When it comes to spending money to provide services, Sherburne County’s Health & Human Services (HHS) Dept. is one of the most efficient in the state.

 

At the last county board meeting, Amanda Larson, Planner with Sherburne County HHS, presented the commissioners with the department’s 2015 Annual Report.

 

That report showed for the second straight year, Sherburne County HHS was fifth lowest in total per capita costs in the state and second lowest in overall expenditures for similar-sized counties.

The finding were based on the PPMRS - Planning and Performance Measure-ment Reporting System that ranks community health boards throughout the state.

 

The county’s per capita spending was $22.30, far below the state average of $53.54 and second only to Crow Wing County’s $22.22. And the number of fulltime staff per 100,000 in population was 23.21, below the state average of 43.40 and second to Carver County’s 22.81.

 

“Sherburne County has been fiscally conservative within HHS spending,” said Larson.

 

Lower costs and efficient processes within the department have been a benefit to taxpayers without negatively affecting services, said Larson. Although the overall cost of all HHS programs and services provided within the county totalled $125,704,985, county taxpayers share was  $5,671,873.

 

“That’s a great value for our constituents,” she said.

 

Larson said one of the challenges the county will be facing in the near future is a turnover in staffing within the department. At the end of 2015, HHS had 172 employees in 12 different units. Of those, 61% have worked in the department 10 years or less and 17% have been in the department over 20 years. Those upcoming retirements will have to be addressed, said Larson.

 

“We’re gearing up for  the changing tide,” she said. “We’ll have some major shifts in staffing over the next one to four years.”