The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday morning at the Polk County Government Center to hear an update about the One Watershed, One Plan, and to discuss the current 2023 levy.
PLANNING AND ZONING-JACOB SNYDER
The board was first approached by Assistant Environmental Services Administrator Jacob Snyder, who came forward with the One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P) Clearwater River Watershed Management Plan Implement Agreement to develop a plan for the watershed to create water management plans as partnerships instead of separate County management plans as the boundaries don’t align. Sanders reported there was concern about fish passage on the north end of Cross Lake at the Hill River. There were also some concerns about agricultural runoff on the end of Maple Lake, with two locations of possible water retention structures and of a lack of a public swimming area near the dam on Clearwater Lake. To help with these concerns, Snyder requested for the board to approve the plan for the district to help make a comprehensive plan for the watersheds to help address these concerns. The board approved the motion unanimously.
WEST POLK SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT-NICOLE BERND
West Polk Soil and Water Conservation District (WPSWCD) District Manager Nicole Bernd then approached the board from the West Polk Soil & Water Conservation District, who came forward to extend the Polk County Comprehensive Water Management Plan. Bernd explained that back in late 1985, the county had a drought that brought the state to pass the Comprehensive Local Water Plan Act, which the counties adopted to help them receive grant funding for the programs the Watersheds run. However, Bernd explained that the Act’s coverage ended in May 2022, so she asked the board to approve extending the plan for the county until December 21, 2025. “The reason why I asked for an extension of the original plan until December of 2025 is that it is the date that the state is reaching for to have all the watershed areas of the state be covered under One Watershed, One Plan, or a comprehensive local water plan,” Nicole Bernd explained. “That’s the goal for the entire state.” The board approved the motion unanimously.
SOCIAL SERVICES-KAREN WARMACK
The board was then approached by Social Services Director Karen Warmack, who first requested they were allowed to begin searching for the replacement of a Child Protection Specialist to work with child protection investigations and out-of-home placement cases under the supervision of Sheila Razmyslowski and other internal subsequent position vacancies.
Eligibility Worker replacement request
Warmack then requested the replacement of an Eligibility Worker position in their Income Maintenance unit with primary responsibilities working with Health Care programs under the supervision of LeAnn Holte.
TriMin Systems Inc- Supportive Services Agreement Approval
Warmack then came forward with information about TriMin Systems Inc., which provides professional services to obtain computer programming and technical assistance for the maintenance and support of computer systems for the county to administer the social welfare account.
HSL Consulting, LLC Contract
Warmack then requested the board to approve a 2023 contract with HSL Consulting, LLC with the department for $7,950 to provide Clinical Supervision to oversee responsibility for individual treatment plans and mental health service deliveries.
Village Family Service Center Contract
Warmack then requested the board to approve a 2023 contract with the Village Family Service Center for $50,000 to provide intensive in-home services to children and families. Warmack explained that the department had partnered with them every year as they provide therapy to families with children in out-of-home placement and to families trying to maintain their children at home.
Contract Amendment with DEED
Warmack then approached the board with a contract with the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to provide SNAP Employment and Training program for $7,469 from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023.
Children’s Mental Health Screening Grant Contract
The final item Warmack brought forward to the board was a 2023 contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services for a Children’s Mental Health Screening Grant of $37,773, with the Child Welfare amount being $22,292 and the Juvenile Justice at $15,481. “We work with the Department of Human Services, and they issued us a Children’s Mental Health Screening Grant,” Karen Warmack explained. “We use that money, both in our Child Welfare Services and our Juvenile Justice Population, to try to take away some of the barriers that families have in regard to mental health.” The contract will go into effect from January 1 to December 31, 2023. The board approved all motions and contracts unanimously.
ADMINISTRATION-CHUCK WHITING
The board was then approached by County Administrator Chuck Whiting, who presented a list of County Commissioner Board meetings for 2023. The list of the meeting dates was in the same format as when the board currently meets, which is during the first, third, and fourth Tuesday of every month, but it also listed the days of special meetings, the board of review, and the budget hearing. The commissioners each told each other what days they would be absent for a meeting but agreed to the dates presented. The board approved the schedule unanimously.
ARPA Status
The board then heard from Whiting on the latest update on the ARPA Funds. Whiting reported that they needed to make a decision on a $600,000 grant to the Polk County Landfill in Gentilly to install intermediate and final cover soil layers, rough and fine grading of slopes, a geotextile drainage layer, rooting zones, and final vegetation to expand it. It would also be used to construct drainage swales, erosion control structures, and a settling basin. He also noted that the City of Crookston was still interested in their aquifer welfare study and requested $20,000 of the funds. The board didn’t make a decision on which option they would fund but agreed to consider both options for consideration. They currently are planning on spending a Grand Total of $6,737,708, which puts them $645,619 over the program’s allocation funds of $6,092,089.
2023 Budget
The board closed the meeting by hearing an update from Whiting on the 2023 Budget. Whiting reported that he had received some of the results of the wage study they had completed last month and how it would impact the levy. “Departments got their numbers last week and updated their budgets. There’s an increase in their budgets based on it, but we’re committed to doing what the study has advised us to do. We have to be competitive in retaining and hiring people, so I rolled that out and showed them various options for trying to get the levy down, but we still have a ways to go. There’s still about half a million to three-quarters of a million dollars worth of changes I have to make to get the levy down.” One of the options Whiting suggested was the use of the Capital County Bonds they received in 2020 and the first part of 2022 to help cover the costs of physical improvement of government buildings, specifically to the Justice Center’s roof replacement and boiler repairs. He noted that the inflation has caused the costs of materials to go higher than what they initially bonded for but could use the leftovers from the 2020 bond to help cover the costs of the 2022 bonds. While the board wasn’t sure if this would cover the cost, they were sure it would cover most of it and help reduce the price of the levy.
The Board of Commissioners will next meet on Tuesday, November 22, at the Polk County Government Center.
