AMC Board of Directors Approves Legislative Priority Action Items ...

County Program Aid AMC supports legislation that strengthens county program aid (CPA) in a sustainable way and provides relief for counties experiencing dramatic reductions in tax-base equalization aid.

The total appropriation counties receive in state aid has fluctuated drastically over the past twenty years, and is significantly depressed in real dollar value. AMC convened a work group to study the CPA formula and recommend improvements. The work group included leadership from over 20 counties along with input from the Minnesota Inter-County Association (MICA) and the Minnesota Rural Counties Caucus (MRCC). After more than a year of work, the work group developed recommendations that reduce volatility and protect counties from losing significant funding when there is a sudden shift in their demographics.

Transportation Funding AMC supports a comprehensive transportation/transit funding package that includes new revenue.

The solution should be comprehensive (multi-modal), balanced (regionally and between modes), sustainable (on-going funding), and dedicated (constitutionally for roads and statutorily for transit).

Payment in Lieu of TaxesAMC supports a more sustainable funding mechanism for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program.

Last year, AMC led efforts regarding PILT which had promising inroads during the conference committee process and staff was optimistic about their inclusion in a final agreement. However, the tax bill did not pass prior to session adjournment.

Child Protection/Foster CareAMC supports policy changes to clarify new state mandates, adequate funding for those mandates and additional investment in prevention programs like family home visiting.

AMC will continue to work with DHS and the child protection legislative oversight committee on issues regarding child protection policy and funding measures, focusing specifically on:

• Continued financial assistance to counties to implement state mandates;

• Seeking funding to address the growing need and cost associated with foster care;

• E a r l y i n t e r v e n t i o n t h r o u g h e v i d e n c e based programs including increasing the reimbursement rates for home visiting programs; and

• Clarification on a mandated 24 hour response for new child protection cases.

Mental Health System ReformAMC supports expanded access to mental and behavioral health services through telemedicine, additional funding for services in jails, and expanded mental health beds through public and private partnerships.

AMC will work with community partners and state agencies to address the growing population of mentally ill offenders through community partnerships and early intervention for comprehensive mental health services reform, through the following measures:

• Work with federal partners to expand Medicaid coverage for individuals pre-sentencing;

• Expand access to mental and behavioral health services through telemedicine;

• Maximize capacity for state provided services; and

• Expand capacity at Community Behavioral Health Hospitals through public and private partnerships.

JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016 "ONE MINNESOTA" VOLUME 60, ISSUE 1

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AMC Board of Directors Approves Legislative Priority Action Items Developed by Membership

Starting each September, the Association of Minnesota Counties' (AMC) policy analysts lead members through a process of updating the legislative platform, which broadly outlines AMC’s vision and policy positions, providing direction for AMC policy analysts’ lobbying efforts during the legislative session.

AMC leadership and staff are committed to ensuring that the legislative platform reflects the priorities of AMC members; therefore the platform development process is designed to provide multiple opportunities for engagement. Several years ago, AMC expanded the annual platform development process to include a structured method for selecting a short list of legislative priorities. The purpose of this is to focus our legislative team and members on the issues that are actionable and of utmost importance to counties. These legislative priorities are also intended to raise the visibility of AMC as a proactive and solution-focused organization.

Members discuss possible platform changes at AMC’s fall policy committee meetings in September. Each policy committee is also responsible for identifying potential legislative priority items within their issue area.

In October and November, potential priority items are reviewed at district meetings. Members have the opportunity to discuss the ideas put forward by policy committees and to identify three to five items that reflect the priorities of their district.

A t t h e A M C Annual Conference i n D e c e m b e r , platform items are discussed and voted upon in each policy committee. Items that get a committee recommendation are moved forward to the General Assembly for approval.

The AMC Board o f D i r e c t o r s t h e n s o l i d i f i e s t h e a s s o c i a t i o n ’ s priority items for the upcoming session based on feedback f r o m d i s t r i c t meetings and other pertinent factors.

CPA BOARD RESOLUTIONS DUE BEFORE MARCH 8

Thank you to the 55 counties who have signed a board

resolution in support of the AMC-sponsored County Program

Aid legislation! AMC hopes to have 100% member support (87

resolutions) by the start of session on March 8. If your county board

has not taken action on this critical issue, please consider doing so

within the next month. If you have questions or would like copies of

the CPA draft resolution, fact sheet, or county-by-county breakdown,

please contact Matt Hilgart at [email protected].

2016 AMC Legislative Priorities

'2016 Legislative Priorities' continues on page 8.

2 MINNESOTA COUNTIES JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016

125 Charles AvenueSt. Paul, MN 55103-2108

Main Line: 651-224-3344, Fax: 651-224-6540www.mncounties.org

Board of DirectorsOFFICERSPresident ...............................Jack Swanson (Roseau)First Vice President ............Gary Hendrickx (Swift)Second Vice President........Susan Morris (Isanti)Secretary/Treasurer ...........Mary Jo McGuire (Ramsey)Past President ......................Christopher Shoff, DC (Freeborn)

DIRECTORSDistrict I .................................Kevin Adee (Koochiching)District II ................................Joe Vene (Beltrami)District III ..............................Joe Bouvette (Kittson)District IV ...............................Larry Lindor (Pope)District V ................................DeWayne Mareck (Stearns)District VI ...............................Todd Patzer (Lac qui Parle)District VII .............................Jack Kolars (Nicollet)District VIII ............................Bob Moline (Murray)District IX ...............................Marcia Ward (Winona) District X ...............................Rhonda Sivarajah (Anoka)...................................................Jim Ische (Carver)...................................................Liz Workman (Dakota)...................................................Linda Higgins (Hennepin)...................................................Toni Carter (Ramsey)...................................................Barbara Marschall (Scott)...................................................Karla Bigham (Washington)

POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIRSEnvironment & Natural Resources ..............Barry Nelson (Becker)General Government & Taxes ...................................Darryl Tveitbakk (PenningtonHealth & Human Services ....Nina Huntington (Steele)Public Safety ............................Will Purvis (Blue Earth)Transportation & Infrastructure ..................... John Okeson (Becker)

NACo REPRESENTATIVESNACo Past President ................ Randy Johnson (Hennepin)NACo Delegate .......................... Jim McDonough (Ramsey)100% Membership State ......... Nancy Schouweiler (Dakota)Top 12 Membership State ....... Paul Wilson (Olmsted)

AT-LARGE MEMBERS........................................................ Randy Maluchnik (Carver) ........................................................ Toni Carter (Ramsey)

AMC Office StaffADMINISTRATIONExecutive Director ................Julie Ring .................. 651-789-4330Accountant............................. Sue Bowman ............. 651-789-4338Administrative Assistant ... Donna Haupert ....... 651-789-4356Receptionist ........................... Ralph Wright............651-789-4320

MEMBER SERVICES & COMMUNICATIONSDeputy Director .................... Laurie Klupacs ......... 651-789-4329Communications Coordinator/ Webmaster ...................... Becky Pizinger ......... 651-789-4332Education Director .............. Toni Smith ................. 651-789-4335Research Analyst .................. Jill Suurmeyer ...........651-789-4357Member Services Assistant Suzanne LaPalm .......651-789-4333

INTERGOVERNMENTAL SERVICES (IGS)Legislative Coordinator ....Anne Kilzer ....... 651-789-4323Environment & Natural Resources

Policy Analyst ...............Jennifer Berquam .... 651-789-4322General Government & Taxes

Policy Analyst ...............Matt Hilgart ............... 651-789-4343Health & Human Services

Policy Analyst ...............Rochelle Westlund .. 651-789-4325Public Safety

Policy Analyst ...............Ryan Erdmann .......... 651-789-4345Transportation & Infrastructure

Policy Analyst ...............Vacant .......................... 651-789-4339IGS Assistant .........................Ben Baglio ...................651-789-4321

CONTRACT SERVICESLOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION (LPHA)Director .................................Lorna Schmidt............ 651-789-4354

MINNESOTA ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS ACT COUNTIES (MACCAC)Director .......................................Ryan Erdmann .................651-789-4345

MINNESOTA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICE ADMINISTRATORS (MACSSA)Director .......................................Eric Ratzmann................. 651-789-4340

MINNESOTA WORKFORCE COUNCIL ASSOCIATION (MWCA)Director .................................Anne Kilzer .................. 651-789-4323

STATE JUVENILE DETENTION ALTERNATIVE INITIATIVES (JDAI)Coordinator .........................Curtis Shanklin .......... 651-789-4336

To Subscribe: Send $31.95 to the Association of Minnesota Counties with a note requesting a subscription to the newspaper. Delivery begins upon receipt of payment for a one-year subscription (six issues).

To Advertise: CLASSIFIED ADS: Member counties may place classified ads on the AMC web site at no charge. Please send your ads to Becky Pizinger at fax# (651) 224-6540 or e-mail [email protected].

DISPLAY ADS: Companies interested in advertising in Minnesota Counties should e-mail [email protected].

To Contribute: Story ideas, articles and photographs are welcome.

President’s Notes By Jack Swanson, Roseau County Commissioner & AMC President

Director’s Notes By Julie Ring, AMC Executive Director

Now's Our Chance to Make CPA Equitable for All 87 Minnesota Counties

Local Government Aid (LGA) to cities has been in the news and on Opinion/Editorial pages over the past several months in Minnesota. Owatonna Mayor Thomas Kuntz and Glencoe Mayor Randy Wilson, both self-identified Republicans, sent an open letter in December to the Republican majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives suggesting those legislators reconsider a 2015 bill which would have reduced LGA funding by 84 million dollars.

In their letter, Kuntz and Wilson say that, “the House’s attack on LGA severely undermines a program that is vital to many Greater Minnesota communities.” Referencing that letter, Grand Forks Herald Opinion Editor Tom Dennis concurs writing that, “LGA is that rare program that wins solid, statewide and bipartisan support.”

While understanding property tax poor cities’ need for Local Government Aid funding, it is equally important that the Legislature recognize the impact County Program Aid (CPA) has in addressing fiscal disparities for Minnesota’s 87 counties.

The Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) convened a working group in 2014 to tackle the problems faced by more than two dozen counties when rapidly rising agricultural land valuations created the illusion of property tax wealth and pushed those counties off the CPA cliff. That working group, comprised of members from all ten AMC Districts, was able to reach unanimous agreement on a formula adjustment which is far more equitable for all of Minnesota. To assure no “losers” across Minnesota, the working group is asking the Legislature to appropriate an additional $40 million annually in CPA funding. To that end, AMC has made County Program Aid our top legislative priority for 2016. Every one of AMC’s ten Districts included CPA among their top five priorities, and seven of the ten made it their number one priority.

AMC is asking each of its members to pass a resolution of support for the CPA platform policy language, and more than half of our counties have already done that. If your county hasn’t already done so, please consider passage of that resolution before the start of the legislative session on March 8.

Every county has different needs and priorities for their citizens, but as stewards of local property tax dollars and as the provider for numerous state-mandated services, it is vitally important that Commissioners and County Staff impress on their legislators the necessity for additional CPA dollars. We are tasked with providing our residents public safety, roads and bridges, social services, secure courthouses and courtrooms, among many other things.

Just as Minnesota’s cities see a need for additional Local Government Aid, Minnesota’s counties are equally in need of additional County Program Aid to truly help 87 counties achieve that vision of “One Minnesota.”

AMC Unites Minnesota’s Counties to Achieve Public Service Excellence

The Association’s Board of Directors adopted a new mission statement in December, as part of a larger strategic planning process. “AMC unites Minnesota’s counties to achieve public service excellence” brings together the most important traits of our organization:

• Unity of Minnesota counties, and

• A focus on public service excellence, including excellence in governance, management, programs, people and community service.

Let’s be honest - mission statements get a bad rap. It’s hard to come up with a short, pithy, but relatable way to describe an organization. After all, AMC’s purpose, programs, and services are multifaceted. But the exercise of considering everything, then looking for themes, can be a clarifying one.

Our diverse board of directors and our AMC staff brought numerous perspectives to the table. AMC’s process benefited from an outside facilitator, one who did not know our business or even the business of counties, as well as we do. Our facilitator – and members – pressed us to move away from “government-speak” in an effort to make our mission statement relevant to a wider audience.

Throughout the conversation, the loudest theme was “unity” and the important role that AMC serves in bringing all Minnesota counties together to discuss and debate issues. As elected officials continue to grapple with “urban/rural, liberal/conservative, north/south” and other ways of dividing the state, AMC strives to find the threads of connection between diverse counties. It achieves this through robust, open discussion in policy committees and work groups, not by shying away from disagreements. We strive for unity through increased understanding of both similarities and differences.

The second theme was an aspiration toward “excellence.” We had lengthy discussions of how and where we wanted to achieve excellence, and ultimately decided that the term “public service” encompassed our wide range of activities and our unique position in the public sector. We believe this short phrase encompasses our recent focus on innovation and government redesign as well as our long-held principles of efficiency and effectiveness in government. It includes the elected official role of governance and the staff roles of management and program delivery.

You will hear more about AMC’s new strategic plan throughout 2016, but it all starts with a clarity of purpose: “AMC unites Minnesota’s counties to achieve public service excellence.”

JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016 MINNESOTA COUNTIES 3

Association of Minnesota Counties Associate Membership

AMCAM 2016Thanks to all of our AMCAM members for their support of Minnesota Counties! For a complete listing of company information, please visit www.mncounties.org/AMCAM.

PLATINUMBlue Cross and Blue Shield of MN and Blue Plus

Coast2Coast Rx CardEhlers

Eide Bailly LLPGalliard Capital Management

MAGIC Fund - PFM Asset Management, LLCMCIT - Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust

Nationwide Retirement Solutions Inc./NRSPreferredOne

Public Financial Management, Inc. (PFM)Revize Government Websites

Thomson Reuters

GOLDContegrity Group Construction Management

SILVERNorthland Securities, Inc.

Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A.S E H (Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.)

Springsted IncorporatedVeit & Company

WenckWold Architects and Engineers

WSBXEROX

BRONZEAmramp

ArvigBaker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP

Bolton & Menk, Inc.Brock White

CenterPoint EnergyCliftonLarsonAllen LLP

Compass Consultants, Inc.Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota

CTS GroupDavid Drown Associates

Disability SpecialistsDorsey & Whitney LLP

GLTArchitectsGreystone Construction Company

Hamline University School of BusinessINSPEC, INC.

Institute for Environmental Assessment (IEA)ITC Midwest

Klein McCarthy ArchitectsKraus-Anderson Construction Company

Minnesota Counties Computer Cooperative (MnCCC)Minnesota Service Cooperatives

Minnesota State IndustriesMTM/MNET Minnesota Non-Emergency Transporta-

tionNational Joint Powers Alliance

Purple Wave AuctionRichardson, Richter & Associates, Inc.

RtVision, Inc.Sand Creek Group, Ltd.

Sicora ConsultingStoel Rives LLP

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

February1 - 5 MACO Winter Conference8 MRCC Board of Directors12 MCIT Board of Directors15 PRESIDENTS DAY - AMC Office Closed17 LPHA Legislative Committee LPHA Executive Committee18 LPHA General Meeting20-24 NACo Legislative Conference -

Washington, D.C.24 MWCA Committees MACSSA Committees25 MACCAC Committees MACSSA General Meeting MWCA Operations Committee26 MACA Executive Committee MACCAC Board of Directors

March3 AMC Executive Committee8 2016 Legislative Session Begins8-10 MN Transportation Alliance Conference - St.

Paul9 MRCC Board 10-11 AMC Legislative Conference - St. Paul10 AMC Board of Directors11 MCIT Board of Directors12-15 National Association of Workforce Boards -

Washington, D.C.16 MSSA Annual Training Conference & Expo-

Minneapolis16 Transportation Alliance Day at the Capitol LPHA Legislative Committee LPHA Executive Committee17 LPHA Day at the Capitol18 MACA Executive Committee23 MWCA Committees MACSSA Committees24 MACCAC Committees MACSSA General Meeting MWCA Operations Committee25 MACCAC Board of Directors


2015 AMC Annual Conference Photo Review

2015 County Achievement Awards2015 AMC President Christopher Shoff (Freeborn County) is shown with award winners.

Connecting Nicollet County – Nicollet County

Birch Tree Center Crisis Stabilization - Collaborative with Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis Counties;

Bois Forte, Fond du Lac and Grand Portage Bands of the Lake Superior Chippewa

Mental Health Intake Redesign – Anoka County

wRight Choice Program – Wright County

2015 AMC President's AwardPresented to Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County

(From left to right): National Association of Counties’ (NACo) President Sallie Clarke (El Paso County, Colorado, Commissioner), AMC President’s Award recipient Commissioner Peter

McLaughlin (Hennepin County), 2015 AMC President Commissioner Christopher Shoff (Freeborn County), Commissioners Jim McDonough and Toni Carter (Ramsey County).

2015 Outstanding

Service Awards

2015 AMC President Christopher Shoff (Freeborn County) is shown

with award winners.

2015 County Conservation Award 2015 AMC President Christopher Shoff (Freeborn County) and Board of Soil and Water Resources

(BWSR) Executive Director John Jaschke is shown with award winners.

Improved Targeting and Public Value of Wetland Mitigation - Lake of the Woods County

Janice Fransen Jackson County

Coordinator (retired)

Patty O'Connor Blue Earth County Director of

Taxpayer Services (retired)

Meet the 2016 AMC

Executive Committee(From left to right):

Past President: Freeborn County Commissioner Christopher ShoffSecretary-Treasurer: Ramsey County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire

President: Roseau County Commissioner Jack SwansonSecond Vice President: Isanti County Commissioner Susan MorrisFirst Vice President: Swift County Commissioner Gary Hendrickx

2015 Joe Ries Excellence in County

Management Award

Presented by the Minnesota Association of County Administrators (MACA) to

Bob Meyer, Blue Earth County Administrator

Newly elected 2016 AMC President Jack Swanson (Roseau County) is sworn in by 2015 AMC President Christopher Shoff (Freeborn County).

Minnesota county commissioners and key staff pose with NACo President Sallie Clarke.

NACo President Sallie Clarke presented 2015 AMC President Christopher Shoff with a framed proclamation of AMC's 100% Membership State

status with the national association.

2016 AMC President Jack Swanson (Roseau County).

Thanks to everyone for a great conference!


New Developments and Strategies in Tax Forfeited LandBy Mark Chapin, Hennepin County Auditor & Treasurer and member of the MACO Board of Directors

Hennepin County is working to improve its Tax Forfeited Land (TFL) process to limit participation by bad actors, encourage owner-occupancy and to accelerate the redemption periods for property that is vacant and abandoned. Several initiatives taken in 2015 have made a good first step in that direction.

The tax forfeited land portfolio in Hennepin County is both diverse and large. Typically the county sells property at bi-annual public auctions and also conveys a number of properties to the City of Minneapolis for redevelopment. On some occasions, the land is not put to a good use as quickly as the county would like.

Hennepin County’s Tax Forfeited Land group is led by Jeff Strand and Jan Duffie. Jeff and Jan have been interested in ways to limit irresponsible individuals from purchasing tax forfeited land and ways to get property into the hands of people who are committed to their community that will accelerate the redemption period for vacant and abandoned structures that are stressing neighborhoods. Following are a number of initiatives taken in 2015.

Prohibited Purchasers. Prospective purchasers or bidders that own real property located in Hennepin County that have delinquent property taxes or have had a contract for purchase of tax-forfeited lands cancelled in the past five years are ineligible to participate in the public auction or direct purchase. In addition, a prospective purchaser is ineligible to participate if they have had a rental license revoked by the City of Minneapolis or is currently the subject of a revocation proceeding. This information is posted with all of the auction information. A deposit is required to participate in the auction and if the county learns that the winning bidder is a prohibited purchaser, then their earnest money is forfeited and their sale is nullified.

Owner Occupant Only Public Auction. To encourage home ownership, an “owner/occupant only” public auction was conducted on a pilot basis in 2015. Participation required a commitment to bringing the property up to code within one year and successfully homesteading the property for three years. Our legal advisers opined that placing reasonable limitations on the public auction was permissible. Our hope was to attract prospective purchasers who were interested in committing to redeveloping single family homes and living in them. Six properties were sold. Reverter language was placed in the deed and if the owner is successful in meeting the terms of the sale, that language will be removed.

Accelerated Redemption. To speed up the forfeiture process, the County’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority authorized legal action against nine property owners whose properties were vacant and abandoned pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 281.173 (the statute requires that the legal action be commenced by a city, housing and redevelopment authority, port authority or economic development authority where the property is located). This pilot involved structures that had been condemned and were tax forfeited but the redemption period had not run. The properties were selected based on a criteria focusing on the number of outstanding housing violations. The county sought court orders to accelerate the redemption period to the statutory authorized five-week period. The statutory redemption period for most of the properties was in mid-2016 and two had mid-2017 dates.

(Minnesota Statute § 281.173 requires that the premises are not lawfully occupied and outlines a number of criteria indicating abandonment, including windows and entrances being boarded up, broken windows, no utility service, police reports of trespass, vandalism or other illegal acts committed on the premises, and/or the accumulation of trash or rubbish.)

These legal actions resulted in two of the property owners paying their taxes, (one tore down a meth house and is in the process of developing the vacant lot) with the result that their case was dismissed. One property owner tore down the structure and their case was dismissed and in the remaining six cases, the court ordered accelerated redemption periods. In a few of those cases, the county settled the case and obtained a reduced redemption period longer than five weeks but substantially less than what the regular statutory redemption period time frame (e.g., pay all property taxes and specials by the end of the calendar year).

We believe this was a very successful pilot because it forced taxpayers with vacant and abandoned properties to make a decision as to whether they were going to redeem the property within the court imposed accelerated period or lose it to forfeiture. In several cases, the taxpayer’s hand was forced and they decided to either pay their taxes or demolish the structure.

If you are interested in more information on the efforts mentioned in this article, please e-mail [email protected] or [email protected] or consult the MACO website where much of this information will be placed.

Minnesota will play a key role in the 2016 electionBy Steve Simon, Minnesota Secretary of State

I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year, and is ready for 2016.

This is going to be an important election year in Minnesota, beginning with precinct caucuses on March 1, the state primary election on August 9, and the state general election on November 8.

Minnesota has a proud tradition of high voter participation, and I look forward to spending the next year traveling the state and talking with Minnesotans about the importance of voting, civic engagement, and making sure everyone’s voice is heard.

More importantly, thanks to the great work being done by all of you at the county and local levels, our election system will continue to be one of the most envied in the nation.

But we still have work to do to make sure our elections system is prepared for emergencies.

Elections Emergency Planning Task Force Recommendations

As I wrote on these pages a few months ago, I chaired the Elections Emergency Planning Task Force in the fall, which was created by the state legislature last year to ensure that Minnesota is prepared if a natural disaster or other large scale incident occurs affecting an election.

Minnesota is well-equipped to deal with issues affecting one or two polling locations, but we must be better prepared for a crisis affecting a large portion of the state. That’s why the Task Force met with experts in election administration, emergency preparedness, and emergency response, examining a variety of issues, including potential emergency scenarios and maintaining ballot security.

On January 1, my office delivered a report to the legislature with a list of the Task Force’s recommendations. A few of those recommendations that you might find interesting include:

Requiring my office to create a state elections emergency plan. The plan would be created in consultation with Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety, Division of Homeland Security, and Emergency Management.

Requiring my office to develop a model emergency plan and a guide for counties and local jurisdictions to assist in the development of local elections emergency plans.

Requiring each county to create a local elections emergency plan for use in all elections within the county, in consultation with the cities, towns, and school districts, and file them with my office. Counties would have the option to simply adopt the model emergency plan created by my office or create their own (as long as it addresses the needs of voters with disabilities, ballot security needs, and ensures there is a clear process in place for any polling place relocation).

Ultimately, the decision whether to adopt these recommendations will be up to the legislature, but I believe that they provide for strong local control while still ensuring uniformity of voting experiences across the state.

If you have any questions, or for a copy of the full report, please contact my Director of Government Relations Julie Strother at [email protected]. Thank you for all that you do.


Profiles of Excellence in County LeadershipMeet John Helmers, Olmsted County Environmental Resources Director

Leaders in county government come with a variety of backgrounds and experiences and John Helmers, Olmsted County’s Environmental Resources Director, is no exception. John is a professional civil engineer by trade and has over three decades of engineering experience including all aspects of solid waste management, gained while working for public agencies and private engineering consulting firms. He also has seven years of teaching experience at Rochester Community and Technical College.

In his current role as director of the Olmsted County Department of Environmental Resources, John leads the department’s Solid Waste Management and Water Resources divisions. The Solid Waste Management Division operates an integrated solid waste management system that includes a public education program for waste reduction, re-use, recycling, and proper disposal of solid wastes. The system also operates a central yard waste composting facility, and a household and small generator hazardous waste collection facility, as well as three landfills and a waste-to-energy facility which serve Dodge and Olmsted counties. The system is operated as an enterprise fund and obtains revenues from waste disposal fees, hauler collected service fees, and sales of products including compost, steam and electricity. No general fund tax moneys are used to pay for the integrated solid waste management system. The department’s Water Resources Division operates a small sanitary sewer system and a regional water quality testing laboratory providing certified testing for drinking water, surface water and non-potable water testing to private citizens, government agencies, public municipalities, well contractors and public swimming pools.

John is now in his eleventh consecutive year with Olmsted County and thirteenth year overall.

Q . How did you get started in county governance?A. Although I started my professional career by hiring on with the Federal Highway

Administration during my senior year in college, a retroactive hiring freeze penned by President Reagan forced me to look for another job so I hired on at the private engineering firm of Yaggy Associates, Inc. in Rochester. While becoming licensed as a professional engineer in Minnesota, I landed my first position with Olmsted County in the late 1980s as the landfill engineer. At that time, the county’s integrated solid waste management system was just being set up. I ended up leaving the county to the lure of a consulting career but I ultimately went back into public service teaching civil engineering and land surveying at Rochester Community and Technical College. In 2003 my teaching position was eliminated during the statewide budget shortages. Fortunately the county asked me back to act as the construction project manager for their waste-to-energy expansion project. A staff retirement in 2007 and a department restructuring in 2011 created the position I serve in today as Director of Environmental Resources.

In general, it is not unusual for civil engineers to work in the public sector, and actually around the time I graduated from college, the slogan of the American Society of Civil Engineers was “engineering is a people serving profession.” That appealed to me, and I believe ultimately is why I am in this line of work for the county.

Q . Was there anything or anyone that influenced where you are today?A. I like to say the reason I am an engineer is that I grew up on a dairy farm, which

taught me the worth of hard work while instilling in me a desire to do more with less effort! More recently, the people I work with have been very influential in helping me develop into the person and professional I am today. They have provided many learning opportunities -- including some challenging ones, and have done so with gentle guidance, good example, and sometimes trial by fire!

Q . How would you describe Olmsted County?A. A dynamic, world-class county delivering excellence every day providing the foundation

of a vibrant community - that is our county vision and we are working to make it true. Olmsted is a progressive county that is rooted in its history. It is a large county with a small county past which is currently experiencing a time of transition. Another unique feature of Olmsted County is that is has one large city (the third largest in the state) with its own economy; but, it also has small towns and rural communities each with its own challenges and opportunities. The geography is also interesting with Olmsted being situated on the edge of the prairie and the edge of the hardwood forests. We have many challenges with protecting our environmental resources (our air, soil and waters), given the quick path for pollution due to the karst geology underlying most of the county. Our commissioners and staff understand the importance of protecting these valuable assets and are working hard to improve their quality.

Q . Is there a particular hardship you’ve faced which has molded your leadership style?A. My son’s horseback riding accident in 1998 left him with a traumatic brain injury.

Watching him recover to semi-independent living has molded me in many ways. The biggest thing, I think, is that he has done a really, really good job of recovering and becoming as independent as he can be. He is constantly trying to make improvements and never gives up. He has taught me to be more empathetic and tolerant with the perspective that you have to take people where they’re at and to help them become the best they can be.

Q . What is the most important trait that makes a successful county employee?A. An attitude of public service – if you don’t have that, you’re not going to succeed working

in government.

Q . Has county governance changed in the time you’ve worked at Olmsted County? If so, how?

A. Yes. We have flattened our organization and distributed the operational decisions throughout the staff. We have worked together to establish goals and measures and are now working to align each individual’s performance to those goals. In general, the structure has fewer positions, fewer managers and less top-down management. Originally this was budget driven and done out of necessity; but, in hindsight, it has been good to have the decisions made as close to the public as possible.

Q . What other leadership roles have you held outside your job at the county?

A. I’ve served as president, s e c r e t a r y, t r eas u r e r, o r executive board member of various professional, civic and church organizations ( i n c l u d i n g t h e c u r r e n t presidency of the Solid Waste Administrators Association). I was an assistant scout master in my son’s Boy Scout troop and learned many positive leadership lessons in that experience. One thing that I learned is that any group will only progress at the pace of its weakest individual and that good teamwork is helping everyone move toward the goal. You can’t just leave part of your organization behind. You have to bring everyone along to achieve the most success.

Q . What do you see as current challenges and potential opportunities for counties today and into the future?

A. I see a challenge in our society’s apparent move or trend towards becoming less tolerant of differences and people not wanting to listen to each other if their views don’t align. Opportunities are ripe in collaboration among counties, especially in solid waste management and water resources management. One example of this is the One Watershed One Plan approach in which counties and various groups within a watershed work together to create one common water management plan rather than numerous individual plans. I see many changes in the area of water resources and think there will be many opportunities to work together to accomplish common goals. On the solid waste management side, there are also opportunities to collaboratively implement the solid waste management hierarchy.

Q . Do you have any motivational quotes that mean something for you and the work you do?

A. Yes, there are three that come to mind. The first applies to my engineering background: “Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done” – Robert A. Heinlein. In other words, you don’t know if it’s going to work until you try it. Second, “I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use” —Mother Teresa. To me, this fits with the integrated solid waste management goals in Olmsted County – try to make everything a resource and do not throw it away. And finally, “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” -Confucius. When you work for a county you always have to remember this – nothing is going to happen quickly. This is also my son’s motto for his recovery.

Q . Why is AMC valuable to your county?A. Working with others in similar situations makes it easier to reach common goals. I

have learned much from my association with staff and commissioners from other counties – it has been very helpful in keeping things in perspective but also in coming up with better ways of doing things.

Q . When John isn’t hard at work in the Olmsted County Government Center, you’ll find him….

A. Riding our two quarter horses with my wife, paddling my homebuilt wood-strip canoe with my son in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, or backpacking the Superior Hiking Trail alone or with friends. Basically enjoying the outdoors! When you find me indoors, you would see me reading science fiction or non-fiction books or science related magazines.

Q . Would you care to impart some advice to staff or commissioners who have just begun their public service?

A. Remember that you work for the public and that your first priority is to preserve and enhance the common wealth of the community for which you serve. By common wealth, I mean everything that is commonly held (i.e. public land, air and water resources in the county, public systems -- our built and natural environments). I believe it is important we act as good stewards of these things we own in common to protect, maintain and keep these resources available for future generations to use.

Olmsted County Profile Population: 150,287

Levy: 2016 net levy is $89,716,190

Interesting Facts: Olmsted County is located in the southeastern part of Minnesota and is uniquely situated on the edge of the prairie and the edge of the hardwood forests. While it has no natural lakes, the county has many streams which account for 342 bridges. Olmsted is home to the Mayo Clinic, the state’s largest private employer, and while the county has a population of about 150,000, 25% of the workforce commutes into Olmsted County.


What is MACFO?By Rebecca Schlorf, Stearns County, MACFO Central District Representative and Mae Petrehn, Douglas County, MACFO West Central District Representative

The Minnesota Association of County Feedlot Officers (MACFO) is a newer member of the Association of Minnesota Counties, and we look forward to the many benefits that AMC will provide.

MACFO was formed in October 2001 with a continued purpose to further educate the general public about livestock operations, to assist livestock producers with recognizing the benefits of proper nutrient management, and to foster working relationships with livestock producers so that the environmental permitting process and the requirements of Minnesota Rules, Chapter 7020 are better understood and implemented.

For 2016, 52 counties have continued to choose the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) delegation of the State feedlot program, which involves local oversight of animal feedlot operations where a federal permit is not required. Some counties have been delegated since 1975. Each delegated county has a designated county feedlot officer (CFO), which in some counties, is managed by the Soil and Water Conservation District.

Counties that have chosen delegation often find it beneficial to have local control and local assistance available for feedlot registration, permitting, and resolution of compliance issues, which is often coordinated with local planning and zoning requirements. The delegated county program was created and enhanced with the intent to increase local level administration and thus effectiveness in expediting permitting and compliance by including an increased field presence.

Because the MPCA oversees the delegated county feedlot program, MACFO meets quarterly with MPCA feedlot program managers. In addition, there are various teams that have met. These meetings help build and maintain a partnership with MPCA that can be a challenge to balance.

MACFO and MPCA regularly work together to shape state feedlot program policies, county feedlot program administration, data management and training. Currently, with budget reductions, a new MPCA data program, and a high rate of staff turnover in both MPCA’s feedlot program and CFOs, there is more stress and frustration.

Of the 52 delegated counties, 20 have had new County Feedlot Officers start within the past two years. This increases the need for consistent policy interpretation and training from the PCA. Turnover, reductions in staff and fewer trainings offered from the PCA feedlot program combined with about 40% of the CFO’s being new to the position presents many challenges to maintaining a robust county program. Productive local control of feedlot regulation can only happen with CFO’s who have proper technical training consistent with state rule. There is a definite need for additional MPCA staff to provide training and assistance for new CFO’s. Some of the training shortfall has been covered by experienced CFO’s but does take time away from working with their own counties producers.

Efforts are underway internally and legislatively to return MPCA Feedlot staff to adequate levels to assist new CFO’s in providing the basic foundations of the feedlot program – inspections, registrations and permitting and program oversight. MACFO and MPCA’s Feedlot Management Team remain committed to providing a comprehensive program that will assist livestock producers in complying with State and Federal feedlot rules and protect our natural resources.

For more information: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/wq-f6-51.pdf

Secretary of State Simon Continues to Engage Counties on Multiple Issues

In addition to his 87-county tour in 2015, Secretary of State Steve Simon has continued to engage counties in issues that matter, showing himself and the office a reliable and sincere partner in an effort to address lingering issues on voting efficiencies and technology upgrades/costs. In the past 6 months alone, Secretary Simon has coordinated two work groups to provide guidelines and recommendations for a statewide emergency election plan (discussed in detail in the Secretary of State's column on page 5 of this edition) and to deliberate over issues surrounding the replacement of election equipment. The Elections Emergency Planning Task Force was established as a result of legislation in 2015 (Ch. 70, Art. 1, Sec. 61). Members of the task force included several legislators, leadership from the MN National Guard, and representatives from townships, cities and counties—including Crow Wing County Auditor, Debbie Erickson. The solutions proposed by this group came in the form of a proposal to require counties to create/adopt an elections emergency plan which addresses ballot security, polling place relocation and the needs of voters with disabilities. The Secretary of State’s office will develop a model emergency plan which could be adopted by any county as their plan or serve as a guide for a more detailed and localized approach. Reminder to readers that these are just working group proposals and will require legislation, sponsorship, and ultimately legislative approval.

Secretary Simon has also initiated an Elections Equipment Taskforce for purposes of exploring means to provide financial assistance to counties in the replacement of obsolete or decaying elections technology. The cost to replace aging election equipment for counties can run anywhere between a hundred thousand to upwards of a million dollars and often requires increased levies, bonding, or multi-year saving plans. In addition, many counties surveyed have not replaced their current precinct tabulators since the early 2000s. While federal assistance was provided in 2002 (via the Help America Vote Act), this revenue source was limited to one-time use and is likely not to be expounded on by Congress. In the coming weeks, the group will review several options for new revenue—including direct appropriations, grants, cost-sharing, and bonding requests— in a hope to present unified plan to the legislature in March. AMC is thankful for the participation of Commissioners Randy Maluchnik, Victoria Reinhardt, and county officers/staff Debbie Erickson, Jake Sieg, Pat Martinson, and Pat Pacquin.

If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for any of the election topics discussed, please email Matt Hilgart at [email protected].


Conservation at what cost?Major Tax Case Heads to the Supreme CourtOutcome could destroy long held assessment practices and cost local governments millions.

By Matt Hilgart, AMC General Government Policy Analyst

No one said the assessment of more than 187,000 acres of forest land in Northern Minnesota would be easy, but when one party assesses the value of said parcels at $189,000,000 while the other party at $25,000,000, alarm bells go off.

For the last two years a group of Northern counties have become entangled in a controversial tax court decision which has now trickled up to the Supreme Court by way of appeal. In the initial Tax Court case of Blandin Paper Company v. Aitkin, Itasca, Koochiching, St. Louis and Political Subdivisions of the State of Minnesota, Blandin argued that the their private assessment of the same grouping of properties was 85% less than the counties’ original assessment. Citing the authority to combine their 4,680 parcels into one economic unit and a subsequent reduction in value due to a recent easement placed on the property, Blandin argued that the initial assessment for the property should be reduced by a respective $137 million dollars. Surprising to most, the Tax Court case culminated in a June 2015 decision awarding Blandin a $300,000,000 + reduction in assessed tax value for 2010 and 2011 assessments.

For Itasca County, one of four counties on the hook for potential refund orders, the prospects of a Tax Court decision being upheld by the Supreme Court would mean an estimated refund of $10,000,000 for tax years 2011-15, representing over a quarter of the county’s 2016 levy. For smaller townships, this refund is akin to foreclosure, representing far more than the reserves they would have to keep the township solvent— meaning the county would have to pick up the balance of any township that became unincorporated as a result. Even more disconcerting than the enormity of the impending refunds is what a confirmation of the tax court’s decision would mean for the future of assessing and for the stability of county financing.

Traditional assessing practices thrown into disarray

Minnesota Statute 273.08 clearly states that assessors must “determine the market value of each tract or lot of real property for taxation….” In reality, this means that assessors assess each property at market value—what that property would sell if it were placed on the market today. For example, if citizen A owned 5 investment properties, each of those investment properties would be valued individually and then sent separate property tax statements. At face value, it would appear the Tax Court’s decision to allow Blandin to “pool” their properties together is contrary to Minnesota Law which requires individual parcel assessment. Furthermore, an endorsement of this decision would wreak havoc on the assessing industry by theoretically requiring assessors to cross taxing districts and jurisdictional lines to evaluate combined parcels and allow petitioners to argue a depressed overall sale value because of the size of the single economic unit.

The case becomes even further complicated when Blandin argues that in addition to being valued as one “unit,” the Court should take into consideration a loss of value due to a recently acquired environmental easement right purchased by the State of Minnesota. In Summer 2010, Blandin negotiated a sale of easement rights—allowing for public access to certain recreation activities including birdwatching, hunting, fishing and others—for the total price tag of $43.7 million. It is important to note that while these easement rights are in perpetuity, they were voluntary in nature do not conflict with the company’s primary use of the land—timber harvesting. Blandin is correct to assume that an environmental easement does carry restrictions and limitations for future property use, but one must ask why the nearly $45,000,000 purchase price of this easement wasn’t considered as added value during under the Tax Court’s final assessed values, OR why the continued use of the land for timber resourcing under the easement diminishes the value so greatly. At face value, a $45 million lump sum payment for an easement, $302 million reduction in total property value (based on court ordered assessments for 2010-2011) and the ability to continue using the land for timber resourcing sounds like a pretty sweet deal and most likely will have industry competitors watching closely as they consider following suit.

Larger questions at play

This story begs the question, what happens if a county is not able to rely on a dependable system of assessing? Will farmers with multi-parcels of agricultural land now ask to be assessed as one unit and therefore drive down the overall assessment value and potential property tax revenue? How do commissioners set a budget and levy if there are looming threats of major, multi-year tax cases which represent significant portions of the county budget/levy? Most importantly, what are the costs to taxpayers for this inconsistency and tax system anarchy? Are residents and homeowners aware of the looming tax shifts and will they be able to absorb the costs? And lastly, to the State of Minnesota,

we must ask conservation, but at what cost? There are undoubtedly values to acquiring, preserving, and protecting natural resources for the enjoyment of future generations, but does this supersede a county’s ability to properly fund its local public health agency or maintain critical infrastructure?

In November, the Association of Minnesota Counties—in partnership with the Minnesota Association of Townships, Minnesota Association of Assessing Officers, and Minnesota County Attorneys Association—submitted an amicus to the Supreme Court arguing that the Tax Court was wrong in allowing the pooling of properties across jurisdictions into one “mega-parcel” (close to a third the size of Rhode Island) and that their creation of a “unit rule” would have severe consequences on assessing into the future. We are hopeful that the gravity of this case and its implications will weigh heavily on the Supreme Court Justice’s mind as they look to the severity of the refunds and sustainability of local assessing, as a whole.

As you can imagine, the questions that are raised in this piece are far more reaching than just Blandin’s case. The Supreme Court’s decision has the potential to drastically change traditional and long-held assessment practices. Aside from the financial devastation caused by the magnitude of a multi-million dollar refund, the precedent that would be set by allowing private entities to pool landholdings to get a reduced market value assessment would have reverberations outside of the Arrowhead region and should be a concern to all counties.

Interested in learning more about this case and its implications? Check out these sites:Grand Rapids Herald Review: http://bit.ly/1ndVz4F StarTribune: http://strib.mn/1Ry0f2i

2016 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES, continued from page 1.Courthouse Security

AMC supports a state funded grant program for courthouse security enhancements.

Recognizing the need for security enhancements at courthouses throughout Minnesota, a task force lead by Chief Justice Gildea is recommending a legislative request for $20 million to start a grant program for this purpose. Counties were fully represented on the Task Force and the recommendation includes making sure counties are involved in setting grant criteria and that all counties, regardless of the level of investment made to date, have an opportunity to apply for funds.

Broadband Development FundingAMC supports legislation that would provide permanent funding for the Office of Broadband Development, continued funding for the Border to Border Broadband Development Grant Program, and other initiatives to support the build-out of broadband infrastructure in Minnesota.

Broadband funding has been a hot topic of conversation at the Legislature, with some funding provided in recent years. The amount of funding that ultimately passed last year was $10.8 million, which was a compromise position; many advocate current funding falls short of the resources necessary to support the infrastructure needed.


Local Public Health Association 2016 OutlookBy Karen Moritz, 2016 LPHA Chair

My name is Karen Moritz. I am the Brown County Public Health Director and the Brown-Nicollet Community Health Board Administrator, and I have the privilege of serving as the 2016 chair of the Local Public Health Association (LPHA).

With a membership of more than 200 public health leaders from city, county and tribal health departments across our state, the LPHA strives to provide leadership, education, legislative influence and creative problem resolution to advance the public health practice and promote the health of all Minnesotans.

2015 brought us many successes: We secured a slight increase in appropriations to the Local Public Health Grant; maintained funding for the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) and family home visiting programs; protected local control of immunization programs; made progress in reviewing food, pools and lodging evaluations; and much more. As we move into 2016, we are excited to build upon our past achievements and further strengthen our association, so it is timely that we are now in the midst of updating LPHA’s strategic plan.

We launched our strategic planning process at LPHA’s November annual meeting, with an engaging, statewide discussion that allowed members to identify four goals for our association:

1. Actively and creatively engage LPHA members2. Grow and strengthen the future public health leadership3. Integrate a public health perspective in all policy discussions4. Promote the public health brand

Over the next couple of months, we’ll be working with the LPHA committees, our general membership and our partners to identify specific strategies to implement in the next two to three years that will help us meet these goals. We welcome your ideas!

In addition to strategic planning activities, a key aspect of our work in 2016 will continue to be working with our members and partners to engage elected officials at the state legislature in furthering public health policy and practice throughout Minnesota. Our 2016 legislative platform includes:

• Restoring funding to the Local Public Health Grant: This Grant is the state’s main investment in our public health system and services mandated by the Local Public Health Act to protect and promote the public’s health and safety. It provides flexible funding to use at the local level, based on community needs, and its restoration remains LPHA’s top priority.

• Maintaining funding for SHIP: SHIP supports local efforts to reduce health care costs and chronic disease rates by creating more opportunities for people of all ages to eat healthy, be active and live tobacco-free. It’s been good for health and also helped create more vibrant communities.

• Increasing MA reimbursements for family home visits: Targeted family home visits are an effective way to prevent child maltreatment, promote healthy childhood development and foster self-sufficient families—all of which help to reduce health care and other public program costs. Current MA reimbursements fall far short of covering the cost of services, leaving counties to rely heavily on local tax dollars to fill the gaps.

• Establish an MA benefit for asthma care services: Asthma is the leading cause of missed school days in our state and contributes to higher use of urgent care, ER visits and hospitalizations. An MA benefit would make resources available to educate and assist individuals in addressing asthma triggers, leading to better health and academic outcomes and lower health care costs.

Public health is hard at work in your local jurisdictions, and the activities of 2016 will come with many opportunities to continue collaborating with partners across sectors. The LPHA, local public health directors and staff look forward to continuing to work with AMC and our county officials to better serve our communities throughout the coming year.

Karen Moritz, PHN, is the Brown County Public Health Director for Brown County and the CHS Administrator for the Brown-Nicollet CHB.

Member Services UpdateBy Laurie Klupacs, AMC Deputy Director

Thank you for attending the Association of Minnesota Counties 107th Annual Conference at the St. Cloud River’s Edge on December 7-8, 2015. AMC was pleased to have gathered 555 attendees, from ALL 87 counties – “One Minnesota” was the theme. The post conference survey responses have been very positive.

Hotel Room Cancellation Policy a SuccessI’m pleased to report that due to the newly implemented conference site hotel room

cancellation policy (within one week prior to conference) every conference site hotel room was filled. As you may recall, the AMC Board supported the implementation of a $100 cancellation fee to any member that cancelled their conference site hotel room within one week of the conference (on or before 11/30). AMC assessed only nine members the cancellation fee. This cancellation policy was successful and it truly worked in getting people on the waiting lists called back and into a conference site room. The policy worked so well that it will be continued in future years. In addition, the hotels will be promoting the use of this policy with their other clients that experience the difficulties that we have in the past.

The concurrent workshops were very well attended and received positive remarks, as did our conference keynote Thom Singer, whose appearance was generously sponsored by our partners at MCIT.

The Annual Conference Planning Committee members deserve credit for planning a successful conference and appreciation for their hard work! Members of the committee include: Chair Jack Swanson, Roseau County; Co-Chair Gary Hendrickx, Swift County;

Anne Marcotte, Aitkin County; Matt Dotta, Hubbard County; Darryl Tveitbakk, Pennington County; Grant Weyland, Clay County; Susan Morris, Isanti County; LaMont Jacobson, Renville County; Drew Campbell, Blue Earth County; Rosemary Schultz, Jackson County; Jerry Reinartz, Mower County; Liz Workman, Dakota County; Roxy Traxler, Mille Lacs County; Patty O’Connor, Blue Earth County; Allie Freidrichs, McLeod County; Julie Hanson, Mahnomen County; Tammy Bigelow, Sherburne County; Robyn Sykes, MCIT.

Last, but certainly not least, our conference was successful due to the dedication, involvement and financial support from AMC’s vendors. The vendor fair was one of the best as our vendors were extremely happy and AMC raised $2,200 on the silent auction, which will be added to AMC’s Educational Scholarship Fund. AMC’s Past President Christopher Shoff will award a student from his county with a $3,000 scholarship.

Thank you to everyone that answered our post conference survey (32% response rate). All feedback is taken into consideration when planning and making alterations to future conferences. AMC 1st Vice President and Swift County Commissioner, Gary Hendrickx will chair the planning committee in 2016, if you’re interested in serving on the committee, please inform Commissioner Hendrickx or myself. The committee will meet approximately three times.

Mark Your Calendars Thank you all for a wonderful 2015! I look forward to seeing you at the following

AMC events in 2016: AMC Legislative Conference on March 10-11, 2016

Spring (June) & Fall (October/November) District Meetings Policy Committee meetings on September 15- 16 , 2016

Annual Conference -Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis on December 5-6, 2016

4-H Position Hiring Process Improved With LEAN Kaizen Effort

4-H program coordinators serve an important frontline role, delivering Extension’s 4-H youth development programs in Minnesota counties. Those positions are good investments, but county and Extension partners were spending a significant amount of time and effort hiring new staff when someone left a position.

In 2016, Extension is launching a new 4-H position hiring process that reduces the hiring time from 13 weeks to nine weeks or less.

“It’s important to work together to hire 4-H staff who create learning experiences for 4-H youth, but we definitely needed a better process,” says Bob Byrnes, Extension director of field operations.

The new hiring process is the result of a Kaizen work session facilitated by Toni Smith, AMC educator director and Kim Boyce, former Extension regional director. To address the situation, Extension educators, staff and administrators participated in the Kaizen event to examine the entire process - from the time a program coordinator resigns to when a new hire is announced. Through that in-depth review they discovered the long process involved touchpoints for 17 individuals.

The group made recommendations that, along with other changes, will bring significant improvements and time saving to counties and Extension. Recommendations that include naming one key employee to lead a process that was previously distributed among several people, and a new hiring process that occurs three times a year, reduces the overall time committed to hiring as well as the number of people involved. Hiring will now be led by individuals who have the passion and skill-set to effectively lead the process from beginning to end.

The new hiring process was piloted in fall 2015 for several new hires, including a position in Lyon County.

“I had gone through the long process of hiring a program coordinator before,” says Rick Anderson, a Lyon County commissioner. “I was a little skeptical at first and I thought the interviews were still a little too long. But in the end, all of the candidates were high quality and I appreciated the shortened process.”

In addition to simplifying and shortening the hiring process, the changes clarify and increase the role of the County Extension Committee, generate a stronger and more diverse candidate pool and create the opportunity to onboard new employees together.

“It’s an ongoing transformation,” says Tamie Bremseth, Extension director of youth development operations, “but the way it’s going so far is very promising with very positive comments from candidates, staff and county partners.”

The group Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning improvement. A “Lean” organization focuses its key processes to continuously increase value while producing zero waste. To learn more about the Kaizen process, contact Toni Smith.


Highlights and Headlines Were Focus of 2015 Annual Meeting

Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust capped off another successful year with a gathering of members Dec. 7 at the Best Western Kelly Inn in St. Cloud. When Board Chair Scott Sanders called the MCIT Annual Membership Meeting to order, he was greeted with a full house of representatives from 46 member counties, MCIT staff and several service providers.

Financial Report

Following his welcome and the introduction of the board of directors, Sanders called upon MCIT Finance Manager Cheri Donovan to provide an overview of the fiscal health of the Trust. Donovan advised that MCIT once again received an unmodified audit opinion from the independent audit firm of Eide Bailly for fiscal year 2014.

Highlights of the audit:

• Member contributions totaled $36.6 million, which represented a $3 million increase from 2013. Aggregate property/casualty and workers' compensation rates were increased in 2014 to reflect the influx of Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) claims and legislative changes regarding workers’ compensation benefits, including post-traumatic stress disorder claims.

• Net realized investment income totaled $6.3 million, an increase of $900,000 compared to 2013.

• Claims paid and changes in reserves totaled $17 million compared to $25.4 million in 2013. Donovan noted that 2013 included a large adjustment at year-end that was based upon the actuary’s analysis that considered the impact of DPPA claims.

• Reinsurance premiums paid totaled $4.6 million compared to $5.4 million in 2013. 2013 was the last year of a five-year assessment from the Workers’ Compensation Reinsurance Association to eliminate a reserve deficit.

• 2014 revenues totaled $46.3 million, while expenses totaled $29.3 million. MCIT’s 2014 year-end fund balance was $84.6 million.

• A dividend of $13 million was returned to members.

Donovan also provided a report on MCIT’s unaudited financial statements as of Sept. 30, 2015. Significant items she highlighted include:

• Member contributions of $26.4 million are $700,000 less than at that time in 2014. This reduction is directly attributed to significant rate reductions in both divisions.

• Net investment income totaled $3.7 million compared to $5 million at that time in 2014.

• Total paid claims of $12 million compared to $13 million at that in 2014.

• Total revenues are $29.8 million, and total expenses are $25.4 million.

• Dividends of $11.4 million were declared earlier in 2015 and were paid in November.

Following the election of officers (see “Incumbents Returned to Board"), Executive Director Robyn Sykes offered comments on the state of MCIT. She briefly touched on the Trust’s ability to return a dividend in light of declining interest rates. She offered that other factors influencing MCIT’s bottom line have included positive claims development in 2014 and 2015 and aggressive claims management, which contributed to rates resuming their downward trend in 2016.

Major Announcements

Sykes announced MCIT has joined with a group of private self-insureds to initiate legal action to recover a portion of the special assessments paid to the Workers’ Compensation Reinsurance Association during the past five years. She reminded members that the WCRA is a monopoly created by statute. The state departments of Labor and Industry and of Commerce are charged with overseeing such assessments.

It is MCIT’s contention that the WCRA’s deficiency was cured with three rounds of assessments. The following two years of assessments were used to build surplus, not provided for in the rules/statute. MCIT is seeking to recover approximately $1.3 million in overpayments to the WCRA.

The decision to take the WCRA and the state departments to court comes after several legislative attempts to increase the transparency of the WCRA and years of conversation with commissioners of both departments.

Another major decision is that MCIT will end its more than 26-year relationship with Meadowbrook Insurance Group and assume property/casualty claims administration and underwriting functions by 2020. The decision to bring this work in-house fulfills the goal of the MCIT Board to have all functions under one system.

Sykes emphasized that Meadowbrook has been an excellent partner and is working with MCIT to ensure a smooth transition. MCIT has renewed the agreement with the company through 2020, but expects that the data conversion and other transition items will be completed much sooner.

To accomplish this transition, MCIT has completed a yearlong study of software systems. Negotiations will begin shortly with Origami Risk to purchase a fully integrated system. Sykes anticipates that workflow and system changes will improve MCIT efficiency and streamline how MCIT interfaces with members.

“We are excited about the new opportunities to better serve the membership, but we are not underestimating the amount of work that will be needed to accomplish this task," Sykes said.

Sykes concluded her comments by encouraging members’ comments, questions and suggestions as they continue to shape the

program.

2015 MCIT Award WinnersMCIT Board Chair Scott Sanders announced the latest recipients of MCIT’s awards

during the 2015 Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust Annual Membership Meeting held in St. Cloud Dec. 7. Preventing and mitigating losses is important to the overall success and stability of MCIT, so every year MCIT recognizes three counties that excel at risk management and loss control.

On behalf of the entire board, Sanders congratulated the winners on their accomplishments and presented plaques to the recipients during the Awards Ceremony at the Association of Minnesota Counties Annual Conference.

County of the Year: Brown County

M C I T h o n o r s t h e county that has set the standard of excellence in risk management and loss control. For 2015, Brown County earned this distinction. Its leaders proved to be aggressive in their efforts to educate and inform staff on techniques to mitigate exposures and provided superior assistance when claims arose.

Outstanding Performance in Property and Casualty Division: Douglas County

D o u g l a s C o u n t y consistently improved its loss ratio through i t s c o m m i t m e n t t o i m p l e m e n t i n g b e t t e r l o s s c o n t r o l a n d r i s k management methods and its dedication to protecting c o u n t y p r o p e r t y a n d citizens.

Outstanding Performance in the Workers’ Compensation Division: Wright County

W r i g h t C o u n t y continually improved its experience modification factor and reduced its claims in the areas of workplace injury and illnesses, was committed to reducing employee injuries and had an overall focus on loss control and risk management.

Criteria used to identify recipients include performance in risk management and loss control efforts, responsiveness to program initiatives, and property/casualty claims

and workers’ compensation claims administration.

Incumbents Return to Board of DirectorsPursuant to the MCIT bylaws, the election of board members was conducted during

the Annual Membership Meeting, held Dec. 7 in St. Cloud.

Nominating Committee member Dan Kuhns, Waseca County Commissioner, announced that three seats were up for election. Board Chair Scott Sanders, Watonwan County Commissioner; Board Vice Chair Felix Schmiesing, Sherburne County Commissioner; and Randy Schreifels, Stearns County Auditor-Treasurer, were seeking re-election.

Kuhns reported that notices sent to the membership in October that advised of the election generated no letters of interest. With no other nominations made, all

three were unanimously re-elected to four-year terms that will expire Dec. 31, 2019.

MINNESOTA COUNTIES INTERGOVERNMENTAL TRUST


MACA to Enhance Role in AMC Platform ProcessMembers seek to provide a greater assistance to commissioners and board members during platform process

There may be no better way to influence shaping AMC’s legislative platform than by being involved during the Fall policy committees and pursuing district meetings. During this important timeframe, it is typical for affiliate groups—LPHA, MACCAC, MWCA, MACSSA, among others—to assist commissioners and voting members to identify new, timely political issues or provide helpful insight and feedback on technical aspects of policies which may impact a county. Whether it’s MACCAC identifying issues related to funding distribution for probation, or MACSSA bringing members up to speed with important findings from the Governor’s Child Protection Task Force, affiliates provide helpful feedback and expertise to commissioners as they grapple with identifying top priorities for the Association, as a whole.

MACA has long struggled with how to involve itself in the policy process while balancing its members’ professional—and sometimes political— roles as administrators/coordinators/managers. With nearly a half years’ worth of discussion, brainstorming and Friday morning conference calls, the MACA Executive Committee, in tandem with the Intergovernmental Services Committee, has outlined a new strategy to push the organization forward towards its goal of sharing professional knowledge, information and expertise.

Starting 2016, MACA will be rolling out its new “legislative plan” for the next Fall Policy Conference and District meetings. Rather than creating a formal platform or lobbying for particular policy items, MACA will dedicate its time to reviewing district priorities, gathering insight from administrators/coordinators/managers across the entire state, and combining this input to create a policy analysis paper highlighting the top three most achievable and financially impactful issues going into session. As mentioned earlier, this publication will be in no way intended to act as a platform nor be the single voice for all counties. Rather, MACA hopes the paper will act as a guide and help facilitate quality conversations at a board level and during the district meeting process. Whether a county chooses to reference this document is entirely up to them, but it is our hope that members will not only find the document helpful, but will start to reach out to MACA for expertise and budget analysis.

In total, MACA members are confident this plan represents the best opportunity to impart professional advice and provide quality insight/background to commissioners during the platform process in a respectful and collaborative manner.

We are excited to begin this process and welcome any questions or feedback by emailing Matt Hilgart at [email protected].

Health is Community By Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health

Wendell Berry is a poet, writer, and farmer from Kentucky. He is known for writing about healthy rural communities, connection

to place, and the interconnectedness of life. His work also offers some refreshing insights into what we need to do to improve America’s health status.

In his 1994 essay “Health is Membership” Berry wrote “the community in the fullest sense is the smallest unit of health…to speak of the health of an isolated individual is a contradiction in terms.” That brief statement is a bold challenge to America’s dominant narrative about what creates health. Berry was skewering the idea that we are all rugged individuals, and that our health status comes down to personal choices about what we eat, how much we exercise and whether we smoke.

Oddly enough, without the benefit of Big Data and well-funded research projects, this rural Kentucky poet came to the same conclusion public health researchers more recently have reached. Individual habits and choices matter, but our health is determined to a large degree by our community and our social circumstances.

This insight is powerful, but it is not yet widely accepted – much less acted upon. According to the World Bank, America routinely devotes a greater portion of its total gross domestic product (GDP) to health expenditures than any other major developed nation. However, our return on that investment is poor. According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook, we rank only 43rd among all countries for life

expectancy, and 58th for infant mortality. These numbers put us behind such countries as Belarus, Croatia and Cuba.

The problem isn’t that we’re not investing enough on health. The problem is how we are spending on health. We spend relatively little on keeping people healthy, and we pour out massive amounts to treat people after they’re already sick.

The dominant narrative in America is that health is the responsibility of individuals until they get sick, and then health becomes the responsibility of the health care system. This outdated narrative allows little room for community or social influence. All of health is viewed through these limited frames, which is a big reason why public health and social services are underfunded in the United States compared to other countries, and why other sectors that influence health are also under-resourced compared to the health care system. The outdated dominant narrative fits nicely with the ethic of the rugged individual, but its limitations become clear when you look at the disparity between our health spending and our health status.

Health care and public health are crucial to creating healthy communities, but they are only two of the many partners who need to be at the table when decisions are made about how to invest in health. To build healthy communities for generations to come, the community – not the health care system must be in charge of health.

To put it in terms a farmer like Wendell Berry might appreciate; if you want a good harvest, you need to plant good seeds and they need to be planted in good soil. We are planting good seeds when we design and fund programs and systems that address the myriad social, economic, and environmental conditions that affect health. Those efforts will best take root and blossom in the soil of healthy community.

USDA Rural Development Invests Over $350.5 Million in Rural Healthcare Since 2009By Colleen Landkamer, State Director, USDA Rural Development

Access to rural healthcare services is critical to growing a sustainable community. As Minnesota’s population continues to rise, medical and emergency services feel the pressure to keep up.

Through the Community Facilities program, USDA Rural Development is helping rural communities provide affordable rural healthcare through financing to construct, expand, improve or purchase: hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, wellness centers, fire halls, emergency vehicles, and medical equipment.

Of the total $432.5 million invested by USDA Rural Development in essential community facilities, over $350.5 million helped finance 84 health and emergency service projects since 2009.

For example, USDA Rural Development invests in building state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to ensure rural residents have access to the highest level of care.

In 2015, USDA Rural Development alongside local, state, and national officials visited Olivia, Minn. to help Renville County Hospital and Clinic staff and local communities celebrate the grand opening of their new $23.5 million facility.

Renville County Hospital & Clinics serves over 15,000 residents throughout Renville County and surrounding communities.

More than 1,300 local residents (nearly 10 percent of the service area) attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 62,000 square feet facility. The new facility will allow for better recruitment and retention of staff – currently consisting of 140 people – making this the third largest business in Renville County.

Funding for the facility came in the form of a $19 million USDA Rural Development Community Facilities direct loan and a $4,750,000 Community Facilities loan guaranteed through partnership with AgStar Financial Services.

The Olivia facility boasts a new Primary Care Clinic with 15 exam rooms and one procedure room; 16 in-patient hospital beds (including two Obstetrics and one Hospice); new lab, radiology, and therapy facilities; two operating rooms; Outpatient and Specialty Clinics; an education center, and land for future expansion.

Additionally, disability accessibility was improved, facility operations have state-of-the-art energy efficiency technology, there is an on-site heliport for emergency transportation, and most importantly patient services have been enhanced and expanded.

Rural Development also invests in long-term care facilities for seniors, which provides more affordable options and the ability to live closer to their family.

Wellness and emergency service facilities and equipment are important investments made by USDA Rural Development to continue the sustainability of rural communities and ensure that rural areas remain attractive places to live and work.

In addition to healthcare and emergency services, USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities program provides financing for libraries, faith-based institutions, Tribes, local government and public safety facilities, emergency weather sirens, community centers, daycare facilities, and much more. Funding is now available; to learn more, visit http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities-direct-loan-grant-program/mn and contact your local Program Specialist.

Rural Development also invests in housing, water and wastewater treatment, rural business and entrepreneurs, local foods, renewable energy, and broadband. Through more than 40 programs, USDA Rural Development has invested nearly $6 billion in rural communities throughout Minnesota.

For more information on USDA Rural Development programs, please visit www.rd.usda.gov/mn and contact your local area office.

AMC Board of Directors Approves Legislative Priority Action Items ...

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