Adoptions in Sherburne County have been down this past year, and staff from Health and Human services are working to find a way to locate homes for children who need them. In Minnesota, 129 children are waiting to find permanent families – one of these children is in Sherburne County.
During Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, the board made a motion to proclaim November as Adoption Month in the hopes of raising awareness for this issue.
Staff said that adoptive parents frequently report that it was an amazing decision. Income does not disqualify families from adoption.
Open Forum
Brett Collier of Big Lake spoke on the quality of the project on Co. Rd. 43, which he feels is very rough. He also was not a fan of the paint on the road, as he felt it was very hard to see and thought there were better methods that would have worked.
Diane Arnold spoke next about the tax forfeited parcel discussed at the last regular meeting. She spoke with the residents of the parcel, and received verbal agreement to reform the HOA. This action will be added to the consent agenda for the next regular meeting.
Update to Cremation and Funeral Policy
A funeral director reached out the county with concerns about the funeral allocations in the county. The policy has not been updated since 2013, so staff determined it may be a good idea to research the policies of other counties and look for the input of funeral home directors.
Staff suggested the following changes: Increasing the allocation for direct cremation from $1,000 to $2,000; streamlined the process so there is not a distinction between burials for children or for adults; eliminated a process where an individual could sign a lien to pay for burial services; added a stipulation to the policy that included a GoFundMe page as an asset to be considered in determining an individual’s ability to pay.
The county will still be paying less than other counties for these services, but area funeral home directors were still happy to see an increase. These policies are mainly used to give a decent burial to those who survive on government assistance.
The commissioners noted that it was difficult to toe the line between wanting to properly honor and respect individuals in the county without being overly burdensome to the taxpayers.
Housing Director
Lori Irwin is the new housing director for Sherburne County. She presented herself and her background to the board. She previously worked with the Salvation Army in Big Lake to help find housing for individuals in need, and so already has valuable experience within the county. She has worked to help find housing for homeless individuals and also helped those who were not yet homeless but struggled to afford their housing (such as those who lost their jobs during COVID-19).
Commissioner Reports
Commissioner Tim Dolan reported on the Xcel solar project presentation to the PUC. The city of Becker dropped their request for an advisory task force. Most of the comments made were in support of the project.
Commissioner Felix Schmiesing attended the Palmer Town Board meeting along with Gina Hugo of the parks department. Hugo’s goal was to provide information about the parks system to the other elected officials of the county. Other townships are welcome to invite Hugo for a similar presentation.
Commissioner Lisa Fobbe, on a similar note, met with Hugo to discuss bringing a program called Unlock It to the county parks, which is a scavenger hunt game. It would first be offered at Garaham’s park. More information will come soon.
Commissioner Raeanne Danielowski attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Great River Federal Credit Union in Big Lake. There will be an open house Dec. 15 for the project on Co. Rd. 43.
In Other Business, the Board:
• Approved items recommended by the planning commission;
• Approved ARPA spending;
• Accepted a Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Program and a Peer Breastfeeding Support Program grant;
• Heard a COVID-19 update.
