Rice County board meeting of the whole March 19, 2024
Hoisington called the meeting to order at 8:30 am. Pledge. Roll call: all present.
I. PUBLIC HEALTH/NURSING: Deb Purfeerst
Tobacco Retailer Ordinance Discussion
Public health department representative Josh Ramaker presents reasons for updating the tobacco ordinance of 1997, and asks for a speedy timeline. Malecha asks to put off discussion till the next work session, because it’s complicated and this is a busy session. Docken, who is proud that he quit smoking, likes all the proposals except the proposed cap on number of licenses. Purfeerst questions the minimum age for a clerk and questions flavor restrictions. Underdahl is supportive, having lost parents to tobacco use, but also values individual rights too. He worries that the proposed limit on licenses might provoke sale of licenses. He questions the age for sale of tobacco, asks what infringements fines apply to and asks how to enforce.
Deb reminds folks they can think for a month.
“What can we do that makes a difference for youth?” asks Hoisington. “I agree with all of the comments. I don’t disagree with any of this. We need more dialogue and thoughts.”
Malecha offers that instead of fines, we do re-education. He says 95 or 96% who violate rules did not read the license correctly. Ramaker says there is a state class which Northfield requires for all sellers.
Deb points out there is an online training available. Rice County could mandate all clerks need to take that class online. You get a certificate, which could be in your first 30 days of employment. or could be only if you get dinged. This would be a rule comparable to that for bartenders.
Josh thanks them. We want to nudge the needle—we want to be near where other counties are, maybe a bit further ahead in order to lead.
From the audience a voter says his mother died of lung cancer and urges the board to do whatever to save money and save lives. A representative from the Northfield Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (Northfield ASAP) states its wholehearted support, emphasizing that flavored products target youth and prohibition will have a huge impact, especially on Northfield.
II. SOCIAL SERVICES:
Chris Sammon provides information about a Sauer Family Foundations Family Resource Center Grant to the Rice County Family Services Collaborative. The first year will assess current efforts and survey parents using services with a grant of $20,000 1 year survey June ’24. The second year grant of $130,000 will be available till Dec 31, 2025. A Healthy Ccommunity Initiative staff person is collecting data now. The goal is not necessarily aiming to centralize services in one hub.
Another grant from Families First Prevention Services Act Allocation (FFPSA) to Rice County from the MN Department of Human Services aims to prevent entry of at risk kids into the child welfare system.
10% of funds go to direct family aid. Rice County’s allocation for 2024 is $41,339. It is anticipated this amount will be slightly lower in 2025 and then stabilize over coming years according to the Department of Human Services.
III. COMMUNITY SERVICES:
Rick Gieseke is not present, Angela Brewer turns the presentation over to staff, probation officers Chelle Marquardt, Aaron Osborne, and Willow Schafer. They describe Cognitive Skills Programming at RCCC. Participants are taught healthy decision making to help stabilize their lives, programs they have provided since the 1990s. All relevant staff are trained to train, to coach and support, They rely on evidence-based practices–meaning, what works–to promote healthy change and prevent recidivism. Usually participation is court mandated.
Probation officers described the integrated approach to women’s trauma, with a strength-based focus, using cognitive-behavioral therapy, talk, role-play, interaction, grounding/self-soothing exercises, worksheets, and risk/need assessments.
Underdahl asks rate of success–response is a 30% recidivism reduction. Hoisington says that for people that are broken, like AA, there should be a spiritual element. Staff explain that many grounding exercises, like mindfulness and meditation, are open to a spiritual aspect but it cannot be required. “It’s developing relationships,” says Hoisington.
IV. PARKS & FACILITIES DEPARTMENT:
Samantha Schwartz, interim director
Department Update–handout summarizing status. On March 5th, Matthew Verdick, previous Director of Parks & Facilities, provided the board with a department update which included:
• introduction of team members and duties
• overview of past, current, and future projects
• department organizational chart
• priority and goals
• department responsibilities: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, seasonal, and as requested
• increase in square footage from 2018 to end of 2024
• pictures of mechanical areas at Rice County facilities, with listing of duties at the parks and campground
• 0-5 year timeline as listed in the parks plan for park updates
At that time, staffing options included an option to carry on operations without contracting services, and an option to add the desired position to carry forward the parks plan. Now Sam offers more detailed options:
1. add 1 FTE in May
2. add 1 in June
3. add 1 May AND 1 June
4. add 1 May, 1 June, 1 July
Sam recommends option 3. To cover costs beyond those in the budget, she proposes to take money from reserve funds.
Malecha objects. He wants the usual process—dept head to administrator to board to budgeting.
VI. HIGHWAY:
Dennis Luebbe
There is an open house in Bridgewater Township at 6 pm today on new roundabout, with the option of virtual attendance. The department webpage shows phases of construction, with the start date now moved up to April 1.
Providing highway updates, Loebbe says there will be a new official map March 26,
He also referred to longterm planning, disposing of excess right of way,
$300,000 in state bridge funding plus Northfield’s contribution of $100,000, for acquiring 3 right of way parcels to construct this year’s portion.
The Department hadstried for a year to hire an engineer, with no interest shown. The department has now lowered the qualifications from an experienced to a “graduate engineer.”
Luebbe named summer projects that will come up, including work by MNDOT on I35 starting mid April, which will probably cause detour problems and crashes. He mentioned $1.8M coming for a road project in Bridgewater Township and $750,000 for an overhead lighting project in 2027.
As to the 6-leg roundabout at Highway 19 and I35, Rice COunty will be the lead agency and will have an inspector on site all the time. There will be a website to get a permit for oversize and overweight vehicles.
Although Highway 19 will not close, stakeholders need to be informed fully.
County Drainage Authority- Ditch Manager position
The current ditch services are provided under contract with the Rice County Soil and Water Conservation District as a ditch inspector. This has operated as a part-time position. A full-time Ditch Manager position is proposed to address a backlog of maintenance and administrative needs, and to develop better management and operations practices. All costs associated with the activities of the County ditch authority (including administration, inspection, maintenance, engineering and construction) are charged to the ditch system landowners through ditch assessments. Thus Rice County incurs no costs.
This hire will lead to better management, planning, information, maybe a regular assessment to create a slush fund to cover small ongoing expenses.
Luebbe sees a consensus to move forward, with the timeline to transition TBD, end of ’24 maybe? Although this function has been overseen by the Soil and Water Conservation District, the change will not reduce funding to SWCD. Docken and Purfeerst are apparently drivers of this change. Questioned about a possible problem, Docken says,”That would not be my intent.”
Total budget is $20,000 and not spent last year. Purfeerst says maybe there will be an advisory panel of ditch neighbors for each of the MANY RC ditches. While the result will be a higher assessment on ditch neighbors–maybe $2/acre—this is much lower than repair costs. Right now Rice County doesn’t know how many ditches there are, how many neighbors help pay for them, etc.
VII. HOUSING:
Joy Watson gave a fact-filled update on Rice County housing needs.
Rice County has the 3rd highest rental costs outside of metro, and definitely NOT the third highest incomes. Rice County assesses a much lower levy than is permissible.
Tenant Information- Section 8 (vouchers go with the individual)
• 241 households
• 765 household members
• 391 members under the age of 18
• 127 heads household have a disability
• 55 heads of household are elderly
• Average income $23,040
• 60% of households are working
• 6% of households receive public assistance as their sole source
Tenant Information-Project-Based housing (vouchers are not usable in other housing)
• 61 households
• 255 household members
• 154 members under the age of 18
• 16 heads household have a disability
• 3 heads of household are elderly
• Average income $34,173
• 81% of households are working
• 8% of households receive public assistance as their sole source of income
VIII. ADJOURNMENT at about 11:30 am
