Date: September 26, 2023 9:00 a.m.
Place: Commissioners Room, Courthouse, Caledonia, MN
Members Present: Dewey Severson, Eric Johnson, Robert Burns, Bob Schuldt, and Greg Myhre
Presiding: Chairperson Severson
Call to order.
Pledge of Allegiance.
Prior to any motions being made Commissioner Myhre asked that Consent Item No. 4: Initiate a competitive search for a 1.0 FTE Case Aide B22, be removed from the agenda. Motion was made by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Burns, motion unanimously carried to approve the agenda with the change.
Motion was made by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Burns, motion unanimously carried to approve the meeting minutes from September 12, 2023.
Motion was made by Commissioner Schuldt, seconded by Commissioner Myhre, motion unanimously carried to approve the workgroup session minutes from September 19, 2023.
Public Comment:
Amber Miller introduced herself and Steve Goetzinger from La Crescent. She said “You guys might remember approving us for, to become managers at Wildcat campground, but that almost didn’t happen did it?” She began by asking the Commissioners by a show of hands if any of them had ran against someone to become Commissioner. She then asked if anyone had disputed the vote after the fact. Miller said there were people at the County who tried to sabotage, mislead, and confuse her and those doing the hiring. She said they were a family that lives by their values and integrity. Miller said after the initial interview there was a second unexpected interview and that “miscommunication and delays emerged casting doubt on our selection as the chosen candidate.” She said she had received the most votes for the Wildcat Park manager position; however, the vote had been questioned repeatedly (fifteen times in one meeting) by one of the Commissioners and he suggested re-interviewing the runner up. Miller questioned the hiring process and its fairness. She asked if there were conflicts of interest with the process and quoted the County’s Code of Ethics. Miller referenced the April 11th 2023 Board meeting saying while it was on the agenda to approve a Wildcat Park manager that day the name of her LLC was missing on the agenda and there was no contract. The board voted on hiring a park manager at that meeting, but it did not pass that day. Miller said in reference to the April 11th meeting: “A few key points to note, the employee tasked with drafting the contract had all the necessary information. The Parks Committee had already spent hours working on the contract the previous week. The final contract the County later sent was nearly identical to the previous manager’s contract. The County had established a timeline for completion which was not followed.” She said she felt she had been pressured into making quick decisions, and that the day the Commissioners did vote to officially hire her LLC a final contract had still not been finalized. Instead, they had used Miller’s own revised version at that Board meeting. “I implore you to thoroughly investigate this matter because it is my belief that this is not an isolated incident,” Miller said. She also said she had data requested emails. She asked how the County Attorney would handle the request as he was a person of interest. Miller ended by thanking the Commissioners for the opportunity to serve the community, but said there was no point in her managing Wildcat again if the matter was not going to be looked into.
Commissioner Johnson said Miller’s public comment deserved a response. Johnson apologized to Miller for what happened. He said he too had questioned the County’s hiring processes. Johnson said he shared her same frustrations and thanked her for voicing them.
Commissioner Severson questioned Miller asking if she had notified all campers that she would be attending the board meeting that day. He also asked about a card system at the park.
Miller said she had notified some people she would be attending the meeting. She said the card discussion was a discussion for the Parks Committee.
Commissioner Myhre told Miller she had done a nice job and thanked her for attending.
APPOINTMENTS
Nate Barker, Wabasha County Detective, gave an update on the Regional Prevention and Investigation program. The program was a grant funded program from the Minnesota Department of Human Services that helped detect fraud in Human Services programs. Barker was hired to work in the region in multiple counties. He said in Houston County he had discovered $16,455.00 worth of fraud findings in the County in the last year. If Human Services Staff or the general public suspected someone of fraud when it came to the programs there was a referral process and a tip hotline that could be used. Barker would then investigate the matter. Public Health and Human Services Director Pugleasa said fraud cases were minimal compared to the overall number of cases the County had.
Lieutenant Steve Garrett made a public comment saying Nate Barker was a “great asset to our area” and that he was grateful for him.
CONSENT AGENDA
Commissioner Johnson asked why Amy Sylling needed to wait until 10/9/2023 to move from the Environmental Services office to the Auditor/Treasurer office. Human Resources Director Kruger said the department heads were working out the transition and that Sylling was needed in the Environmental Services office, but was doing some training with the Auditor/Treasurer’s office. 10/9/2023 was also the end of a pay period. Commissioner Johnson said the Auditor/Treasurer’s office had been short staffed for nearly two months and that he would prefer if Sylling moved effective immediately. Kruger said that was not her recommendation, but that the decision was up to the Commissioners. Commissioner Severson said in his experience transitions were always made at the start of a new pay period. Motion by Commissioner Burns, seconded by Commissioner Myhre, motion unanimously carried to approve the consent agenda.
1) Reassign Amy Sylling from Environmental Services Technical Clerk I to a probationary 1.0 FTE Deputy Auditor/Treasurer Technical Clerk II, B22 Step 3, effective 10/09/2023. (Kruger)
2) Hire Eva Welscher as a probationary 0.5 FTE Deputy Auditor/Treasurer- License Center Technical Clerk II, B22 Step 1, effective 10/16/2023 conditioned upon successful completion of background check. (Kruger)
3) Reassign Kristen Klug from Case Aide to a probationary 1.0 FTE Eligibility Worker B24 Step 1, effective 10/09/2023. (Kruger)
4) This item was removed from the consent agenda.
5) Reassign Zachary Swedberg from Sheriff’s Deputy 1.0 FTE Patrol Sergeant, C43 Step 9, effective 10/08/2023. (Kruger)
ACTION ITEMS
File No. 1 – Commissioner Myhre moved, Commissioner Johnson seconded, motion unanimously carried to approve Houston County Hauler Licenses for Justin Birdd (new owner of Midwest Roll Off LLc), Justin Birdd (new owner of Two Guys and a Dumpster LLC), and Caledonia Haulers-Dennis Gavin.
File No. 2 – Commissioner Burns moved, Commissioner Schuldt seconded, motion unanimously carried to adopt Resolution No. 23-31 Final Acceptance for CP 2023-05, Contract #333 with Sir Lines-A-Lot Inc, for pavement markings. Total cost was $185,991.50.
File No. 3 – Commissioner Myhre moved, Commissioner Johnson seconded, motion unanimously carried to adopt Resolution No. 23-32 Final Acceptance for CP 2023-01, Contract #056 with Bruening Rock Products, for maintenance rock. The total cost was $280,476.29.
File No. 4 – Commissioner Burns moved, Commissioner Schuldt seconded, motion unanimously carried to adopt Resolution No. 23-33 Final Acceptance for SAP 028-612-014, Contract #321 with Minnowa Construction for the bridge replacement on CSAH 12. Total cost was $234,180.54.
File No. 5 – Commissioner Burns moved, Commissioner Johnson seconded, motion unanimously carried to adopt Resolution No. 23-34 Final Acceptance for CP 2023-06, Contract #334 with Scott Construction Inc for bituminous sealcoat. The total cost was $523,759.41.
File No. 6 – Commissioner Burns moved, Commissioner Schuldt seconded, motion unanimously carried to approve the addition of a self-service portal to existing CaseWorks program. Total cost would be $16,875 ($12,500 – licensing, and $4375 – support through 2024). All costs were covered by funding from the state for MA unwind, resulting in no change to the 2024 PH/HS budget.
File No. 7 – Commissioners discussed the future of the Houston County jail and its impact on the levy and budget. It was estimated that closing the jail and contracting out the services would save the County $355,000 in 2024. The Commissioners considered pros and cons of closing the Houston County jail and contracting out the services to another county such as Winona. Commissioner Burns brought up concerns regarding reopening the jail if the jail population began to trend upwards. Commissioner Johnson said he did not think it would be difficult to reopen the Houston County jail if needed. Johnson also said he did not see the jail population growing in the near future. The County was currently averaging around six Houston County inmates per day for the 2023 year and the number had been even lower in recent months. Commissioner Johnson said that day there was only one Houston County inmate in the jail. A Meet and Confer meeting had been held with the union and workers of the jail the day prior. It was estimated that in closing the jail the County would lose 2.5 positions. Currently jailers also worked in dispatch, but if the jail closed only dispatch would be needed. Commissioner Schuldt said he was concerned about passing on the tax burden to other tax paying communities in Houston County if cities were responsible for transporting those they arrested. He suggested holding a meeting to get public input on the matter. Commissioner Johnson asked what the difference would be if for example an officer in La Crescent made an arrest and transported the person to Caledonia or Winona. Commissioner Severson said time, but other Commissioners said the distance from La Crescent to Caledonia or Winona would be about the same. Commissioner Severson said there may be a line when the officer arrived with the person arrested at the Winona County Jail. Commissioner Johnson said it was mentioned at the Meet and Confer the day prior that some county attorneys were aggressive and prosecuted minor felonies while other counties did not. He again said he did not see the numbers in jail population climbing. Commissioner Johnson said a regional jail should have been considered back when the Houston County jail was built. Commissioners also briefly discussed having just a hold cell, and the possibility of combining dispatch with another County like Fillmore County. It was the general consensus of the Commissioners to hold a public meeting for input on the future of the jail sometime in November. No official decisions were made on the matter.
File No. 8 – Commissioner Burns moved, Commissioner Myhre seconded, motion unanimously carried to approve the new 2023-2024 fee schedule.
File No. 9 – Prior to any motions being made Commissioners discussed the proposed levy. Closing the jail or keeping it open would have an impact on the levy. Commissioner Burns had found some cuts for departments, and had also suggested using remaining ARPA dollars to help lower the budget and levy. Commissioner Johnson said he wanted to commend Commissioner Burns for working to find cuts, but said he did have some concerns with the proposed cuts, and also did not want to have to use any fund balance. Commissioner Burns said he had tried to find cuts to allow the jail to continue to be open, but also lower the levy. Commissioner Burns moved, Commissioner Severson seconded, motion carried four to one to adopt Resolution No. 23-35 proposed levy and set the proposed levy at 7%. Commissioner Johnson voted no. See resolution below.
RESOLUTION NO. 23-35
BE IT RESOLVED, that the proposed levy after the deduction of County Program Aid (CPA), in the amount of $14,501,698 be made on all taxable property in the County of Houston for taxes payable in 2024 in the following amounts by County Fund:
County Revenue $ 8,526,212
Road & Bridge 3,053,147
Public Health & Human Services 2,564,809
Bond Fund – 2017A Jail Bonds 1,193,955
Bond Fund – 2020A Jail Bonds 176,400
Total $ 15,514,523
Less CPA (1,462,825)
Total Levy $ 14,501,698
File No. 9 – Commissioner Burns moved, Commissioner Myhre seconded, motion carried four to one to adopt Resolution No. 23-36 adopting the 2024 proposed budget. Commissioner Johnson voted no. See resolution below.
RESOLUTION NO. 23-36
RESOLUTION ADOPTING 2024 PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET
Revenues
Over (Under)
Revenue Expenditures Expenditures
County Revenue 12,579,740 12,591,525 (11,785)
Road & Bridge 10,937,649 10,937,649 0
Public Health &
Human Services 7,621,339 7,621,339 0
Debt Service 1,586,433 1,586,433 0
Grand Total 32,725,161 32,736,946 0
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Commissioners discussed recent and upcoming meetings they had attended including a Zoning, Department Head, Finance, Jail Committee, La Crosse County Solid Waste meeting, and a Cannabis Public Hearing.
Commissioner Johnson asked the Board if Miller’s public comment was something they should be addressing. He said “me personally I don’t like what Amber went through”. He said her comments should be addressed and looked into. Commissioner Burns said he wanted to read what had been handed out at the meeting. Commissioner Myhre said he thought the matter should be investigated.
The Commissioners set the TNT meeting for December 12th at 6:00 p.m. at the County.
Public Comment:
Teresa Walter said she had come to the meeting to say thank you and goodbye to the board after being a Commissioner. She said she had enjoyed being a Commissioner. The Commissioners thanked her for her years of service to the County.
There being no further business at 11:45 a.m. motion was made by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Schuldt motion unanimously carried to adjourn the meeting.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HOUSTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA
By: Dewey Severson, Chairperson
Attest: Polly Heberlein, Interim Auditor/Treasurer
THE ABOVE PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMISSIONERS IS ONLY A SUMMARY. THE FULL TEXT IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTON AT THE HISTORIC HOUSTON COUNTY BUILDING AS WELL AS AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: https://www.co.houston.mn.us/.
Publish 9