The Tri-County Community Corrections Board met in the Polk County Justice Center on Monday morning.
The agenda began with the approval of the monthly statistics report and a Northwest Regional Corrections Center (NWRCC) population reduction update from Tri-County Community Executive Director Andrew Larson. Larson said things are moving along as planned. “We did run into a little bit of an issue in January with some covid stuff, but all in all, we’re right where we thought we would be,” said Larson. “We averaged around 110 inmates a day in January, and we are slowly starting to bring those numbers back. Considering where we’ve been, I think we’re in a good place.”
The board approved both the monthly statistics report and NWRCC Population Update.
The board also heard a personnel issues update from Larson, and things once again are starting to trend in the right direction. “Hiring has gone really well, and we’ve actually had several great applications we’ve received,” said Larson. “We have 11 new hires that are currently going through training, and that should put as at full staffed once they complete that training. The hope is that they’re done with that training by early to mid-April, but all in all, we seem to be in a good spot, and the new staff is adapting really well.”
The board approved the Personnel Issues unanimously.
One of the biggest items on the agenda was a Red River Valley Juvenile Center Update from Icon Architectural Group member Todd Blixt. Blixt joined the meeting via Microsoft Teams, and Larson said outside of one snag, the update was encouraging. “It is still moving along, and with any large project, you know that you’re going to encounter issues,” said Larson. “They have encountered a slight issue, and at this point, they’re just waiting on a permit from the state, and it’s hard to know what that will look like exactly.”
The project’s issue is that a chiller was not included in the initial bid from a subcontractor. This will change the project’s cost slightly but should not delay the project as a permit from the state still needs to be acquired. Once the project does begin, it is estimated it will take around 210 days to complete. The hope is that the project will start sometime in the next month, making the estimated finish time depending on when the project starts, sometime around October or November. The report was informational, and no action was needed from the board.
The board then heard a fourth quarter internal audit report from 2021. The report was solid not only for the fourth quarter but the entire year, and Tri-County Community Corrections received 97% of their expected funds for 2021 while spending just 96%, putting them on track for what was anticipated. The board approved the internal audit report.
The next item on the agenda was the Tri-County Community Corrections Salary Grid Implementation options. No action was needed from the board, and they merely discussed possible options moving forward. The reason for a potential change to the salary structure is to make Tri-County Community Corrections more competitive through better salary options for its positions based on a variety of different factors, as well as illustrating the clear steps for wage increases. The conversation as to what direction the board will turn will continue at the upcoming meetings.
The board then discussed an Ad Monkeys Video Development Proposal. Ad Monkeys is a video ad production company out of Grand Forks. They are offering Tri-County Community Corrections their services to help give a more accurate assessment of what working in a Correctional environment is like. Larson believes this will help bring in the right recruits and help with staff retainment. “One of the ideas that we recently had come up with was the idea of a company coming in and helping us create a video that will showcase what it’s like to work for us,” said Larson. “This will highlight the challenges, but it will also highlight the positives as well. The option the board did approve was the option to create a three to four-minute video that we can use on our social media platforms to help express our presence on the digital front. The cost is about $19,000, but this is something that will be able to use for four to five years.”
Larson then provided the board an update on a grant they have been awarded. “We applied for a two-year grant through the Office of Justice Programs through the state of Minnesota, and we were notified last week that we were awarded that grant,” said Larson. “It’s for pre-trial supervision, and that will allow us to work with our criminal justice partners to potentially use this program where instead of setting bail for those who have been arrested, they would rather be subject to regular check-ins with officers or even some GPS monitoring as well. It’s not a program we’ve had any time that I’ve been here, but other jurisdictions have this, and I think there are a lot of positives to doing this.”
The board approved the grant, and Larson will begin implementing the program.
The board then heard a few miscellaneous items, including an NWRCC Facility Inspection Report. Larson noted that the inspection was more rigorous than usual, but it went well, and only slight adjustments will need to be made.
The next Tri-County Community Corrections board meeting will take place in March.
