HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Commissioners - Minutes - 01/11/20000
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MINUTES OF THE
OTTER TAIL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Otter Tail County Courthouse
Commissioners' Room, Floor 1-B
Tuesday, January 11, 2000
9:30 a.m.
Call to Order
The Otter Tail County Human Services Board convened Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at
9:30 a.m. at the Otter Tail County Courthouse with Commissioners Virginia Partmann, Chair;
Malcolm Lee, Syd Nelson, and Roger Froemming present.
Approval of Agenda
Motion by Lee, second by Nelson, and unanimously carried to approve the Human Services Board
agenda of January 11, 2000 as mailed.
Approval of Minutes
Motion by Froemming, second by Lee, and unanimously carried to approve the Human Services
Board minutes of December 28, 1999 as presented.
Court Services Advisory Board Appointment
Motion by Froemming, second by Nelson, and unanimously carried to appoint Robert Johnston of
· Parkers Prairie to represent the fourth district on the Otter Tail County Court Services Advisory
Board effective January 1, 2000 for a three-year term.
Discussion -Family Services Collaborative
Discussion took place regarding the role of school nurses relative to the proposed mental health
services model scheduled to begin in Otter Tail County schools next fall. An example of the level
of staffing required for this model is shown by Sibley County. Sibley has the highest state standard
level of staffing for nurses in the school system. Chair Partmann suggested that the county
request the AMC to facilitate a survey regarding the current staffing levels of school nurses in the
schools throughout the state of Minnesota in order to identify current practice and future needs.
Additionally, Ms. Thorson informed the board that a grant to reduce tobacco use will be available
through the collaborative. A recommendation will be made to authorize the collaborative to apply
for the grant dollars and for the Public Health Department to serve as the lead agency to facilitate
the application process.
Food Stamp Enhanced Funding
Human Services Director, John Dinsmore, reported that each county received varying amounts of
funding depending on the error rate in the calculations of eligibility of food stamp recipients. Otter
Tail County received $37,661.00. The funds are to be used to enhance the MFIP and Food Stamp
programs. Mr. Dinsmore presented recommendations from his staff of how to use the money as
follows:
Recommendations Approximate Cost Timetable
Voice Mail & Telephone System $9,637.00 Set aside for future system.
Digital copier (new)-enhanced $8,474.00 Copier would be "networked" as
printer printer.
Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners
January 11, 2000
Page 2
Office equipment (chairs.etc.)
Staff training-computer, crisis
skills, retreat, etc.
Security doors
set aside/invest for future building
plans
Welfare-to-work Partnership
contribution
will use existing budget Existing budget is $15,000 for
Income Maintenance
$10,000.00 Employer guided training: client
interviewing; de-escalation
techniques; computer training;
professional-motivational training,
etc.
$4,000.00 Awaiting quote-will not take action
unless coordinated with facilities
management
(none at this time)
$5,550.00 to be allocated 4-01-01 when
McKnight Transition Funds end
Total: $37,661.00
Motion by Lee, second by Froemming, and unanimously carried to accept the Food Stamp
Enhanced Funding recommendations as presented by the Human Services Director.
Internal Budget Transfer Request
Social Services Supervisor, Brad Vold, reported a need to increase in-home therapy services.
There are currently eight families on the waiting list for in-home therapy services and there has
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been a consistent waiting list since last April. He requested a transfer of $70,000 from the Out-of-
Hohme Place~ent buhdget to the ln-H
1
ome FamilydSebrvicLeshbudgeSI. Thi
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sswill facilitatecmore_ hours of 0
In-ome services t at are current y contracte y ut eran ocIa ervIces. om missioners \.;,I
requested statistics of how many youth/families receive in-home therapy services and the direct
correlation of whether or not those youth ultimately need to be place outside of the home.
Motion by Nelson, second by Lee, and unanimously carried to authorize a transfer of $70,000 from
the Out-of-Home Placement budget to the In-Home Family Services budget(½ of the $70,000 from
Rule 8 Facilities (Group Homes) and ½ from the Mental Health Out-of-Home Placement budget,
which is rule 5 residential) with a request that statistics be kept as requested above relative to the
In-Home Therapy Services program.
Mileage Reimbursement Rates
Mr. Dinsmore submitted a proposal to increase mileage reimbursement rates for the year 2000.
Chair Partmann requested that the Auditor review the proposal before action is taken.
Correspondence Acknowledged
A letter was received by Larry Buboltz of Rural Minnesota CEP seeking a qualified at-large
member to serve on its Board of Directors.
A letter was received from the Minnesota Department of Health accepting the 2000-2003
Community Health Services (CHS) plan.
Bills & Claims
Motion by Froemming, second by Nelson, and unanimously carried to approve the Human Q
Services bills and claims as presented.
Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners
January 11, 2000
Page 3
Discussion with Commissioner of Health r \ State Commissioner of Health, Jan Malcolm, and other staff members discussed many health
"-"' -issues and state department philosophy and vision for the future. Chair Partmann requested that
the commissioner and her department be an advocate for assisting to obtain funding for the
proposed dental clinic to be located at the Regional Treatment Center in Fergus Falls. The
proposed clinic would serve a crucial need for dental care for low-income citizens and uses the
services and resources of the University of Minnesota as well as many other organizations.
Lengthy discussion continued. Commissioners thanked Ms. Malcolm and staff for taking the time
to meet with them during their board meeting.
Adjournment
At 10:48 a.m., Chair Partmann declared the meeting of the Otter Tail County Human Services
Board adjourned until 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 25, 2000.
OTTER TAIL COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD
Dated :_--'tf'l4"'1/½,\1'½,l.0,a""o-'lc-<,,2""s~J .... 2,,.0'.Y)"""-''------
Attest: k~ / ;J
· Larry Krofln, ~
Call to Order
· The Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners convened Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at
. 10:57 a.m. at the Otter Tail County Courthouse with Commissioners Virginia Partmann, Chair;
.Roger Froemming, Vice-Chair; Malcolm Lee, and Syd Nelson present.
Approval of Agenda
Motion by Lee, second by Nelson, and unanimously carried to approve the County Board agenda
of January 11, 2000, with the following addition:
Ruben Olsen at 11 :45 a.m.
Approval of Minutes
Motion by Nelson, second by Froemming, and unanimously carried to approve the County Board
minutes of January 4, 2000, as presented.
Year 2000 Solid Waste Hauler Applications
Motion by Lee, second by Nelson, and unanimously carried to approve the following Solid Waste
Haulers Applications for 2000:
Meyers Garbage Service
Perham, MN
Fuchs Sanitation
Glyndon, MN
Steve's Sanitation
Perham, MN
C & J's Lake Service
Pelican Rapids, MN
Region Waste Systems
Dalton, MN
City Dray Sanitation
Wadena, MN
Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners
January 11, 2000
Page 4
Ken's Garbage Service
Clitherall, MN
Pope Co. Sanitation
Alexandria, MN
Minn-Kola Recycling
Detroit Lakes, MN
Toutges Sanitation
Henning, MN
Contract Approval -Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Motion by Lee, second by Froemming, and unanimously carried to authorize the Chair's signature
to execute two contracts between the County of Otter Tail and the City of Henning and City of
Pelican Rapids for hosting a household hazardous waste (HHW) collection in the respective
communities.
Special Assessment to Property Tax
Motion by Lee, second by Nelson, and unanimously carried to assess the uncollected amount of
$359.80 on the property tax statement of Rick & Carmen Odenbrett. The uncollected amount was
amount payable to the Solid Waste Department and the special assessment requested by the
Solid Waste Director.
Consulting Services Agreement
Solid Waste Director, Mike Hanan, requested approval of Change Order No. 1 Consulting Services
Agreement that provides for an additional step in evaluating the resource recovery facility in
Perham.
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Motion by Froemming, second by Lee, and unanimously carried to authorize the Chair's signature r"\
to execute a change order to Consulting Services to assist the county in further evaluation of the ....,,
Resource Recovery Facility in Perham. The agreement is between the County of Otter Tail and
The Barlow Group, Inc. (consultant). The design engineering and consultant services are
estimated at $64,800 to be paid from the enterprise fund with 50% being grant eligible.
Ditch No. 41
Ditch Inspector, Tiny Holm, presented a letter from the City of New York Mills requesting that the
fee for entry to Ditch No. 41 for drainage of the northwest corner of the city be lowered to $5,000
because the city had paid a fee to enter the ditch for drainage for the southwest corner of the city
numerous years ago.
Motion by Nelson, second by Lee, and unanimously carried to approve the reduced amount of
$5,000 for the City of New York Mills relative to the entry fee for Ditch No. 41 as requested.
Ditch No. 64
Mr. Holm reported that Cliff Keller is trying to re-establish some wetland. In establishing the
wetland, the WCA is then effective and the area cannot be altered later if a petition for clean out or
other maintenance would be received. Two property owners are located above that area.
Discussion followed. The issue was referred to the County Attorney for further research and to
obtain required signatures that may be necessary.
Approval of Tobacco Licenses
second by Lee, and unanimously carried to approve the following Q Motion by Froemming,
applications for license:
Raymond Rogers
Big Chief Inc.
Tobacco
Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners
January 11, 2000
Page 5
Fergus Falls, MN
Ronald Wegscheid
Bluffton Oil Company
Bluffton, MN
Kim Douglas Biederman
Bonnie & Clydes
Clitherall, MN
Marvin Heisler
Heisler Country Store
Vergas, MN
Deb Klovstad
Underwood Municipal Liquor Store
Underwood, MN
Tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco
Tax-Forfeited Properties
Motion by Nelson, second by Lee, and unanimously carried to authorize the County Auditor to
move forward with the consultant (WSN) to apply for superfund dollars in order to proceed with the
clean up of three tax-forfeited sites that have been contaminated.
Final Payment -Four Tandem Axle Snowplow Dump Trucks
Motion by Nelson, second by Froemming, and unanimously carried to approve payment, in the
:amount of $188,236.00 to Hall GMC, Inc. for 4 snowplow dump trucks as identified by purchase
order no.59493.
Highway Project Update
Highway Engineer, Rick West, reviewed the construction, design, and bridge replacement projects.
He provided a list of projects completed and currently in process. Mr. West also provided the
preliminary 2000 highway Improvement Program plan.
Motion by Nelson, second by Lee, and unanimously carried to approve the 2000 Highway
Improvement Program plan as presented.
Approval of Highway Contracts
Motion by Nelson, second by Froemming, and unanimously carried to authorize the Chair's
signature to execute the following design service contracts between the County of Otter Tail and
Interstate Engineering, Inc:
CSAH 52 Bridge Replacement -Leaf River Crossing
CSAH 50 Bridge replacement -Willow Creek Crossing
Hobart Township Bridge Replacement -Old Bridge No. L0874
CSAH 45 Bridge Replacement -Phelps Mill
Gorman Township Bridge Replacement-Old Bridge No. 1476
Bluffton Township Bridge Replacement -Old Bridge No. L2632
not to exceed $16,000.00
not to exceed $9,000.00
not to exceed $9,100.00
not to exceed $7,200.00
not to exceed $9,900.00
not to exceed $10,300.00
Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners
January 11, 2000
Page 6
Waterfowl Easement ,
Motion by Froemming, second by Lee, and unanimously carried to certify the acquisition of lands 0
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for purposes of securing a waterfowl easement from Dwight ··
Swisher on the following described lands:
T. 132N .• R.38W .• 5th P.M.
Section 18, N½SE¼
Request for Forgiveness of Penalty
Citizen. Ruben Olsen, appeared to protest the penalty of $23.58 assessed to a property he
recently sold to Marco Olsen on October 7, 1999, however; the deed was not recorded until
October 25, 1999. Mr. Olsen questioned why a bill wasn"t received? County Attorney,
David Hauser, explained that the county is responsible to send a bill for taxes, however; when
transfer of land occurs, it is incumbent that the people involved are responsible to pay the taxes.
No action was taken.
Employees· Committee By-Laws
County Coordinator, Larry Krohn, reported that the Employees' Committee has changed the terms
of their members from two to three years and updated the committee's by-laws.
Motion by Lee, second by Froemming, and unanimously carried to accept the Otter Tail County
Employees' Committee by-laws as follows:
OTTER TAIL COUNTY EMPLOYEES' COMMITTEE BY-LAWS
Report to: The Board of Commissioners, Otter Tail County
Duties:
• Conduct monthly business meetings, may be held more often if
necessary.
• Handle employee concerns about legitimate work related issues that
are not covered in the personnel policy or union contract. Direct these
concerns on to the appropriate Department/Board if the committee
cannot handle the concern in a timely fashion.
• Have employee committee represent county employees at various
promotional functions during the year.
• Keep employee lounges supplied with necessary items. These
lounges are located in the two Social Services buildings, the
Courthouse, Recycling Center, and the New York Mills building.
• Negotiate with vendors to maintain and supply vending machines in
county buildings.
• Select clothing line items, order, and distribute the clothing.
• Hold election of officers at the end of terms. The term of each officer
is three years.
• Organize Christmas party and annual summer picnics, one picnic for
East Otter Tail and one picnic for West Otter Tail County.
• Be an information source for any county employee.
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Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners
January 11, 2000
Page 7
Consists of: Seven elected members, each having a three-year term. The
Chairperson is also a member of the Personnel Board and must attend
the meetings held by that committee.
The Board of Commissioners supports the Employees' Committee and
understands the tasks of the committee require the members to dedicate
time and energy to meet the goals of the committee. The Board
encourages the Department Heads and Supervisors of the committee
members to be aware of the additional time this commitment requires and
to allow the members adequate time away from their department to
complete these tasks.
Any employee, with legitimate work related issues, is welcome to attend a meeting of
this committee to address concerns.
WCMN Housing Partnership Board Reappointment
Motion by Portmann, second by Lee, and unanimously carried to reappoint JoEllen Thacker to
serve on the West Central Minnesota Housing Partnership Board effective January 1, 2000.
Adjournment
At 12:16 p.m., · Chair Portmann declared the meeting of the Otter Tail County Board of
Commissioners adjourned until 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 18, 2000.
Q Dated: ~a., . n"'J-LK, 7 eoo ARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Attest ~ ~ Larry Kroh ~ Clek
CB/kd