It's a busy few days for the Oneida County Sheriff's Department with tens of thousands of visitors coming to the Rhinelander area for the Hodag Country Festival.
Sheriff Grady Hartman says the department is staffed up this weekend...
"....most of our deputies end up working out there. A lot of them are on overtime, some of them are on straight time. We leave some of the deputies back to cover the calls in the county and transport if we get any prisoners back to the jail...."
Hartman says they plan for the extra staffing required...
"....there is a strain on the budget. We know it's going to cost $30-35,000 every year in overtime. That is planned in at budget time. It's no surprise to us. Manpower-wise it's a strain. All the deputies know that we have to be around this week and they're all expected to pitch in and help...."
Hodag Country Fest concludes Sunday evening with most visitors heading home on Monday morning.
