Last week the Rice County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation from the County Community Services Department and retired Director of
Social Services Mark Shaw about the financial burdens laid onto the county due to the State of Minnesota’s continued failure to fund mandates and agreements regarding social services and mental health.
Figures compiled by Rice County show that between 2017 and 2021, more than $3.25 million was spent for services that the state had long ago agreed to pay for. That includes costs for residents committed to the Minnesota Sex Offenders Program, those receiving inpatient services for treatment for mental health issues, those with chemical dependency issues, or those with intellectual disabilities, and lower income families with children in childcare.
Shaw, who served the county for nearly three decades, laid out a chronology, explaining that in the early ’90s, there was a plan to have the state pay all costs for several Human Services programs that was to be funded by homestead and agricultural credits. However, as the state dealt with financial challenges and the Great Recession, said Shaw, not only was that plan never put in place, the state shifted other responsibilities to the counties, which had no choice but to pass those costs on to its taxpayers.
Adding to the issue is what Shaw called “gridlock in the mental health system.” Fewer beds for mental health and chemical dependency patients due to the closure of older facilities, with no replacements, has led to longer waits or families forced to find placement for a loved one outside of the state.
County Administrator Sara Folstad said the Association of Minnesota Counties will continue to press the Legislature for additional funding in the upcoming session. When asked what his message to state policymakers would be, Shaw said he would urge them to consider how they spend the $9.25 billion budget surplus and pour some of it into mental health. Adding that it is illogical to charge the taxpayers more for these essential services when the state has so much money in reserve
Capital Projects Levy referendum partially for general fund relief
Tomorrow, among the dozens of offices on which Northfielders will be asked to vote, will be a two-question referendum posed by the 
Northfield Area School District, to renew and expand the long-standing Capital Projects Levy.
Originally passed in 2011, the Capital Projects Levy allows the district to collect about $750,000 each year from residents for the general upkeep and maintenance of district buildings, the improvement of classrooms and the purchase and update of technology. The levy therefore pays for plowing of school parking lots in the winter or the purchase of lawnmowers. It pays for computers in classrooms and software updates.
Renewal of this levy is the first question on the referendum. The second question looks to expand the amount the levy would collect. When originally passed, the levy was capped at $750,000. The expansion would remove that cap and allow for the funds collected to grow as the net tax capacity of the overall school district grows. In 2023, that number would translate to about $1.65 million.
The decision to place the referendum on the ballot was made for two reasons. First, the levy was originally authorized for a ten-year period, and it will expire if it is not renewed. Secondly, with the district expected to lose about 400 students over the next eight years, the amount of funding it will receive from the state will drop. This past spring the decision was made to cut more than $4 million dollars from the school budget, and other measures are necessary. As public-school funding in Minnesota is highly regulated, a portion of the expanded levy will be eligible to pay for five of the salaries in the district’s technology budget. That would then open up about $400,000 in the district’s general fund.
Jeff Quinnell of the Northfield School Board, said the decision to place the referendum on the ballot was made unanimously, and for common sense reasons.
“Levies are for learning and bonds are for building. This is something [originally passed] in 2011 that needs to be reviewed and we were unanimous on voting for it to be renewed. It does raise the taxes of any home, [but] with the cost of inflation and things going up, things cost more, so it makes sense. That [the levy] went up a bit. And if people agree or disagree with you, know whatever the amounts are, then they need to make the decision whether they’re for that or not.”
KYMN news has spoken with five of the six candidates for school board, and each of them said that they support the renewal and expansion of the levy.
For more information on the Capital Improvements Levy visit, the Northfield Public Schools website. The ballot referendum and full interviews with candidates for school board can be found on the KYMN Election Guide.
Rich Larson’s full conversation with Jeff Quinnell can be heard here
Living Treasure Award deadline extended
And Northfield Director of Library Services Natalie Draper said the Arts & Culture Commission is still accepting nominations for the 2023 
Northfield Living Treasure Award.
The annual award honors a Northfielder who has made a significant contribution to Northfield through cultural or artistic means or on behalf of the arts and culture.
According to the Northfield website, culture, as defined in the 2019 Cultural Plan, encompasses the whole of the community’s intellectual and social formation, including its work, thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs as manifested through the arts, food, oral languages, dress, homes, recreation, history, landscape, rituals, traditions, celebrations and festivals.
In 2022 the recipient was sculptor, poet and teacher Mac Gimse.
The award will be presented to the recipient during the mayor’s State of the City address on March 21st. The deadline for nominations is Sunday. For more information, visit the Northfield website.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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