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Date:	Jan. 22, 2019
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 Jan. 22, 2019, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting at the Government Center in Stillwater, Minnesota

County Board approves contracts with service organizations
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved several contracts with service organizations Jan. 22 that provide services to residents.
Agreements were approved with:
* Tubman, to provide services to victims and families of domestic violence. The contract is for $181,255, and will go through 2019. Tubman provides shelter, crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy, assistance with Orders for Protection, and community presentations. Tubman works as the community point of contact for the Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) program, which is a risk assessment tool used by law enforcement officers in Washington County to help identify the most dangerous offenders in cases of intimate partner violence and to connect victims with services. The contract is a 7 percent increase over 2018, to cover increases in staff salaries.
* The Washington County Community Development Agency (CDA) for its Bridges II Program, for $190,176, that will go through both 2019 and 2020. The Bridges II program has been in operation since the 1990s. It provides Bridges participants assistance with housing search and support services once they are housed. The CDA provides income eligibility determination, computes and issues the rental assistance, and ensures rental units meet quality standards. The program assists Washington County residents who have a mental illness find and keep affordable housing by providing a housing subsidy and necessary support services. On average, 14 households will be served each month during the contract term. Eligible households will pay between 30 percent and 40 percent of their gross income as rent, with the remainder paid through the subsidy, with an average rental assistance payment per household of $516 per month.
* Canvas Health for adult and children’s mental health services, and family services. Canvas Health provides services to children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, and families who struggle with aging, crises, chemical and mental health, and domestic and sexual abuse. Services include information, referral, and client outreach; diagnosis, psychiatric testing; outpatient treatment, day treatment, medication management, and Independent Living Skills (ILS) training; case management for Seriously Emotionally Disturbed (SED) children; and family-based services and parenting assessments. A number of changes were made to the 2019 contract, based on use in previous years, the elimination of particular services, and the creation of the Washington County Crisis Response Unit, which brings services previously provided in-house. The 2019 contract is paid for with levy and grant dollars, and is for up to $1.63 million.
* The Thrive Behavioral Network III, LLC, for intensive residential treatment services for a small number of clients who cannot access services through regular channels because of being uninsured, or are civilly committed and carry private insurance that does not include these benefits. The facility, Willow Haven in Lake Elmo, offers short-term, medically-necessary treatment programs for clients with mental illnesses, and crisis stabilization treatment. The contract is for about $5,300 annually for 2019 and 2020.

County will receive grant for children’s mental health respite care
Washington County will receive a $30,354 grant for children’s mental health respite care services, after the County Board accepted the grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services Jan. 22.
Respite care includes planned routine care to support the continued residence of a child with emotional or behavioral disturbance with the child's family or long-term primary caretaker. It can also be used on an emergency or crisis basis. Respite services provide temporary care for children with serious mental health needs who live at home, giving families and caregivers a much needed break while offering a safe environment for their children. Respite care may be provided in a family's home, foster home, or licensed facility in the community, and gives families a chance to reenergize and refocus.
Funding levels are determined by the Minnesota Legislature and Washington County last received $60,000 in 2017. The amount of funding available has been greatly reduced due to the high number of counties applying for funding.
Contact: Sarah Amundson, Community Services Division Manager

County approves labor agreement with correctional officer/911 supervisors
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a labor agreement with the Minnesota Public Employee Association (MNPEA) Correctional Officer/911 Supervisors' Unit Jan. 22.
The two-year agreement began Jan. 1, 2019, and will end Dec. 31, 2020.
The agreement includes a 2.5-percent general salary adjustment at the beginning of both 2019 and 2020, and a three-week paid parental leave benefit for the birth or adoption of a child. The agreement includes a reduction to the vacation and paid time off schedules for employees hired after Jan. 1, 2019, as well as an increase in the amount of employer contribution toward the cost of health insurance provided to each employee.  
The agreement includes an additional premium on pay on overtime hours worked on holidays, and an increase in the shift differential premium pay from 85 cents an hour, to $1 an hour.
Contact: Jan Webster, Human Resources Director, 651-430-6075

County will continue household hazardous waste collections in communities
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved agreements with county communities Jan. 22 to allow the county to conduct household hazardous waste collections in those communities during 2019.
Eight satellite weekend household hazardous waste collections are planned for 2019, in spring and fall. Satellite collections bring the services offered at the Washington County Environmental Center closer to residents, making it more convenient and practical for them to recycle and dispose their household hazardous waste and electronics. The agreements allow the county to use sites owned by others to conduct household hazardous waste collections. 
Events planned for spring are:  
* at the Hugo Public Works Garage, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 13, 6900 137th St. N., Hugo;
* at the Wildwood Elementary School in Mahtomedi, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, 8698 75th St. N., Mahtomedi, enter at the middle school/high school driveway;
* at the Cottage Grove Public Works Garage, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, 8635 W. Point Douglas Road S., Cottage Grove;
* at Lily Lake Ice Arena in Stillwater 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, 1208 S. Greeley St. Stillwater;
* at the Forest Lake Transit Center, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 8, 19987 Fitzgerald Trail N., Forest Lake.
Fall events are:
* at the Forest Lake Transit Center, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, 19987 Fitzgerald Trail N., Forest Lake;
* at the Forest Lake Transit Center, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, 19987 Fitzgerald Trail N., Forest Lake;
* at the Hugo Public Works Garage, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 12, 6900 137th St. N., Hugo.
Confidential document shredding will be available at all events.
In addition to the satellite collection events, five dates have been set for confidential paper shredding at the Washington County Environmental Center, Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
* Wednesday, April 17;
* Wednesday, June 5;
* Wednesday, July 31;
* Wednesday, Sept. 18; and
* Wednesday, Nov. 6.
In addition to remote-site collections, the Washington County Environmental Center, 4039 Cottage Grove Drive in Woodbury, provides residents with a free and convenient disposal option for household hazardous waste, electronics, and recyclables all year round.
It is open Tuesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The center accepts household hazardous waste, electronics, and recyclables. The center also has a Free Product Room, in which residents may browse the shelves and take home previously-owned products such as paint, stain, automotive supplies, household cleaners, and other products. All items taken to the Environmental Center are inspected to determine if they are usable products.
Contact: Adam Frederick, Public Health and Environment Environmental Coordinator, 651-430-6702

County communications antenna will be moved to St. Croix County
Washington County’s antenna currently on the Allen S. King Power Plant in Bayport will be moved to St. Croix County, Wisconsin, after the County Board approved an agreement with the Wisconsin county Jan. 22.
It will be placed on a tower in Houlton, Wis.
Washington County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) have a joint presence for the 800mhz Public Safety Radio System on the power plant smokestack. The antenna equipment allows for the operation of the public safety radio system used by emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement to communicate during emergency events. Rent costs are just more than $71,000 a year, the second highest tower rent paid by the state. Washington County pays 16.6 percent of the rental costs.
St. Croix County, Wisconsin, also locates its antenna on the stack, and a recent lease change increased its rent. Due to the rent increase and the uncertain long-term future of the King plant,
MnDOT partnered with St. Croix County to build a new 330-foot self-supporting tower in Houlton,
Wis. Washington County has decided to participate in the building of the new tower in Houlton, because of the long-term stability of the service and the financial benefits of participating.
Washington County will make a one-time payment of $100,000 to St. Croix County for site development and there will be no rental fees charged during the 25-year term of the agreement.
Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601

County Library receives $20,000 anonymous gift
The Washington County Board of Commissioners accepted a $20,000 donation for the county’s Library from an anonymous donor Jan. 22.
The donation will be used for Valley Library improvements.
Contact: Bethany Venable, Communications Specialist, 651-275-8504

WSB and Associates will do design work on Ideal Avenue pavement, safety improvements
WSB and Associates will do design work for the Pavement and Safety Improvement Project on County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 13, or Ideal Avenue, after the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a $640,314 contract with the company Jan. 22.
The contract will be paid for with state aid and local funds.
This is the second phase of the improvements on Ideal Avenue, and runs one mile from CSAH 14 (34th Street) to 44th Street. The roadway separates the cities of Lake Elmo and Oakdale.
The project includes replacing the pavement, improving drainage, enhancing roadway safety, and completing bike and trail connections. This is similar to the first phase of the project that was from 44th Street to 50th Street, completed in 2017.
Construction will be done in 2022. WSB will provide project coordination, public engagement, traffic analysis, environmental documentation, utility coordination, and drainage analysis, among other tasks.
The roadway carries between 2,750 and 3,850 vehicles per day, with future traffic forecasted to be from 4,800 to 5,900 vehicles per day. It will continue to be a two-lane highway. Currently, the roadway’s shoulders are incomplete, and there are no pedestrian facilities.
The project will evaluate the intersection for safety, as well as shoulder widths and pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The drainage will be improved so that runoff is captured and treated.
Preliminary design will be done by summer, with final design completed during the last half of 2019.
Contact: Allan Brandt, Engineer I, 651-430-4348

County Board signs Call to Action to reduce number of people with mental illnesses in county jail
The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution Jan. 22 to sign Call to Action, joining a movement to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in the county jail.
It is a statement to commit to sharing lessons learned with other counties in the state and across the country to support a national initiative and encourage all county officials, employees, and residents to participate in Stepping Up.
Counties across the United States routinely provide treatment to the estimated two million people with serious mental illnesses booked into jail each year. Prevalence rates of serious mental illnesses in jails are three to six times higher than for the general public, and almost three-quarters of adults with serious mental illnesses in jails have co-occurring substance use disorders.
Adults with mental illnesses tend to stay longer in jail and, upon release, are at a higher risk of recidivism than people without these disorders. County jails spend two to three times more on adults with mental illnesses who require interventions compared to those without these treatment needs. Without the appropriate treatment and services, people with mental illnesses continue to cycle through the criminal justice system, often resulting in tragic outcomes for these individuals and their families.
Washington County and all counties take pride in their responsibility to protect and enhance the health, welfare, and safety of residents in efficient and cost-effective ways through Stepping Up, a program through the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation that encourages public, private, and nonprofit partners to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails.
The action that the county will take will include:
* continue the work of a multi-disciplinary team lead by the Sheriff’s Office and supported by a newly-hired planner to safely reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails;
* collect and review prevalence numbers and assess individuals’ needs to better identify adults entering jails with mental illnesses and their recidivism risk, and use that baseline information to guide decision-making at the system, program, and case levels;
* examine treatment and service capacity to determine which programs and services are available in the county for people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders, and identify state and local policy and funding barriers to minimizing contact with the justice system and providing treatment and support in the community;
* develop a plan with measurable outcomes that draws on the jail assessment and prevalence data and the examination of available treatment and service capacity, while considering identified barriers;
* implement research-based approaches that advance the plan; and
* create a process to track progress using data and information systems, and to report on successes.
Contact: Sheriff Dan Starry, 651-430-7601




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Phone:  651-430-6001  •  Fax:  651-430-6017  •  TTY:  651-430-6246
www.co.washington.mn.us
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