Observer Report: Rice County Commissioners, 9.3.24

Rice County Commissioner Working Meeting

• Present: Docken, Malecha, Hoisington, Underdahl. Purfeerst is out today.

• 
• Presentations for personnel requests
  • Probation
    • Probation: Focused on retention this year. Would like two probation officers to become lead probation officers, reclassifying two grade 12 probation officers at grade 13. Supervisors are graded at grade 14. This would impact the budget by about $14,000, or 1% of the budget. 
    • Underdahl: Would this increase caseloads for other probation officers in a problematic way? Answer: No, due to last year’s subsidies, which allowed for two more probation officers. 
    • Hoisington: How many lead positions do you have now? What is the structure? Answer: There are currently no leads. Right now the two supervisors each supervise ten probation officers. Hoisington: If that increases your efficiency in your department, that is a modest increase to achieve that. 
  • Community services
    • Adult services requests:
      • Asking for 1 FTE for adult protective services (APS). APS screens all MN adult abuse reports. Last year 281 reports, this year trending up. Manage the civil commitment process. There is a need to grow in order to keep up with things. Adult protection revisions coming from the state, so strong likelihood that all cases will have to screen in cases as “crisis” meaning staff will have to go out and investigate within 24 hours/day, including on weekends. The standard is going to change, which will require more staffing. This year, one APS worker has had to deal with two suicides. It would be preferable to have more than one person to carry that load, allow someone to take a day off, etc. It’s currently almost impossible for the staff to take three to four days off at a time. Total cost is about $83k.
        • Hoisington: The dramatic increase you’ve had in the last five years, why do you think that is? Answer: I think it’s a COVID response, but I don’t think it will go away. 
        • Malecha: We’re also an aging nation. Answer: Yes, we have an aging population. 
        • Hoisington: What’s the average age of the people you help. Answer: 70+, except mental health is more 30-60 years old. 
      • Asking for 1 FTE for CADI (Community Access for Disability Inclusion Waiver) waiver case management. Have 7 case managers. Standard is 55 cases per case manager. Rice Co staff is at 70 cases per case manager. If not able to support caseload sizes, there could be a waiting list. Total cost about $22k.
        • Malecha: If you had to hire today, do you have the money to do so? Answer: No. 
        • Underdahl: Who are we billing for this? Answer: Medical Assistance is what we bill. Underdahl: Is that a stable source of funding? Answer: I don’t think they’re ever going to get rid of paying for case management. But the billable rate structure does change.
      • Asking for MnChoices lead position FTE. The counties will bear the responsibility of signing off on the CSS plans. A plan is like a little budget developed with families, and the county is responsible for reviewing and signing off on every one of them. Right now, there is no one in the county who would do that. That would be the primary purpose of this position, along with dealing with appeals. About MnChoices: MnCHOICES is a comprehensive web-based application that integrates assessment and support planning for Minnesotans who need long-term services and supports (LTSS), regardless of age, type of disability or service needs. Total cost is about $84k.
        • Malecha: All are important positions. If you only got two out of these? Answer: If got two out of three, it would be CADI case management and APS. 
      • County attorney — Brian Mortenson
        • County administrator, Folsted note: We have a vacant position currently awaiting to be filled in the county attorney’s office, and we will want to give Mortenson guidance on what to do about this position. 
        • Docken: How are we dealing with all the positions? This is an unusual situation to present them all to the board. Brian will come back next week about this one position. 
        • Asking to retain two staffers — one position that is currently open. One position is an attorney and the other an assistant. They were funded with ARPA funding, and the request is to fund these in an ongoing way with operating dollars after ARPA funding is over. Prosecutors are averaging 172 cases, some up to over 200. If hire for the open position, caseload will be down to around 135/attorney. Have treaded water without this attorney in the office since January 2024. When other departments increase their sizes, attorney’s office work increases, too. 
        • Erica Staab, Executive Director of the HOPE Center invited up to speak to the importance of domestic violence prosecution. 
        • John Sherwin, Faribault Police Chief spoke to the importance of the partnership of current county attorneys and urged full staffing of the department. Attorney Mortenson’s desire to settle cases before trial saves the police department staffing money. 
        • Docken: Okay with it. This is not a place to go backward. But we’re not voting today.
        • Malecha: I’m not giving an answer today, because we need to see how these requests impact the levy projections. 
        • Mortenson: We have a very qualified candidate we’d like to move forward with, but we want to make sure that the funding will continue. 
        • Hoisington: Basically, you’re looking to switch it from ARPA funding to levy funding. I can’t imagine why you’d want to reduce your staff, so if you have a candidate that you’re going to hire to fill that position, I think you should be able to do that with confidence that the position will be funded. 
        • Underdahl: This shows us the problem of what happens when you end up with short term funded positions — sooner or later these positions come back onto the levy. You make the case that the workload is there, and we do need to keep going with it. But it’s always going to be a difficult conversation, because every department making a request makes a valid case, and all of them impact people. And then the general public want to see their tax bill as low as possible. 
        • Folsted: That’s why we wanted all of you to see all of these presentations, so you know what policy decisions you’re making and can speak to them to the public in an informed way. 
        • Docken: ARPA funds are quite different from a grant, because when you hire someone with grant funds, you tell them their position may end at the end of the grant. But this is quite different. 
        • Mortenson: I know the Sheriff has to come up here to make a case for similarly funded courthouse security staff. They are excellent and make the courthouse staff feel safe. Advocating that those positions are vital to the safety of the courthouse staff. 
      • Sheriff
        • Requesting courthouse security staff
    • NOTE: Observer had to depart at 9:30 am, at this point in the agenda. There were no further staffing requests beyond the Sheriff’s request. 
• Administration – Sara Folsted: Closed session on labor negotiations