LWV Observer - Georgiana Campbell
The first order of business began with members of the public who were present and wanted to express their interest in a public hearing of an amendment to the Rice County Zoning Ordinance, an amendment they had presented to the Commissioners. It pertained to use of the Sky Harbor airport. The Assistant County Attorney was present and explained the legal aspects of this matter. A public hearing on the matter will be held. (Note: No date has yet been been set.)
Planning and Zoning - Julie Runkel: There was continued discussion regarding the Sky Harbor Airport and the amendment to the Zoning Ordinance.
There were also three budget presentations --These were presented by the three largest departments within the county: Public Health -- Mary Ho, Social Services -- Mark Shaw, Social Services --Sheriff,Richard Cook. All three are dealing with the challenges of needing more money in order to finance their department's needs but also realizing that the other departments also need adequate funds in order to achieve their goals.
For example, One of the Sheriff's challenges is to deal with pay increases which are justified but not easily arranged. The Sheriff is also dealing with an increasingly diverse body of people in the County who run afoul of the law in one way or another. Also, the county is close to the metro area (which includes gangs, drugs and other groups, which are challenging to work with. One of The Sheriff's goals is to maintain the County's advantage in the areas of personnel, training and equipment .
Growth in Women, Infants, and Children Program. In fact, since the budget was first submitted, Mary Ho noted the increased funding and responsibilities for emergency response activities, including those related to the state of Minnesota's work with NIHI .
Mark Shaw - Social Services -- The Social Services 2010 Budget has been increased since it was first set. "Tough Economic Times Drive the Demand for Social Services" was the message on one of the pages in the department's recent hand-outs.
