There will be a new look at the at the Sherburne County Board meetings in 2017.

 

Three of five commissioners are brand new to the board, which is highly uncommon.

 

“I think it will be interesting, but I’m somewhat confident that the people who are coming on are educated in what we do,” says Ewald Petersen, one of the two remaining

commissioners on the board. “It doesn’t take too long to get wired in on what’s important and what isn’t. The administrator and department heads do a pretty good job of making their case.”

 

Last November, county residents voted in three new commissioners: Barbara Burandt, Lisa Fobbe and Tim Dolan.

 

Burandt is currently serving out her first term on the Elk River City Council.

 

Fobbe is a former Minnesota State Senator.

 

Dolan has no experience in elected office, but is Chief Strategist for Decklan Group, an economic development consulting firm based in Elk River.

 

Dolan won the District 3 election over John Riebel.

 

Burandt beat Barb Olsen in District 1 after Commissioner Bruce Anderson decided not to run again.

 

Fobbe won in District 5 over Wendy Kowalski and Bryan Lawrence after Commissioner Rachel Leonard decided to retire after 16 years on the board.

 

The three departing commissioners have a total 32 years of service on the county board.

 

Anderson says he’s spoken to Burandt about some of the issues facing the board and feels she’s ready to step in.

 

“She’s working in city government now. I think she’s dedicated,” he says. “She’ll do a great job.”

 

Felix Schmiesing, the other remaining commissioner, says having three new commissioners will pose some challenges, but nothing that can’t be worked through.

 

“I’m not worried about it. This isn’t rocket science. This is about learning and making decisions,” he says. “I’m sure they’re all capable. I’m looking forward to a good, strong board with new energy and new ideas.”

 

Leonard says any new commissioner should get to know their constituents.

 

“Any way I could, I tried to meet one-on-one,” she says. “I got to know them through school activities, churches and going to businesses. Get to know your community.”

 

Commissioner John Riebel, who runs the hardware store in Becker, says the same thing.

 

“Always keep an open door,” he says. “People could come in and yell at me or ask me questions. But when they call, answer them as soon as you can.”

 

Administrator Steve Taylor says one of the issues will be learning about all the workings of Health and Human Services.

 

“HHS is so complicated. We had a meeting last week for local legislators - sort of a HHS 101, and we had two incoming board members at that meeting,” he says. “We’re educating them about all the complexities of HHS.”

 

The other big issue is the Government Center expansion, a $63 million project that has already started. The final bid package, estimated at around $40 million, is yet to come before the board.

 

“We need to get them up to speed on what we have done so far and what are we looking at in the future as far as the building project,” says Taylor. “I’ve already talked with the construction manager and the architect to put together an overview of the project for the new board members.”

 

Taylor says it will take some time for the board to be comfortable working as a unit.

 

“I think the first three months will be sort of a learning curve. We’ll get into a routine after that,” he says. “We’ll see how the chemistry works out.”

 

The first board meeting of 2017 is Jan. 3 at 9 a.m.