The Mazeppa City Council approved the new five-year contract with the Wabasha County Sheriff Department in November. The new contract reflects a forty percent increase over the previous cost of $54,744 in 2023. The reason given was that Wabasha Sheriff Department had been under charging by $22 per service hour on the prior contract. In 2024 the city will pay $77,106 and that will increase by an annual rate of five percent each year to $80,961 in 2025, $85,010 in 2026, $89,260 in 2027 and $94,867 for 2028. The city will be receiving a one time public safety grant from the state in the amount of $38,947, which will help offset the increase for first couple years.
