With the new Rice County Safety Center, which will house the Rice County Jail and the Rice County Sheriff’s Department, set to open next year, Sheriff Jesse Thomas is ready to gear up his staff and add both correctional officers and support personnel. The positions have been approved, he said, but there are few applicants to fill the roles.
Thomas said he was approved by the county board to add three more correctional officers in July, and an additional two officers in January of next year. He said his department has recently made offers to two people, but there are still at least three more positions to fill by August of next year.
Additionally, he said, the Sheriff’s department is looking for a full time Programmer for the jail to coordinate all the different services and programs that will be offered to those who are incarcerated. They are also looking for someone to fill a .75 FTE clerical position, and a full-time receptionist so the file clerks can concentrate on their jobs.
Thomas said not only are all of the positions, and the correctional officer positions in particular, good jobs, but they are the rare jobs in today’s workforce whose wages have kept up with inflation.
“Our requirements are a valid driver’s license and either a GED or a high school education. And it’s interesting. We start at $28.35 an hour and we top out at $39.77, and it only takes nine years to get there. When I went from the jail to patrol in 1997, I started at $14.47 an hour.”
Hiring law enforcement officers has been a problem for more than three years now for several different reasons, one of them being the two-year degree requirement the State of Minnesota holds for patrol officers. However, Thomas said the Minnesota State Sheriff’s Association is working to ease that situation by offering a $2000 scholarship to someone that is serious about joining a law enforcement organization.
“The deadline closes on October 15th. The requirements are you have to be in a secondary skills program, either the second year of a two-year law enforcement program, or the third year of a four-year program.”
Not only is the Sheriff’s Association offering a scholarship, Thomas said, but the Sheriff’s Deputy Association offers a $500 scholarship as well.
For more information on applying to the Sheriff’s Department or for one of the scholarship opportunities, visit the Sheriff’s Department page on the Rice County website, or stop by the records window at the Sheriff’s Department to pick up a paper application.
Rich Larson’s conversation with Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas can be heard here
Chamber Gala will have a ‘Yellowstone’ style theme
The Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Fall Gala on Friday night at The Grand Event Center.
The event is the Chamber’s one fundraiser each year that is earmarked specifically to help fund the Chamber of Commerce itself. Chamber President Jane Bartho and Director of Engagement Rachel Trnka said the Chamber is not a department of the city, so they are not a part of the city budget. While the City of Northfield is, as Bartho put it, “a very generous member,” the Chamber is a stand-alone non-profit organization, and as such, they have to raise their own money.
“The Fall Gala is dedicated as a fundraiser just for the Chamber of Commerce. Most people do know that we are a nonprofit and we are basically funded by membership dues. We make some money from the other events that we run, the Home and Garden Show, and our golf tournament, but this is to put a little bit back into the budget and the savings.”
The theme for the gala this year is “Northfield’s Version of Yellowstone,” based on the very popular prime-time drama starring Kevin Costner as the owner of the massive Dutton Ranch in Montana. Bartho said that attendees are encouraged to dress in Western attire, but “not so much Western Cowboy as Western Rancher.”
The event will feature a live auction, and a silent auction. Trnka said those donating to the silent auction have been extremely generous, and there will be more than 50 items upon which to bid.
Chad Johnson and the Minnesota Transplants will provide the live entertainment for the evening, along with some surprises, including something Bartho called the “Human Horse Race Trifecta.”
The 2023 Northfield Chamber of Commerce Fall Gala is set for this Friday, October 13th, at the Grand Event Center. Doors will open at 6:00, and dinner will be served at 7:00
Tickets are available to the general public. Bartho said one need not be a member of the Chamber to attend the gala. Because of planning details, ticket sales will be cut off before Friday. To register visit northfieldchamber.com, or call 507-645-5604, or stop by the Chamber of Commerce office on Bridge Square.
Council will discuss long term finances and parking tonight
And the Northfield City Council will meet for a work session tonight in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
Among the items on tonight’s agenda, City Administrator Ben Martig will lead a discussion of the 2024-2025 budget and 2025+ long range financial planning forecast. There will be a presentation and discussion of potential shared parking management solutions, and the city will introduce the Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications Administration to the Council.
As always, the City Council and the Northfield City Staff are eager to hear the opinions of the public on any matter, whether the subject is on the Council agenda or not. The meeting tonight is a work session, so the Council will not hear from the public. However, those who do wish to make a point, air an opinion or ask a question can email their councilor directly or make use of the eComment function which can be found in the “Agendas” section of the city website.
The meeting will begin tonight at 6pm.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
