The Sherburne County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday and issued a pair of proclamations, one to recognize crime victims and the other to bring attention to the issue of child abuse prevention.

Crime Victims

The board adopted a statement proclaiming April 18-24 as Victim’s Rights Week in Sherburne County as part of the National Crime Victim’s Rights Week.

Sherburne County Victim Services Coordinator Michelle Berner appeared before the board and read a letter that her department had received from a crime victim.  This mother praised the efforts of the Sherburne County Attorney’s Office in bringing the criminal to justice and also providing comfort to the family who had suffered the tragic loss of life of a loved one.

Last year, the Attorney’s Office prosecuted nearly 2,000 cases, and Berner and her colleagues are there to help the victims of these crimes in the navigation of the sometimes confusing and time consuming prosecutorial process.

The board commended Berner and the rest of the staff for their compassionate services to the families of victims.

Child Abuse Prevention

HHS Manager Jodi Heurung-Dick also appeared before the board and read a proclamation designating April as Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month.  

Heurung-Dick referenced the STIRMN.ORG website, which contains a plethora of resources for parents who may need assistance in navigating the many responsibilities with providing loving and nurturing homes for their children.

She also referenced her department’s continuing partnership with Safe Families For Children, a nonprofit aimed at helping to keep families intact.

Marissa Wood, an Early Intervention Social Worker for the County, spoke to the board and detailed specific efforts that are taken to provide assistance and support with the goal of preventing child abuse.

The commissioners then unanimously approved the resolution and thanked the many County staff who work with such delicate matters, noting that decisions to remove children from a home are extremely emotional and difficult, but sometimes necessary for the well-being of the child.

Budget

Assistant Administrator Dan Weber spoke regarding the 2021 budget process and announced the workshop schedule for August 5 and 6.  This is the main work session where commissioners do the majority of the work in developing the following year’s budget.

Commissioner Lisa Fobbe brought forward a request for the board to look at the budget more from the lens of it being a “moral document” that not only lists the standard expenditures and revenues, but also reflects the priorities of the county.  General discussion was held regarding the idea and the other commissioners approved of the concept, while Weber noted that such a discussion could be helpful to department heads in putting forth their recommendations.  A date and time will be scheduled for a beginning discussion regarding priorities.

Weber also provided the board with some statistics related to revenues and expenses for the 2020 fiscal year, as well as early projects for 2021.

In general, new construction and permit revenue is booming, while revenue related to travel documents such as passports is down.  

Stimulus funds are expected to be available to cover any losses the County might have encountered due to the pandemic.

County Administrator Bruce Messelt did note that Assessor Michelle Moen has done some preliminary work looking at assessed values for homes and because of the strong market, it appears that the market values are eclipsing assessed values by as much as 10 percent.  While no decisions have been made and there is more data to collect, homeowners could perhaps expect assessed values to increase on their proposed tax statements for 2022.

Permit

County staffer Dave Lucas brought forward a closure permit request for the Becker Ash Landfill.  This would allow for the closure and final cover for the ash landfill, plus a 20 year plan for post-closure care.  The permit received unanimous approval.

Covid-19

CHS Administrator Nicole Ruhoff provided the board with an update on the covid pandemic and its effects on Sherburne County.

She noted that the fastest growing age group in terms of new infections continues to be those who are 6-19 years old.  In just the last month, the county saw a 1% increase in this age group and Ruhoff pointed out that the last time any of the age brackets saw a 1% increase, it took three months time to increase by that level.

Covid variants are widely believed to be causing a majority of the new infections in this age group, seeing as studies have shown them to be more transmissible in younger age people.

Announcements

Messelt provided several updates to the board, including that $22 million for the Zimmerman overpass made it into the MN Senate’s budget bill.  The money would be allocated from the ARPA Federal funds earmarked for Minnesota.

In addition, he updated the board on the proposed legislation that could affect the Northstar rail system and the commissioners felt it could be a good time to speak with the project partners to see where people’s thoughts are on the service and how it has been affected by Covid.

Speaking of the proposed legislation, Commissioner Felix Schmiesing noted, “It’s very important we understand what it all means.  It’s important we bring our partners into the discussion.”

The board concurred and Messelt will work to schedule a time to facilitate such a meeting.

Messelt also informed the board that Sheriff Joel Brott is planing a Law Enforcement Memorial Program for May 7.

The Board of Commissioners will meet next on May 4 at 9 am.