Hennepin County Council Considers Temporarily Housing Inmates at Dakota County Jail

Officials are expected to discuss temporarily relocating some Hennepin County inmates to Dakota County due to concerns about overcrowding at the downtown Minneapolis jail.

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is expected to consider the measure at its meeting Tuesday afternoon. The deal would last through the end of 2026 at a maximum cost of $560,000.

Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS last week that the adult detention center was trying to offload 180 inmates to reach its operating capacity of 755. Witt said Hennepin County already has agreements in place with Wright and Scott counties and other metropolitan jails are under consideration.

County Administrator David Hough recommended approval of the deal.

The board meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and can be viewed here. Check back regularly for updates.