When the City Council meets tonight, one of the items on the agenda will be consideration to join the Coalition of Greater
Minnesota Cities.
The CGMC serves as an advocacy group for Minnesota cities outside of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Last week during their work session, the council heard a presentation from the mayor of Luverne, Pat Baustian who is the current President of the Board and Shane Zahrt, who is the coalition’s lead lobbyist.
While Northfield has never been a member of the CGMC, City Administrator Ben Martig knows the organization from past positions with other cities, and the presentation was made at the invitation of Councilor Brad Ness. Northfield has long been a member of the League of Minnesota Cities, which is a similar organization, but the presentation showed that the Coalition’s lobbying efforts in St. Paul focus on different areas than the League, primarily in local government aid. Many of the metro cities do not receive state government aid, but smaller cities outside of the metro rely on that funding. While Northfield does not lean as heavily on local government aid as other cities, it is a significant component in the budgeting process. The CGMC contends that aid from the state can offer property tax relief, which is something the city is keenly interested in right now.
Martig said membership in the Coalition could help to even out the playing field in St. Paul with the state’s larger cities.
“Minneapolis and St. Paul have multiple lobbyists and the metro cities have their own lobbying efforts as well. [The Coalition] will lobby very hard and more actively for direct funding for things like local government aid. They’re a professional organization and we have a lot of priorities and needs in this city.”
The drawback in membership is the cost. Martig said a full, dues paying member would pay the organization about $41,000 a year. Both Zahrt and Baustian indicated the Coalition is very interested in seeing Northfield become a member. A four-year phase-in of the dues, beginning at 25%, has been offered as an incentive to join, and Baustian spoke about Northfield gaining an immediate spot on the Board of Directors.
There was both interest and skepticism from different members of the council. While Councilor Ness seemed to think the idea warranted consideration, Mayor Rhonda Pownell saw quite a bit of service overlap between the Coalition and the League and was not convinced of the value in belonging to both.
The Council will discuss and vote on a resolution to join at their meeting tonight.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
Chamber to offer mental health first aid training
The Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce is offering Mental Health First Aid training this coming Friday. The course will provide attendees with the necessary tools to identify, understand and respond to someone struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge, and connect them with appropriate support and resources.
According to Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Peterson, one in five Americans suffers from some sort of mental illness. The Covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. The number of those who suffer from depression and anxiety has risen dramatically over the last two years, but many are reluctant to seek help or don’t know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. Friends and family members may find it hard to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not receive care until it is too late.
The course offers a five-step action plan to teach students how to interact with a person experiencing a mental health crisis and guide them through the process of offering appropriate support.
Peterson said that this is the sort of training everyone should attend.
“Anybody and everybody [should take this training], because we all are dealing with a two-year-old pandemic, we all come in contact with different people in different walks of life who are having different experiences than ourselves, and wouldn’t it be nice to be the person who would be able to know what to do if somebody’s in crisis.”
The training will be Friday at Ruth’s on Stafford in Dundas. The course is free, but there is a $20 charge for lunch. This training will be presented again on February 16 and March 10. For more information, visit northfieldchamber.com
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
