Roll Call: Malecha, Hoisington, Underdahl, Purfeerst, Docken all present
Highway: Dennis Luebbe
Resolution #23-039 Minnesota Department of Transportation
Cooperative Construction Agreement No. 1152896.
Motion to approve unanimous.
Adjourn
Committee of the Whole Work Session October 17, 2023
Call to Order: all commissioners present
Community Services and Community Corrections: Angela Brewer
Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Award- BJA FY 2023
Recent updates re: treatment court updates from recipients’ and members of the team. Application for Federal grant last spring, to expand capacity and enhance services within the current program, to help recipients sustain long term recovery. Called Rice County Treatment Enhancement Program, 4-year grant period, anticipated to serve 68 individuals. Run 10/23 to 10/26. Will have a 25% county match, currently program is funded roughly 25% county, do not anticipate additional funds required from the county.
Enhance services, reduce barriers (transportation), increase community resources/partnerships (treatment gaps, culturally sensitive responsive needs, employment skills training), increase partner accountability, money available to provide safe housing.
Half time case aide position to help with transportation, organization duties; partner in the community willing to contract for this position. Conversations ongoing, this would avoid cost to county for funding.
Underdahl: curious about needs being met, currently and into the future. Amber Stortzman . Feels there is always an unmet need, the grant will help with this, particularly around relapse. Current qualifying factors limit capacity (now) to 25 persons in the program. Underdahl: are people being turned away from program/treatment? Brewer: Those who do not meet qualifiers, supported through supervision /programs through correctional services, just not the intensive support of the treatment court program. Docken: how many currently in the program? There are 17 individuals currently in treatment court, capacity is 25.
Attorney’s Office: Brian Mortenson.
Updates: Speaks to the capacity of the treatment court program. They have never reached 25 enrollees. It is completely voluntary; folks are encouraged to participate. Federal qualifications are also limiting, such as abstinence, no violent offenders, and others.
Speaks as his evolution to full support of this program, with history of prosecutor’s position.
Rice County Attorney’s Office: misconception is that the office is just prosecuting crime. 2023 Year in Review:
Public thank you to staff, who manage 12 attorneys. Reviewed obligations of the county attorney’s office, required by statue.
(Extensive lists available online, including both civil and criminal work)
One project: working on collating all (county) ordinances and making them transparent to the public.
Rice County Elections: believe elections will be another “hot button” topic. Working to be on top of data practices issues, following the law rather than the rhetoric.
Matthew’s law, required to protect Federal judges ‘private data and their families. This is a new law (Federal). Coordination with state MN
Further extensive lists of trainings and involvement of attorneys in Rice County and at the state level (organizations) available online in today’s documents.
Hoisington: appreciative of the work done by the office.
Highway: Dennis Luebbe
Monthly update: projects winding down. 52 and 59 projects are completed.
Roundabout near corrections is open to traffic, utilities going in next.
County 81 culvert opens today. Lonsdale job done for the year, will complete in the spring.
Staffing: engineering technician resignation received, need to staff up. Have 5 job descriptions, two vacancies.
Trying to schedule a meeting to discuss 35W interchange project, to present what has been done and moving ahead.
Decker Ave waiting for proposal then will bring to Board.
Tonight, in Northfield, City Council will hopefully present final design for Wall Street plan then can bring back to the Board.
Finance: Paula O’Connell
Quarterly Update for period ending 9/30/2023.
Several end of year adjustments will be made, document online.
Landfill expenditures after the fire are at approximately 35,000 to date.
Cash and Pooled investments for the Period ending 9/20/2023.
Document with graphs online. Doing well with investment earnings compared to one year ago.
Human Resource: Adam Johnson and Carol Kritzer
Remote work policy update
Draft document available online. Has been reviewed by county attorney’s office, suggestions incorporated into current draft. Provision includes option to review and change the policy. To be eligible, employee must have completed probationary period.
Asks the Board about parameters- how many days per week, for example. Levels of oversights rather than ad hoc, is important.
Underdahl: appreciates comments about parameters. Sees the value in having people interact in person, agrees limits appropriate, to include some in person requirements. Purfeerst agrees. Hoisington comments that department heads should monitor what workers are doing. Malecha- ok to bring to next meeting? Agreement is for yes.
Adjournment.
Respectfully submitted,
Anne Meyer Ruppel
