Nobles County Commissioner Diane Thier is upset, and the reason why seems fair enough.
The Worthington City Council met with Nobles County Commissioners April 18 to discuss the county-city prosecution services contract. Well, not all the Nobles County Commissioners -- Thier wasn't invited.
Mayor Alan Oberloh explained during the meeting that Thier wasn't extended an invitation because her district doesn't include any portion of the City of Worthington. This is true enough, but she is a county commissioner, and the fact that this a county-city issue should warrant her inclusion.
There's another reason Thier should have been invited to the meeting. As the county commission's chairperson, her omission from a meeting involving the remainder of the board seems glaring. But here's another fact: At the April 8 county commission meeting, Thier presented a motion -- which failed -- calling for the city to kick in 32 percent of the county attorney's budget in a three-year contract. The proposal was the costliest to the city of anything else presented, but even Thier realized "the city couldn't do it (on their own) for that. If the city wants to counter-offer, they can do that."
In other words, Thier has an opinion, but is also willing to listen. The city would be wise to listen to her, too.
