Iowa County Pays $45,000 to Settle Lawsuit

Woodbury County has agreed to pay $45,000 to settle a dispute about overtime pay for four sheriff’s deputies who have canine partners.

The Sioux City Journal reports the settlement agreement was approved by a federal judge on Thursday. And the lawsuit the deputies filed over their pay between July 2008 and April 2009 was dismissed.

The deputies said they weren’t properly compensated during that time for training and taking care of their dogs at home.

Board chairman Mark Monson says the problem was that some of these dog handler issues weren’t addressed in previous labor contracts. That has changed.

Two of the deputies received $11,000. One received about $8,000 and one received about $7,000. The rest of the settlement went to the law firm that represented the deputies.