HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Commissioners - Minutes - 06/20/2005MINUTES OF THE
OTTER TAIL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
New York Mills Offices, Conference Room
118 N. Main, New York Mills, MN
Special Meeting, Monday, June 20, 2005
10:00 a.m.
Present: Officials from Otter Tail, Wadena, and Todd Counties (approximately 40 officials)
Introductions: AMC Executive Director, Jim Mulder, acted as moderator of this joint
meeting. Mr. Mulder requested introductions of each person participating in the meeting.
Opening Statement: The purpose of this meeting is to identify ways in which counties can
collaborate and share services as State funding and delivery systems continue to change.
Five Mega-Trends: Mr. Mulder identified five trends in State and Local Governments that
are and will continue to change how Government does business.
1) State and Local partnerships are waning
a) Devolution of services (becoming more difficult for state to offer services
and make decisions)
b) Mandates (financial and service)
c) Pre-emption
d) Initiatives
e) Open hostility and intense competition for resources
2) Erosion of County's fiscal health
a) Tax structure and Revenue District Systems are inefficient
b) Reducing tax capacity limit taxing and expenditure decisions
c) Removing authority from local officials
d) Costs are rising
3) Public perceives local government to be redundant, fragmented, competitive
and inefficient
4) Citizens are becoming "anti-government"
5) Erosion of grass roots government
Because of these Mega-Trends:
1) Change is necessary
2) Counties can be the center of change
3) Counties must think long term
4) Reform must be partnership-based
Special Joint Meeting
June 20, 2005
Page 2
lfwe can answer affirmatively to the questions below, for a specific topic, reform may be
possible:·
1) Is the current service system sustainable?
2) Is the current system ripe for reform?
3) Is reform doable?
4) Is Board/staff willing to do it?
Discussion took place regarding Why Here/Why Now. It was decided that a committee
would be put together for each agenda discussion topic that the group decided to
pursue some type of collaborative arrangement to save funds and improve delivery of
services. Vision and Goals should be established along with a Work Plan to consider
what we want to look like in 10 years.
1) Justice Center:
a) Committee Members:
Coordinator, Larry Krohn Otter Tail County
Commissioner, Mary Harrison Wadena County
Sheriff's from each County Otter Tail, Todd, & Wadena
District Judge, Sally Robertson Todd & Wadena
Corrections Director, Kathy Langer Todd & Wadena
Commissioner, Janet Goligowski Todd County
(Larry Krohn and Wadena County Auditor/Treasurer, Char West will be
responsible for this committee.)
2) Perham Incinerator:
a) No committee -leave this to responsibility of the commissioners
3) Social Services/Public Health:
a) Areas of discussion could be parceling into different kinds of services,
regional sanitarian delivery system, mental health/elderly services, 16-
bed Ml units could be provided by public sector, managed care
organizations are contracted with the counties, but could contract with
other vendors -Should counties be in a provider role?
b) Committee Members:
Human Services Directors from each cty Otter Tail, Todd, & Wadena
Public Health Directors from each county Otter Tail, Todd, & Wadena
(Others needed for the committee should be included by consensus of
above members.)
4) Public Transit:
a) Committee Members:
Coordinator, Tony Haasser Todd County
(Mr. Haasser will be responsible to establish this committee)
5) Judicial Ditches:
a) Committee Members:
(Otter Tail County Coordinator, Larry Krohn, and Board Secretary,
Kathy Domholt will be responsible to establish this committee)
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Special Joint Meeting
June 20, 2005
Page 3
6) Extension:
a) Committee Members:
County Coordinator, Larry Krohn Otter Tail County
Ext Service Region Director, Jim Carlson U of MN
Auditor/Treasurer, Char West Wadena County
Coordinator, Tony Haasser Todd County
(This group should add to committee as needed -there should be one
County Commissioner from each County.)
Meeting adjourned at noon.
Dated: 7-S-~005
CB/kd
OTTER TAIL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
By:-----,-_,_f1e~LIA...,~--=~----
Robert Block, County Board Chair
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