At the June 17 county board meeting Sheriff John DeGeorge said they were planning jail tours for the public on July 7 and 8 from 5-8 p.m. each day. The board accepted those two dates for the jail tours.
DeGeorge, Dan Dornink,and Jamie Fenske will conduct the tours. Commissioners will attend, Marc Prestby on Monday and Mitch Lentz on Tuesday.
DeGeorge reported they want to open the new jail facility on July 14. Jailers and dispatchers are currently training in the new facility.
There was some discussion regarding the Sentence to Serve program which will be officially ended by the state on June 30. Commissioner Randy Dahl insisted it was a worthwhile program to have; it is money well spent and can improve a participant’s self-worth. Lentz added STS people could be used to fill in for the county at the Recovery Center. DeGeorge maintained the STS program provides value for the community and can save the county money.
County Administrator Bobbie Hillery noted funds for the STS program are being added to the budget; there are a lot of projects in the county. Right now, the state only pays for 25% of the cost of the STS program with the county paying 75%. DeGeorge suggested the additional cost without the state’s participation could be made up by housing a couple more prisoners for the state.
Other Business in Brief
•A phone stipend in the amount of $25 per month was approved for the county assessor, Ryan Rasmusson.
•Christina Gildner, social worker/waiver case manager, has requested permission to telecommute four days weekly. Social services manager, Wanda Berg approved the request. Prestby expressed his dislike of the telecommuting program; office space is not an issue. Lindsi Engle noted there are three income maintenance telecommuters and three waiver telecommuters. She said Berg checks telecommuters regularly to make sure they are meeting their quota. A motion to approve the telecommuting request was approved 4-1. Prestby voted no.
•A resolution to reestablish the Rochester International Joint Airport Zoning Board had been approved by the Rochester City Council. Rochester invited two Fillmore County members to participate on this board. A motion was approved appointing Commissioner Duane Bakke and Airport Office Manager Pam Schroeder to this board.
•There was some discussion about the Southeast Regional Crisis Center (SERCC) which is run by Nexus Family Healing. This is residential treatment to help children with emotional, mental, and behavioral health issues. This is for urgent mental health needs. The county should be contacted before dropping off a child. Fillmore County wants to confirm that there will be coverage for this treatment.
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