Our Mission: Providing quality services through responsible leadership, innovation and the cooperation of dedicated people Date: Dec. 11, 2018 Contact: Yvonne Klinnert, Public Information Manager Phone: 651-430-6026, after hours 952-807-3723 E-mail: yvonne.klinnert@co.washington.mn.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The following actions were taken at the Dec. 11, 2018, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota County Board approves comments on draft comprehensive plans for City of Stillwater The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved comments Dec. 11 prepared following review of the draft comprehensive plan for the City of Stillwater. All local governments within the seven-county metropolitan region must prepare a comprehensive plan and update that plan every 10 years. The Metropolitan Council is charged with reviewing local comprehensive plans. Before formally submitting local comprehensive plan updates to the Metropolitan Council, local governments must provide adjacent and affected jurisdictions the opportunity to review and comment on the draft plan during a mandatory six-month review period. Comprehensive plans must be submitted to the Metropolitan Council by Dec. 31. The county’s comments stated its support for the city’s robust plans for trails and a recreation system to connect major activity centers in the city, as well as its plans to convert the Lift Bridge to a pedestrian and bike river crossing. The comments also stated that the county is encouraged by the city’s Stillwater Sustainability Framework to promote strategies and best practices pertaining to climate change and energy. The comments added that the county is encouraged to see the city include descriptions and strategies related to sustainability, low impact development, and conservation design subdivisions, as it relates to protection of water resources. Contact: Hally Turner, Senior Planner, 651-430-4307 County Attorney’s Office will receive state money for prosecuting inmates The Washington County Attorney’s Office will receive up to $25,000 through next June to pay for the cost of prosecuting inmates in the Stillwater and Oak Park Heights correctional facilities that are involved in criminal activity. The County Board approved an agreement with the state Department of Corrections, Office of Policy and Legal Services, Dec. 11 to receive the funds. The state reimburses counties for expenses of the county attorney resulting from activities involving inmates of state correctional institutions in the county. The agreement establishes hourly rates for attorney and legal assistant services. Contact: Attorney Pete Orput, 651-430-6124 County will receive $2.1 million to provide mental health services over 2 years Washington County will receive $2.1 million over the next two years from the state’s Adult Mental Health Initiative Grant Agreement to support community mental health services. The County Board approved the agreement Dec. 11. The Adult Mental Health Initiative Grant Agreement supports continued efforts to provide community-based services to individuals who are identified as Seriously and Persistently Mentally Ill. Community-based services include housing subsidies, support for the homeless, in-home skills development, community-based nursing services, crisis intervention training, psychiatric services, expenditures for traditionally non-reimbursed client needs, residential crisis stabilization services, mobile crisis services, and support for the Mental Health Alliance. In addition, the Adult Mental Health Grant Award supports adult mental health case managers. Contact: Kathy Mickelson, Community Services Division Manager, 651-430-6532 CBM Managed Services will continue to provide food service to county jail CBM Managed Services will continue to provide food service to the Washington County Jail, after the County Board extended a contract with the company Dec. 11. The company requested the renewal of the agreement for an additional year, and an increase in prices by 2.7 percent. With the increase, the new price per meal will be $2.25 and snacks will be 62 cents. The agreement is from Nov. 1, 2018, ending Oct. 31, 2019. Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601 Washington County will receive $100,000 grant for narcotics task force The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will receive a $100,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs, to fund the county’s Narcotics Task Force. The County Board accepted the money Dec. 11. The money will be used to pay the Sheriff’s Office sergeant overseeing the task force during 2019. Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601 Washington County recognizes Dec. 12 as County, City, Tribal, State Health and Human Services Worker Day The Washington County Board of Commissioners recognized Dec. 12 as County, City, Tribal and State Health and Human Services Worker Day. Every year, the governor releases a proclamation recognizing county, city, tribal, and state health and human services workers for a day, and this year it is Wednesday, Dec. 12. Health and human service workers are dedicated to improving health, protecting the vulnerable, and providing public services to the people of Minnesota through prevention efforts, administration, and services. Hundreds of staff members in Washington County each day provide social services, economic support services, veterans services, employment services, and community and environmental health services. These employees are key to meeting the organization's goal to promote the health, safety and quality of life of residents and its vision to be a "great place to live, work and play...today and tomorrow." In joining Gov. Mark Dayton in this proclamation, the County Board acknowledges the work of the county health and human services workers, and thanks each of them for all they do to help the residents of Washington County. Contact: Chris Sorenson, Community Services Director, 651-430-6461 County Public Works staff earn awards from NCITE Staff from the Washington County Department of Public Works were recognized at the annual North Central Section Institute of Transportation Engineers annual meeting. The County Board recognized the awards Dec. 11. * Kevin Peterson was named Young Transportation Professional of the Year. This award is given annually to an individual who is 35 years old or younger, and who is making outstanding contributions to NCITE and/or through achievements in the transportation/traffic engineering profession. * Joe Gustafson was named Transportation Professional of the Year. This award is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to NCITE and/or through achievements in the transportation/traffic engineering profession. * Cory Slagle received the 2018 Transportation Achievement Award. This is the Transportation Achievement Award given to the $12.5M St. Croix Trail Roadway Improvements Project in the Old Village of Afton. Contact: Wayne Sandberg, County Engineer/Public Works Deputy Director, 651-430-4339 Photo: Members of the Washington County transportation engineering staff were recognized at the annual North Central Section Institute of Transportation Engineers annual meeting, and presented their awards at the Dec. 11 County Board meeting. The engineers and board members are commissioners Stan Karwoski, District 2, Lisa Weik, District 5, and Fran Miron, District 1, Kevin Peterson, Engineer II, Commissioner Wayne Johnson, District 4, Joe Gustafson, Traffic Engineer, Commissioner Gary Kriesel, District 3, and Cory Slagle, Assistant County Engineer. County Board conducts public hearing on 2019 fee schedule The Washington County Board of Commissioners conducted a public hearing on the county’s 2019 fee schedule Dec. 11. No residents spoke before the County Board adopted the new fee schedule. The county’s fee schedule is governed by county policy, as well as state laws and rules. The governing policy states that when a single user is the beneficiary of a service, the costs of the service should be borne by that individual. Service delivery costs can be supported by revenue other than user fees when there is a public benefit provided by the service. The county policy is to set fees that have a reasonable relation between the fee and the cost of providing the service, as well as a number of other considerations. Programs throughout the county may require fees, and each is reviewed and considered for changes each year. Changes in fees are made to reflect changes in services offered, as well as any state legislative changes that affect county services and related fees. Information on fees charged for a variety of services and programs can be found on the county’s website www.co.washington.mn.us. Contact: Kevin Corbid, Deputy Administrator, 651-430-6003 County Board conducts public hearing, adopts capital Improvement plan The Washington County Board of Commissioners conducted a public hearing on the county’s 2019-2023 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Dec. 11, and then approved the plan. No residents spoke at the hearing. Comments were received from a number of county municipalities, including Cottage Grove, Forest Lake, Hugo, Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, and Lakeland. Responses to those communities were included at the hearing. State law requires the hearing, which covered the county’s 2019-2023 CIP. The plan includes major roadway, parks and facility projects in the county planned for the next five years. Examples of projects to be completed in 2019 include improvements to County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 12 in Grant, Mahtomedi and Willernie, construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Hinton Avenue (CSAH 13) and 70th Street (CSAH 22) in Cottage Grove, and improvements to CSAH 5 between Mrytle Street and Sycamore Street in Stillwater. The plan also identifies the projects that will be funded from a 2019 bond sale, which include Wildwood Library improvements, Lake Elmo Park Reserve improvements, improving the Lower Landing building in Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park, the expansion of CSAH 19 from Interstate 94 to Wynstone, CSAH 19 from Dale Road to CSAH 18, and work on the Highway 36/Hadley Avenue interchange in Oakdale. Bond funding will also pay for maintenance projects on the Government Center and Law Enforcement Center in Stillwater. In addition to bond funds, the capital improvement plan is funded by state and federal transportation aid, state sales tax, state bonds, and local contributions from municipalities where the project is located. Contact: Wayne Sandberg, County Engineer/Public Works Deputy Director, 651-430-4339 County Board sets 2019 budget, levy The Washington County Board of Commissioners set the county’s 2019 budget and levy Dec 11. The board certified: * a tax levy of $109.1 million for county operations, capital, and debt service; * the board also consented to the property tax levy set by the Washington County Community Development Agency at $5.23 million; and * the Washington County Regional Rail Authority levy of $660,000. The board has been reviewing the 2019 recommended budget, which will be partially supported by the levies, since mid-summer. This levy amount is estimated to produce a reduction in the county tax rate. Expenditures for 2019 adopted by the County Board total $287,388,600, along with $717,500 for the Regional Rail Authority. Of that, $192,710,200 is operating expenditures, $79,713,800 is capital project funds, and $14,964,600 is for debt service. The Board also adopted 2019 expenditures for the Regional Rail Authority in the amount of $717,500. Archives of the webstreamed meetings at which the board members discussed the budget are on the county website at www.co.washington.mn.us. Budget presentations may also be viewed on the website by using the search word “budget.” Contact: Kevin Corbid, Deputy Administrator, 651-430-6003 A great place to live, work and play…today and tomorrow Government Center • 14949 62nd Street North — P.O. Box 6, Stillwater, Minnesota 55082-0006 Phone: 651-430-6001 • Fax: 651-430-6017 • TTY: 651-430-6246 www.co.washington.mn.us Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action