask why and how does that not go back to the taxpayers, Hamilton asked, apparently referring to a text received during the discussion. “If we don’t use it out of the budget? Why are we not giving it back to the taxpayers?”
Hightower explained, “So the money that goes back into there if we’re looking at like our audit, builds up our cash reserves within those accounts.”
“So, we’re just building cash reserves,” said Hamilton.
“But, remember, as we were going through our budget this year we have to have certain levels of cash reserves. If we have over that, we can use that money to fund next year’s budget to keep us from having increases,” said Hightower.
Hamilton said, “I don’t have an issue with moving that money over, do you guys?”
“I don’t,” said Hightower.
Ware said that a motion did not need to be made. This would be included in the amount that the commissioners voted on for carrying over after receiving carryover requests from all departments.
Akes told the commissioners that he did see areas that the department was going to improve on. He said that two of the new patrol cars that came in were hybrids and he believed that they are going to be a very big cost savings by lowering the fuel budget.
Hamilton asked, “Do you have a charging station?”
No, Akes said. It’s just a hybrid; it’s not all-electric.
Akes told that commissioners that the jail numbers were going up and he was expecting more of an increase in the coming weeks.
“So we’re moving right along,” he said. “I figured it was a wave and we rode that wave.”
Akes concluded his report with a report and question about the procedure for picking up dumped trash on the roads.
“We’ve got illegal dumping,” the sheriff said. “We had an illegal dumping up on 2400 Road north of La Cygne. They looked like they just kicked all of the trash out of their truck, threw a deer carcass out and some other trash. We couldn’t find any names associated with it . We investigate the crime. We take the report and we dig through the trash to find out who dumped it.
“We had paint buckets dumped on 1700 Road and Hadsall,” he added, “and we went out and took the report. Who is responsible for picking that up? Is it Public Works?”
Hamilton said that was her understanding.
Akes asked Public Works Administrator Jesse Walton if he would like a work order ticket made? Walton said yes.
Akes said that anytime that the sheriff’s department runs into anything like that they will do everything they can to find out who did it. He said that they were considering setting up cameras on 2400 Road north of La Cygne because that incident was not the first time it has happened.
“We’ve got to get it under control,” he said.
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