Todd County child protection losing experienced staff

“We have about 64 years of experience leaving by the end of the year.”

With those words at the Oct. 4 meeting of the Todd County Commissioners, Health and Human Services Director Jackie Och read into record the resignation intent notice given by Child Protection Social Worker Kali Christensen who has dedicated 34 years of service to the citizens of Todd County. 

Christensen’s retirement will be effective Dec. 31.

Och also read into record the intent of Barb Wessel to retire in the near future, probably the next couple of months. Wessel has provided dedicated service to the county as a social worker for 30 years.

With regret, the commissioners approved both retirements and publicly thanked the women.

With these retirements two openings will exist for social workers in child protection.

According to Och, these positions perform work of considerable difficulty in providing intensive social work for the protection, rehabilitation and care of children in voluntary and involuntary services; provide case management; evaluate and assess the success of services being provided; recommend other services that may be useful; and perform related work as apparent or assigned. 

Och said they would like to bring on the new staff prior to Christensen and Wessel leaving so that they may receive some training.

Family Services Unit Manager Todd Weyer was also at the meeting. He said that they were “quite honestly panicking about this” and that it was “going to be a challenge to replace” the women.

He referred to Christensen and Wessel as the “anchors” that held things together in the department.

Open Session

Citizen Steve Beck expressed his concerns over some items of discussion from the last regular meeting of the board when it was stated that Coordinator Lisa Herges and Commissioner David Kircher (who was absent from the Oct. 4 meeting) thought the county should have an administrator.

He said that when the county had an administrator, the county board meetings were often packed with upset taxpayers.

He said that some of the commissioners had worked hard to get away from the administrator role and he did not want to see the county go down the same road.

He said that the county needed “transparency, transparency, transparency.”

In other business

o Approved the Election Emergency Plan which is required due to a law passed earlier this year.

o Authorized the issuance and sale of the General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2016 because of the low interest rates right now. 

The county is in the process of selling and reissuing its General Obligation Bonds, Series 2011 originally valued at $4,125,000 (Historic Courthouse Building Project). In doing so the county could save significant dollars in interest payments for the bond’s duration. The current principal balance of the bonds at year end 2016 is $3,040,000.

Commissioner Randy Neumann acknowledged Auditor/Treasurer Denise Gaida for checking into this and for looking out for the taxpayers.

o The county approved declining to include the county tax as part of a tax abatement the city of Long Prairie is doing for 16 taxable parcels within the city for a term of 20 years.

This is in support of the city’s 2016 FTTH Broadband Communications Network.

o Approved a resolution proclaiming October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Connie Nelson and Barb Dinkel from Hands of Hope presented the information.

To date in 2016, Hands of Hope staff in Todd County has worked with 88 new female victims, 17 male victims and 104 new child victims under the age of 18, along with more than 100 repeat victim/survivors returning from prior years for ongoing services. 

These numbers express the direct victim, however, many others are affected by this violence, including friends, family, employers, and often times whole communities.

o The board approved the subordination of the Reichert Place loan of $90,000 so that the Central Minnesota Housing Partnership will be able to complete their refinancing.

Subordination does not forgive the loan, it keeps Todd County as third place lien holder.

Refinancing will give CMHP an interest rate that will go from 8.8 percent to 4.1 percent and will allow them to do some rehab projects that are needing to be done.

Commissioner Rod Erickson  said that if they had not originally loaned the $90,000 the county would not be getting any tax income from the property.

o Heard the 2016 report to the counties from South Country Health Alliance CEO Leota Lind.

In spite of some big losses this year because of the reimbursement rates on medical assistance, the company is still strong, she said, because of cash and savings.

She said they are looking at strategies that can impact the medical claims costs. They should know the new rate reimbursements sometime in November.

The entire report can be viewed on the county website at:  http://www.co.todd.mn.us/sites/default/files/auditor_treasurer/20161004P....

o Approved the purchase of Electronic Document Management System software for HHS. The Family Services Unit of HHS has moved to filing electronic documents with the courts, as mandated by the state. 

Developing an electronic document management system for this group will allow for a streamlined process and for ease of accessing information in the field. Child Protection grant funds are available to cover the cost of designing, training staff and implementing the technology.

o Approved the purchase of NeoGov Recruitment Software.

In an effort to better manage this process, increase the pool of applicants and reduce the need for administrative time to support this function, Herges asked to join over 100 public entities in Minnesota (including 28 counties - three adjacent to Todd) that use NeoGov recruitment software.

There is adequate funding to support the initial investment of $7,250. She said that the recurring annual expenses of $4,250 will be more than covered by the savings in administrative support that will no longer be needed (the equivalent of four hours per week). 

The initial proposal was $8,250 but they were able to negotiate a $1,000 savings.

Herges did not have a list of counties that use the software, but knew for sure that Mille Lacs County did because she implemented it there. She also said that Morrison, Stearns and Crow Wing were among other counties that used this program.

She also had talked with NJPA about regional uses of the program.

Neumann said he has had constituents tell him they have applied for positions within the county and never received a response that their applications had even been received. He asked if this program would resolve that issue.

Herges said that they will be better able to facilitate their responses with it and will have proof built into the software that shows responses and when given.

Neumann said that he would like to see the personnel committee have access to the program, as well as the HR staff.

Herges said that all applications would go through HR to be reviewed and then could be referred to the hiring manager of  a department after it has been determined if the applicant meets the minimum hiring factors.

She said that the county attorney will review the contract and it will be brought back to the next board meeting.

o The board met in a closed session to discuss matters of an employee subject to the authority of the County Board regarding separation from employment. 

After their return to open session, no resolution had come from the closed session.