Library discussion crops up again

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — With less than a month to go before the county presents its 2010 budget and tax information in a public meeting, Nobles County Commissioners on Tuesday pored over department budgets and made a few tweaks along the way.

Taking a considerable amount of time was discussion on whether or not to proceed with the City of Worthington on construction of a multi-use facility that would include a new library.

Commissioner Diane Thier raised the issue while the board discussed the library budget, and then brought it up again when the county’s building fund budget came up for discussion.

Thier, who serves as the county’s representative on the library board, said the idea of spending $4 to $5 million on a new library at this time just doesn’t make sense.

“I think we’ve got a great place,” she said of the existing library inside Worthington’s War Memorial Building. “I know some on the library board think where they’ve got it is really good.”

Thier said she would like to see the county’s historical display moved from the War Memorial Building to a new site near Pioneer Village.

“We’ve got a perfect location for a library right there in the center of town,” Thier said, adding if they didn’t add onto the building, they wouldn’t be required to add more parking spaces.

Board chairman David Benson said he prefers to see the county continue to work with the city on planning and visioning, adding that it will cost a lot if the county chooses to revamp the existing library facility.

“We have good partnerships (with other counties in public health, community corrections and family services),” Benson said. “Those partnerships aren’t always easy, but I don’t think we can afford to do it ourselves anymore.”

Thier said a building project is different from shared programming.

“But the potential for savings in staff is there,” Benson responded. “I would just hate to pull out and say we’re not going to work with them anymore.”

Following discussion about the direction of the process, Commissioner Vern Leistico moved to take $50,000 from the county’s $2 million building fund and earmark it for long-term planning for the library. Earmarking the funds does not mean the money needs to be spent.

The designation was approved on a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Marv Zylstra, Benson and Leistico in favor, and Commissioners Norm Gallagher and Thier opposed.

Other actions taken on the budget include:

- Increasing the budget for Out of Home Placements in the Family Services department from $736,663 to $800,000. The decision was made after commissioners learned that the budget for Out of Home Placements has already been exceeded in 2009. As of October, the agency spent $777,991 on placements. In 2007 and 2008, the county lost a combined $120,000 from its reserves to fund the continued rise in placements. Commissioners also discussed, but took no action, on increasing staffing to meet the growing demand for family service programs.

- Increasing the county contribution for benefits to full-time county employees from $515 per year to $530 per year.

- Maintaining the proposed cut in designated funds to the county’s road system. Nobles County Public Works Director Stephen Schnieder had recommended a $40,000 cut in the amount of money set aside, taking the annual contribution from $275,000 to $235,000. Five years ago, commissioners set a dedicated 3 percent of the levy aside for the county road system.

- Allocating $1,000 to the Southwest Crisis Center to assist with the agency’s budget. The center had previously been slated to receive a $2,000 annual allocation.

- Transferring $39,293 in Extension service reserves to the county’s general fund.

- Holding off on charging an administrative fee to departments. This was suggested by County Administrator Mel Ruppert as a way to increase revenue in the administration department. Commissioners suggested the department evaluate a possible fee schedule in 2010, for possible implementation in 2011.

In other action on agenda items, the board:

- Presented Jim Black with a certificate of appreciation for nearly 22 years of service to Nobles County.

- Approved designation of the state-abandoned stretch of the former Minnesota 60 highway extending north from Bigelow as County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 37. The new designation will allow the county to access state aid money for road maintenance.

- Learned that the county received a grant from the state to replace a bridge on CSAH 11, north of Ellsworth. The county will advertise for bids for the project after Jan. 1.

- Approved a request from the Nobles County Jail to fill a jail sergeant position that has opened.

- Appointed Bruce Heitkamp of Adrian to the Personnel Board of Appeals.

Tags: news, worthington, library, commissioner, council, meeting, budget