The Houston County Commissioners convened for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 17. Chairman Eric Johnson promptly called the meeting to order at 9 a.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Commission members present included Chairman Eric Johnson, Cindy Wright, Bob Schuldt and Greg Myhre. Commissioner Kurt Zehnder was absent.
The board unanimously approved the meeting agenda, as well as the minutes from the June 3 regular board meeting and the June 10 workgroup session. With no public comments or scheduled appointments, the meeting moved quickly into regular business.
One of the key items on the agenda was the consent agenda, which was approved unanimously with two minor corrections. Personnel actions included the reassignment of Tami Triplett to a .8 full-time equivalent (FTE) position as legal assistant. In addition, the board authorized a competitive search to fill a full-time collections officer position within the Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) Department.
In ensure continuity of services during the hiring process, Triplett will continue to serve up to .2 FTE in her former role as (PHHS) collections officer until the position is filled. Other personnel changes included the appointment of Emma Walter as deputy recorder, and the change in employment status of two staff members, David Eisberner – social worker, and Amy Gehrke – deputy sheriff, from probationary to regular.
In other business, the board approved a corrected Minnesota Lawful Gambling LG214 Premises Application for Goodview Winona Area Hockey Association, a nonprofit organization. The event will take place at Money Creek Haven Campground, 18502 County Road 26, Money Creek Township.
The board also accepted a $200 donation from Valley View Community of Care to the sheriff’s office. Commissioner Schuldt acknowledged the generosity of the donor and noted that a nice letter from donor was included, commending Officer Chris Frick for his professionalism and informative delivery of ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) active shooter training.
The commissioners then approved a two-year Regional Administrative Agency Cooperative Agreement with Wabasha County for the Fraud Prevention Investigation Program. Public Health Human Services (PHHS) Director John Pugleasa emphasized the county’s long-standing participation in this initiative and affirmed the county’s commitment to identifying and preventing fraud.
The board approved a $6,000 proposal from Intellicents out of Albert Lea, to provide consulting services for the county’s health insurance Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The second bid closest to Intellicents bid was $24,000. Houston County Resources Officer Brent Parker noted that Intellicents does a lot of work with Minnesota counties and that it is hard to find counties that don’t work with Intellicents.
The commissioners approved payment of the bills without any discussion or questions.
Before adjourning, Chairman Johnson reminded those in attendance that the Board of Equalization meeting would take place later that day at 6 p.m., also at the County Courthouse.
The meeting concluded at 9:36 a.m., with Chairman Johnson noting it had been another short meeting.
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