Governor Tim Walz declared a peacetime state of emergency on March 13. Fillmore County Board Chairman Marc Prestby declared a State of Emergency-COVID-19 effective March 20 and the commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the declaration of a State of Emergency at their March 24 meeting.
Doors to county offices are closed to the public with an appointment only option if deemed necessary and only when other options have been exhausted. A hotline has been set up for calls and questions regarding COVID-19 at Public Health (507) 765-2642.
The Public Health department will continue to lead the response to COVID-19 in Fillmore County. Services will continue to be provided, but public access to county facilities will be limited for a time. The board supports the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for the county and approves outlined operations in the “Fillmore County Emergency Declaration for COVOD-19” document.
County Administrator Bobbie Vickerman said department heads have stepped up with an updated succession plan. Work that can be done from home has been identified. Laptops are being setup for telecommute access for essential employees. The COOP plan (meant for all kinds of disasters) was updated from 2009. A calling tree is being established. The entire staff is reminded continually to stay home when sick and follow the recommended precautions, which include social distancing, refraining from touching one’s face, and hand washing.
Vickerman acknowledged things are changing day to day. Public Health has made an effort to support local nursing homes. Passport services have been halted. Court cases have been limited to high level cases, limiting contact with the judge and court staff as much as possible.
The board approved a plan allowing department heads to have their staff work at home at their discretion, to establish alternate staff work shifts, and to temporarily allow telecommuters to have children at home while working.
Approval was given to use social media to reach out to more residents and to update the public, in addition to newspapers and the website. The set up of an Emergency Operations Center in the county office building was approved.
Sheriff John DeGeorge commented that people are learning from this and we will do the best we can with the resources we have.
Phone stipends ($15 per month) were approved for people sent home to work during this disaster period. Utilization of Paid Leave During a Public Health Emergency Policy was discussed and approved as presented. There was some discussion regarding a possible “Shelter at Home” executive order in Minnesota and what that would mean for the county and which employees would be designated as essential.
Assessor
Fillmore County has long been searching for a qualified county assessor. Jason McCaslin had submitted an application and was interviewed this day for the job. He was recruited by the current shared assessor Steve Hacken (Winona County). McCaslin has all the state mandated certifications and has at least eight years experience as an assessor for Jackson County and also held the position of a shared assessor with Watonwan County for two of those years.
The board by consensus supports the hire of McCaslin. There was some discussion as to whether to hire him as a County Assessor or as the Land Records Director. The board has wanted to go to a Land Records Department for some time. This candidate could be qualified as a Land Records Director. It was decided to have the Personnel Committee negotiate with the candidate, both on the title and the salary. In any case the board appeared not willing to let the title be a deal breaker.
Other business in brief
•The Southeast Regional Crisis Center Governance Agreement was approved. The Southeast Regional Crisis Center (SERCC) will be owned and operated by Olmsted County. It is expected to open in the spring of 2021 with 16 beds. The agreement is between CREST counties (Fillmore is one of eight), Mayo Clinic, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Southeast Minnesota, Olmsted County, and Olmsted Medical Center. The agreement began January 1, 2020, and continues until December 31, 2023.
•Payment of the July 2019-July 2020 Independent Emergency Services (IES) maintenance contract was approved. It is paid with 911 grant funding. DeGeorge explained we have been getting service, even though the 2019 invoice had not been sent out. He noted the 2020-2021 invoice will be coming soon.
•A resolution requesting funds for an educational program from Winneshiek Councy Solid Waste Agency was approved. Drew Hatzenbihler, Sanitation, said it is about the same as last year. Hauler licenses for 2020 for S & S and Freeborn County Coop Oil were approved.
•A bid from Rochester Sand and Gravel in the amount of $1,249,843 was accepted for the CSAH 5 surface reconditioning project from CSAH 44 to the Iowa border. There was just one bid which was slightly lower than the engineer’s estimate.
•County Engineer Ron Gregg was reappointed for a four year term effective June 1.
•Casey Patten was hired as a property appraiser effective April 1.
•Jose Martinez was hired as an intermittent deputy effective March 26.
•Austyn Neldner was hired as an intermittent jailer effective March 27.
•James Westby and Sarah Peck were hired as bailiff/transporters in the sheriff’s office effective April 1 and March 27 respectively.
•Changes to the Feedlot/Zoning Technician job description were discussed. The new description adds GIS development and maintenance responsibilities and some sheriff’s 911 system responsibilities. Commissioner Duane Bakke expressed his concern that the new responsibilities could diminish the main focus of the position. Agriculture is the county’s number one industry. Kohn and Vickerman said the GIS responsibilities are in addition to the original responsibilities of the position. The new job description was approved.