For residents who are curious as to where Sherburne County government is spending its tax dollars, the answers to those questions are now available at the click of a button with the unveiling of a new budget transparency tool that is located on the county website.
At last Tuesday’s board meeting, Assistant Administrator Dan Weber demonstrated exactly how a person could visit the administration tab of the website and click on the OpenGov website to see several years’ worth of revenues and expenditures in extremely detailed fashion.
“Being transparent and finding ways to help inform the public is often the hurdle to overcome,” said commissioner Tim Dolan, when asked after the meeting about the relevance of the tool.
“It’s something I’ve spent my entire first term advocating for and delivering.”
The budget detail is broken down by department and as more data is added, interested parties will be able to see more detailed trends from across the county’s full spectrum of services.
Billed as a “deep dive into each department’s budget,” the tool is designed to allow citizens to better understand the core functions of county government.
“It’s a big improvement in the transparency of our budget area,” said Weber.
County Administrator Bruce Messelt explained that the comparison feature of the website currently includes a four year history of revenues and expenditures.
“We have the ability to have the line item and the historical data,” said Messelt.
In addition to a plethora of financial data, the site will also include a storytelling page, which will include information regarding how the budget was developed. Each September, the board approves a preliminary levy amount which sets the tentative amount for the following year’s budget. However, additional cuts could still be made which would decrease the budget at the final levy adoption in December.
Commissioner Dolan stated that he had already been exploring the data on the website and he also had his parents, county residents, serve as “guinea pigs” to try out the new feature.
“It’s a really cool tool and it will only get better as we add more data,” said Dolan, expanding about the public value of the site.
“An informed and engaged public is the most important measure of local government. Our success as a community depends on it.”
Later in the meeting, the board adopted the preliminary levy of $52 million for 2021. This amount represented an overall increase of less than 4% and could still decrease before final certification in December. Weber noted that the overall tax base will grow by approximately 7% this year, resulting in a seventh consecutive year that the overall tax rate will decrease for the county. In addition, it was noted that the board and department heads are still investigating possible reductions and the increase had already been nearly cut in half from the beginning budget document.
GRE
The board approved a certificate of closure for GRE’s processing plant, which has been dismantled as part of the company’s January 2019 closure of its power generation plant. The inspections of the site have all been accomplished, while work continues on the end of life procedures of the other structures, including the former atomic plant, the combustion plant and eventually the ash landfill.
CARES Act
The board also approved another eight business relief grants totaling approximately $175,000, bringing the total dollars awarded so far during the pandemic to about 1.5 million dollars. It was also noted that the first commercial rent relief grant had been awarded by the county in the amount of $5,500.
An additional 10 business relief grants are waiting in the wings headed for likely approval in the near future, leaving about a half a million dollars in that fund. A similar amount is still available in the commercial rent relief fund.
In terms of the nonprofit grants, seven additional applications have been received bringing the total number of requests to 25 which reflects nearly one million dollars in grant awards.
The board approved Becker public schools for a $56,011 grant for mental health services within the school district and it was noted that several districts also requested funds with action expected soon.
Because of the availability of funds, the board also acted to extend the application period for the requests through October. In addition, they also expanded the business relief fund to sole proprietorships with two or more employees, as these businesses will now be eligible for up to $15,000 in funding.
Commissioner Lisa Fobbe asked for a sampling of any businesses that had not met eligibility to be added to next week’s agenda so the board could explore how to help these individuals as well. The board agreed it would be good to take a look at these applications.
Commissioner Felix Schmiesing noted that the county has not dealt with many appeals of the grant decisions, a good indication that the program is working and being administered in a responsible fashion.
Messelt noted that the county is receiving many positive comments and thank-you notes from the people who have been helped.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a special meeting for Tuesday at 9 a.m. to consider additional CARES Act grant requests;
• Heard from Dave Lucas regarding the recent fire at Northern Metals, which was contained quickly. Lucas reports that the company is investigating the installation of additional thermal imaging cameras to augment its safety protocols;
• Approved the Three Lake Improvement District 2021 budget of $32,760;
• Heard from Messelt about the St. Cloud Regional Airport Ad Hoc Committee, which will seek FAA approval to operate as a decision making authority next year;
• Held its public health meeting, hearing the most up to date information about the COVID pandemic, including Sherburne’s current number that guide school decisions. Currently Sherburne’s numbers are a bit lower than surrounding communities, but are holding steady. In addition, contact tracing will be moving towards a regional model and starting October 1st, antigen tests will be counted towards the state’s current COVID count.
