Board gives support to health/human services integration
By Deb GauMARSHALL - The Lyon County Board of Commissioners revisited a proposal to combine area health and human services organizations Tuesday, and while a majority of commissioners were able to vote their support for the plan, other members of the partnership were not happy with it.
Commissioners discussed a letter written by Pipestone County Board Chairman Luke Johnson, saying that Pipestone County does not agree to the integration of Public Health and Human Services. At the Nov. 25 Pipestone County Board meeting, the letter said, board members voted to terminate their LLMP joint powers agreement should full integration occur.
Earlier in November, representatives from Lincoln Lyon Murray Human Services presented county officials with a cost/benefit analysis of merging LLM with Lincoln Lyon Murray Pipestone Public Health Services.
A phased integration would help make both organizations more efficient and save money, LLM Human Services Director Chris Sorensen had told commissioners. There are only two LLMP Public Health nurses in Pipestone County, the cost/benefit analysis said.
Sorensen said the integration would be done gradually, starting with a shared Public Health/Human Services administrator to fill the need for a permanent administrator at LLMP. But approval of member counties is needed in order for that to happen.
"There's nothing that says we have to have a new board at the end of 2009," said Commissioner Bob Fenske.
"Correct," said Sorensen.
Commissioner Rodney Stensrud said he had some reservations about the integration after speaking with Carol Beck and Ardis Henriksen of LLMP.
"I'm not opposed to what's happening, but I'm opposed to the way it's going," Stensrud said. Employees like Beck and Henriksen should have had more input on the integration plan.
The commissioners voted to approve a resolution drafted at the most recent Public Health board meeting, expressing support for hiring a shared administrator for Public Health and Human Services. The draft was altered slightly by Lyon County Attorney Rick Maes to clarify language and express support for instead of officially approving the hire.
The board approved the resolution, with Stensrud casting the only "no" vote.
In other business, commissioners voted to remove a list of old unpaid bills from the Lyon County landfill's billing program. The list contained seven unpaid accounts dating from 2002 or earlier that had been previously submitted to the Credit Bureau. The total value of the unpaid accounts was about $14,700.
The Minnesota State Auditor recommended the accounts be declared uncollectible and removed from the billing program, Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg said. However, the county will keep all records related to the accounts.
"This does not in any way mean that we're shredding the documents related with them," Stomberg said.
The board voted to approve promoting Eric Wallen to Sergeant in the Lyon County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Mark Mather said the Sheriff's Department conducted internal interviews with qualified staff and recommended Wallen for the sergeant's position.
Wallen's promotion means another opening in the department, however, and the board voted to approve interviewing a conditional offer for an investigator position.
Jason Splett gave an update on construction for the new jail. The jail roof is complete, and the building is enclosed enough to provide heating for interior work.
"We're actually keeping it at about 60 degrees in there when we're pouring concrete," Splett said.
Concrete pouring in the cells and dayrooms is under way, and the concrete and masonry contractors are working together well, Splett said.
"Concrete is going a little slower than we had hoped. There are a lot of corners, and a lot of hand work that needs to be done," he said.
The Lyon County truth in taxation hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday in the county boardroom. The main focus of the hearing will be the 2009 Lyon County budget, not property values, Stomberg said.
