Sheriff’s Office K-9 program supported by Bierman Family Foundation grant

A grant from a local organization will help support the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 program.
The Lincoln County Board of Supervisors, during its meeting at the Lincoln County Service Center in Merrill on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, approved a resolution accepting grant funding from the Bierman Family Foundation. The funding will be allocated to the Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 units.
According to the resolution, in 2014, the Sheriff’s Office utilized grant dollars from the Bierman Family Foundation to reestablish a K-9 program. The Sheriff’s Office’s former K-9s, Poncho and Nina, were both purchased with funds from the grant.
With Poncho and Nina both having retired, Lincoln County Sheriff Ken Schneider reached out to the Foundation requesting funding for two new K-9s.
The Foundation ultimately contributed a total of $35,315 to the Sheriff’s Office, which will allow for the continuation of the K-9 program without requiring additional tax levy funds, the resolution said.
Along with the purchase of two new K-9s, the grant funding will also cover handler training and equipment costs for a new K-9 deputy.
After brief discussion, the resolution was approved unanimously.