The county board at their October 4 meeting declared a State of Emergency due to heavy rains and flooding events which began on September 21. Kevin Beck, Emergency Management, said the declaration was needed to get into the loop for disaster reimbursement funds.
The heavy rains and flooding washed out and damaged roads, culverts, and public parks. Clean-up is required to remove debris deposited by the rushing water. There was also damage to homes, farms, and crops.
In order to be eligible for federal aid, the State of Minnesota would have to have suffered damages totaling about $7.4 million or more. The total for the state is short of that at this time. Beck explained that if the total for the state reached that mark, Governor Dayton would ask President Obama to declare the state a disaster area. Federal aid would then pay 75% and the state 25%. If the state falls short of that total, but the state loss threshold is reached, the State of Minnesota Disaster Assistance Program will pay 75% of public infrastructure damages and the balance will be the responsibility of the local government.
Chairman Marc Prestby maintained that pictures should be taken to document damages. He added that a lot of township budgets have been depleted due to the large amount of rock needed to repair damaged gravel roads. Beck said for the county to qualify, its total public infrastructure damage would need to exceed $74,000. That dollar loss has been more than met.
Other business in brief
- Approval was given for remodeling work, including a walk door, dry wall, trim, insulation, paint, and finishing of the Corner House room costing $3,500. Child protection funds are being used to pay for the remodel.
- Sara Kallis, an intermittent home health aid employee, asked about PTO time for intermittent employees during the citizen input portion of the meeting. County coordinator Bobbie Vickerman said her request for PTO time would require a policy change. Kristina Kohn, Human Resources, said current policy is for no PTO time for intermittent employees. Kallis said some of us intermittent employees work a lot. Kohn explained home health aids hours of work are dependent on need. Kallis said she has worked for the county for seven years and has always put in enough hours to be considered part-time. Commissioner Randy Dahl said he has always been in favor of treating people the same, adding he was not against reviewing the policy. But for now, it has to be enforced as written. The Personnel Committee will look at the policy.
- Vickerman reported that a discussion has been started in the Personnel Committee about the option to place Solid Waste under the Highway Department. County Engineer Ron Gregg said he may be willing to take on Solid Waste if the details can be worked out. Dahl reported that the number of staff and staffing options are being discussed. He added he appreciated the work that Gregg has done on this. A motion was approved to authorize employees to attend solid waste certification training as needed, to be determined by the Personnel Committee.
- Approval was given to pay half the cost of $585 for registration, lodging, and meals for EDA Director Sam Smith to attend the Community Fiber Networks conference in Minneapolis on October 18-20. CEDA will pay salary and mileage. Commissioner Mitch Lentz said the EDA supports fiber to the home and felt participation in this conference is a good thing.
- Kristina Kohn reviewed the 2017 health benefits and the county contribution, which were approved. Vickerman noted rates are up 6%, not the 7% that was budgeted for. Further savings may be realized with the incentive for an employee to remove his or her spouse when that spouse is insured through his or her own employer. Dahl said we want to provide quality health care, but also look at ways to reduce cost as health insurance is a large part of the county’s budget.
- Approval was given for a Roth option for all current 457b employee plans. There is zero cost to the county. Rates for 2017 for BCBS Medicare Supplement Plan were approved.
- A list of members for the Cleanup of Clandestine Drug Lab Sites Committee was approved.