- Attendees: All commissioners present, except Purfeerst
- Environmental Services, Julie Runkel
- Approved Waiver of Plat/Rauenhorst- Section 9, Morristown Township
- Approved preliminary and final plat/Perryman – Section 15, Forest Township
- Community Corrections, Angela Brewer
- Approved Out of State Travel Request for community corrections staff to travel for COSSUP grant
- Rice County is the recipient of a federal COSSUP grant that currently funds several key initiatives in the community focused upon providing recovery and intervention services to community members experiencing a chemical health crisis or in need of addiction services. A cornerstone of this initiative is the Police Assisted Recovery and Deflection program, which provides an opportunity for police officers to divert individuals in need of substance use treatment and services from the criminal justice system into treatment programs on a voluntary basis. The program has been in practice since 2022 and has seen positive results. The program is a partnership between criminal justice agencies and local law enforcement agencies. Rice County Behavioral Health staff (Community Based Coordinators) are embedded within the three major law enforcement agencies in Rice County to assist with these efforts. A requirement of the grant is that team members attend and participate in annual training and/or convening of agencies providing PARD services.
- Underdahl Question: How much longer will we have the COSSUP grant?
- A: It’s a three year grant and this will be the final year.
- Approved Out of State Travel Request for community corrections staff to travel to the Treatment Court Enhancement grant
- The Rice County Treatment Court program has been offered to participants in Rice County for 10 years. The Coordinator position is responsible for coordination of the program activities, participants, and various subcommittees related to the Treatment Court and the Community and Justice Council. All Rise is an organization that works with Treatment Courts across the nation to establish best practices and essential elements of Treatment Court programs. Community Corrections and the Rice County Treatment Court program has received federal funding to enhance the components of Rice County’s program. The grant has annual training requirements for program staff.
- Hoisington thanks Brewer for the good work of community corrections and expresses support for this travel.
- Social Services
- Approved acceptance of $200Friendship House Donation from 1st English Lutheran Church of Faribault
- Approved Foster Care Transportation Agreement with Surad Charter School
- The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act requires that youth placed in foster care will remain enrolled in their school of origin unless a determination is made that it is not in their best interest. School Districts are required to collaborate with local Child Welfare agencies to develop and implement procedures for how transportation for youth in foster care will be arranged, provided, and funded. These agreements outline the developed procedures and plan for providing and funding this transportation for youth. At this time there are no youth this agreement will specifically pertain to but the agreement is required to be in place per Minnesota Department of Education guidelines. MDE requires schools to have these agreements for other student support programming which has prompted the Surad Academy Charter to request the agreement at this time.
- Hoisington Q: What is Surad?
- A: It’s a charter school here in Faribault.
- Approved Dimick Counseling Services Inc Contract
- Dimick Counseling has been providing mental health therapy services to Rice County clients who typically have not been able to be served by on staff mental health professionals due to areas of specialty or availability. Dan Dimick is also the facilitator of the Healthy Parents, Healthy Families Program. This program has been specifically designed for families with youth in the child welfare and children’s mental health system who are in placement or at high risk of needing higher level care. The programming combines therapeutic interventions, regulations skills, and parenting education to support long-term change family dynamics and rebuild parent-child relationships.
- Public Comment: Have concerns about financial liability for Rice County if the motion for continued funding for Dimick counseling due to a possibly disqualifying conflict of interest
- Peters Q: How many families does this serve?
- No information about the exact number of families, but it was multiples.
- Malecha: Dimick has been providing services for the county for at least as long as 18 years.
- Hoisington: What would the conflict of interest be?
- Public Comment: Suggests that this should be tabled for another meeting. I have the conflict of interest in writing.
- Unanimously approved: All commissioners voted for the contract.
- Approved Northfield CAC Family Support Recovery Program Contract.
- The 2019 Minnesota Legislature passed a bill related to opiates, which established an Opiate Epidemic Response account. A portion of this funding is allocated to county and tribal social service agencies to provide supplemental child protection services to children and families affected by addiction. Social service agencies receiving these funds report annually how they are used to provide child protection services that are separate from other services offered and do not supplant current state or local funding received for child protection services for children and families who are affected by addition. Rice County through community partnership has used this fund since it was first established to lift the Family Recovery Support Program which is now embedded at the Community Action Centers in Northfield and Faribault. Last year the program served 50 households, which meant offering support to 178 parents (n=69) and children (n=109). The work was done through supportive contacts, referrals and connections to programming and resources, as well as in-the-moment concrete supports, unavailable through other programs, that are barriers to sobriety and recovery. State funded allocation for 2025 contract is $49,349.
- Sheriff’s Office: Jesse Thomas
- Approved 2025 Federal Boating Safety Supplemental Equipment Grant Contract Agreement
- The Sheriff’s Office applied for the grant with the State of Minnesota, acting through its Commissioner of Natural Resources, Enforcement Division, that provides reimbursement to counties to cover costs related to recreational boating safety. The purpose of this grant is to purchase the following specific equipment or other items that will be used for recreational boating safety activities: Inflatable Life Jackets (10) December 1, 2024 thru August 1, 2025. FISCAL IMPACT: Grant Funds $2,228.
- Highway: Dennis Lueubbe
- Approved award of contract CR 50 reconstruction
- Public bids were opened on January 16, 2025 for the reconstruction of CR 50. 9 bids were received. This project is funded entirely with local option sales tax receipts. Request to award contract # 2571 to Mathiowetz Construction Company in the amount of $ 2,881,691.67 for the reconstruction of County Road No. 50, project CP 50-01.
- Peters Q: Where is Mathiowetz located?
- Underdahl Q: That we came in under budget, does that allow us to free up money for other things?
- A: Yes. Maybe not this year, but perhaps a smaller project could be accomplished this year. Most likely it will support 2026 projects.
- Approved Resolution #25-009 – Bridge Priority
- This is an annual resolution that provides a list of our bridge replacement priorities for the next 5 years. This resolution is sent to MnDOT for statewide bridge bonding funding efforts. These projects are identified within the 10- year construction plan. Each project is funded independently.
- Peters Q: How many are township bridges?
- A: Five are in the township system.
- Administration: Sara Folsted
- Approved consent agenda
- Approved ratification of the MNPEA Sergeants Union Contract for 2025, 2026, 2027
- Approve ratification of the LELS Correctional Officers Union Contract for 2025, 2026, 2027
- Approve ratification of the LELS Transport Officers Union Contract for 2025, 2026, 2027
- Appointed a delegate and an alternate to the Minnesota Rural Counties Caucus
- Underdahl as delegate, Hoisington as alternate
