At the February 2 Fillmore County Board meeting, Senator Jeremy Miller and Representative Greg Davids listened to the legislative priorities of various county department heads. The legislators attended via Webex.
County Administrator Bobbie Hillery said a lot of the priorities this year are the same as last year or prior years. “We know it will be a tough year ahead. We support the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) policy positions and priorities,” she shared
Matt Hilgart, government relations AMC, said he has heard frustration from our members. Governor Tim Walz reduces funding for corrections in his budget proposal. Hilgart said he appreciated the work the commissioners have done. County government has proved its effectiveness this year during COVID. Counties really pushed to get funds out to the communities and local businesses.
Many department heads highlighted their priorities. The following lists some of them.
Hillery expressed the need for advanced broadband networks. Legislation is supported to increase funding for the Border to Border Broadband Development Grant Program. The county supports full funding of probation systems to meet the needs of our criminal justice system.
County Engineer Ron Gregg stressed the importance of bridge bonding as there are 57 structures in Fillmore County on the replacement priority list. The county requests the state provide transportation revenue through bonding programs like the Local Road Improvement Program. The county supports additional long term sustainable funding dedicated to the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund (HUTDF). The county supports a dedication of all sales tax revenue generated by the sale of auto parts to be purposed through HUTDF.
Social Services Director Kevin Olson asked for the modernization of human services programs through simplification, uniformity and alignment of these programs to build a more effective service delivery system. It is not a good system now.
Public Health Director Jessica Erickson asked that more money be directed into prevention, which will pay off. The county supports funding to enable a strong local COVID response to include community education and outreach, contact tracing, testing, essential services and vaccination.
Assessor Jason McCaslin asked for a simplification of the Property Tax system to make it more understandable for the average tax payer.
Hillery supported dedicated funding to continue election technology upgrades. The county supports a requirement that all current taxes be paid in full before recording documents that convey legal ownership of whole parcels (like already exists for split parcel transactions).
Sheriff John DeGeorge asked that the legislature consider additional funding to pay for additional security requests made by state courts. Additional funding is requested for training which is mandated by the state for law enforcement and correctional officers. The county requests funding for the maintenance and updating costs of the ARMER interoperability statewide system. Legislators are asked to consider making funds available to counties for updating or building new correctional facilities in order to meet Department of Correction mandates.
County Attorney Brett Corson said a lot of issues overlap. He said chemical dependency assessments can be done by Social Services. Then an individual can be placed in a treatment program. Corson supported keeping it local and in house. He asked that the time for commitment of repeat mental health patients be extended to allow for stability, continued monitoring, and assurance that the patient is taking appropriate medications. Corson asked for extended stays for juvenile offenders to allow for sufficient time to rehabilitate and monitor juvenile offenders. He recommended stays of up to two years. Corson recommended an update to include cybercrimes with theft crimes (financial theft or theft of personal information).
Senator Miller thanked everyone for their good work and asked them to reach out to him with their concerns. Representative Davids suggested the governor’s budget proposal was not balanced and hurts the poor. He asked everyone to contact him with any questions or concerns.
Other business in brief
• Approval was given to purchase a Dodge 1500 Quad Cab 4×4 pick-up for the highway department for an amount not to exceed $28,300. The vehicle being replaced is three years old and will be used for many more years at one of the outlying highway shops.
• Six bids were submitted for a concrete culvert bridge replacement in Sumner Township. The low bid submitted by Minnowa Construction in the amount of $177,326.96 was approved. The engineer’s estimate was $196,915.75.
• Six bids were submitted for a bridge replacement in Carimona Township. The low bid was submitted by Minnowa Construction in the amount of $275,947.32. The engineer’s estimate was $300,350.25.
• The resignation of Jennifer Peterson, eligibility worker, was accepted with thanks after 14 years of service, effective February 18.
• Approval was given to recruit a roster of nurses for COVID clinics. They will be hired as intermittent employees.
• The Emergency Declaration for continuing operation from COVID-19 was extended through March 2.
• Hillery reported that the board room audio/visual will be done February 22-26. Because the new technology equipment is being installed in the board room, the February 23 meeting of the board will be held via Webex. Current meetings are being held in-person/virtual with the public participating by phone if they choose. The new equipment will improve the quality of virtual meetings.
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