County Administrator Contract Approved
The Anoka County Board of Commissioners approved Rhonda Sivarajah’s employment agreement for the position of county administrator. The contract was approved by six commissioners, with Sivarajah abstaining. The contract is available in the County Administration department for review. Sivarajah will start as county administrator June 12.
Board Recognizes Nurse Practitioners
The first item under Chair’s Remarks at the meeting was to recognize Jana Dahn and Erin Wilkinson, the nurse practitioners at the HealthPartners Well@Work Anoka County clinic. Dahn has been serving Anoka County employees and their families at the clinic since it opened in 2011; Wilkinson has been at the clinic since 2018. The nurses were presented with certificates of appreciation for the dedicated, compassionate medical service they provide, and Bill Keller, Anoka County central services director, relayed the results of satisfaction surveys about Dahn and Wilkinson to the board. HealthPartners has set a target goal for overall clinic satisfaction of 86.8 percent. Dahn and Wilkinson have consistently scored above that goal and most recently were scored at 89.2 percent. Additionally, HealthPartners asked patients if they would recommend Dahn and Wilkinson. Again, they exceeded the target goal of 93.2 percent, with a score of 98.2 percent.
Judge Provides Law Day Recap
The second item under Chair’s Remarks was a report on Anoka County Law Day from Judge Bethany Fountain Lindberg. This event was held April 26 at the Anoka County Courthouse and Government Center. The goal of the event was to make it easier for people to navigate the county’s court system, clear up some outstanding issues, and learn more about what happens in the courthouse. Between clearing up traffic tickets, paying outstanding fines and dealing with outstanding warrants, 1,141 cases were addressed during Law Day. One-hundred students from area schools visited during Law Day, and three mock trials were run. There were presentations by the medical examiner, the Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 unit, and there were Continuing Legal Education clinics that were well attended.
ACTION ITEMS
All action items were approved unanimously.
Law Library Clerk Position Increased
The county’s law library clerk position has been increased from a .5 FTE to a .6 FTE because there is a need to have more hours in that position for clients who come in and use the law library.
Overlay, crack sealing, road reconstruction projects approved
Several road maintenance/construction projects were approved at the meeting in multiple cities across the county. For more information on these projects, click HERE.
Mental Health Funding Grant Application Submitted
The board approved submitting a grant application on behalf of the cities of Coon Rapids and Fridley to the U.S. Department of Justice for Mental Health Collaboration Funding. If secured, the grant would help pay for social workers to help address mental health needs in those cities.
Attorney’s Office Moving Forward with Case Management System
The board approved a contract with Journal Technologies, Inc. for the development and implementation of a new case management system for the County Attorney’s Office. The system currently being used by the office is 14 years old and is reaching the end of its life. The board also approved a contract with Macro Group, Inc. for professional services related to the replacement of the case management system. These services will be for the implementation of the system and training for staff.
Donations Accepted for Public Safety
The board adopted two resolutions accepting donations for public safety community outreach purposes. The first donation was from Allina Health Systems, in the amount of $2,500. The second donation was from Walmart, in the amount of $2,000.
Contract Approved with New Insurance Provider
The board entered into a contract with the Chubb Group, through Arthur J. Gallagher, for property insurance. The result of this new contract is a $13,000 premium decrease from last year. For more information on this item, click HERE.
Schulte Elected New Board Chair
Commissioner Scott Schulte was elected by his fellow commissioners to serve as board chair for the remainder of 2019. He takes over for Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah, who will be starting as Anoka County Administrator June 12. Commissioner Julie Braastad was elected vice chair. Click HERE to read the news release.
To watch the full board meeting, click HERE.