New Year, New Responsibilities; Polk County Commissioner Reviews Committee Assignments and Latest Plans
By: Mary Balstad marybalstad@rjbroadcasting.com
Polk County, MN – The Polk County Board continues to work through the first month of the new year. Polk County Commissioner Joan Lee spoke about how the offices for Polk County are kept busy at every level. The first piece of business she shared was the board reorganization. As the newly elected chair of the board, Lee says she will have more responsibilities. Out of all the members on the board, Lee states that she has the most committee assignments, as she picked up more assignments following her election to board chair. The committee assignments can depend on what type of committee the commissioner serves on and district they represent.
The next topic Lee covered was the approval of the safety contract. Regarding the Safety Compliance Service in Red Lake Falls, this will entail a yearly review of safety protocol and practices of the county. This practice assures that all OSHA standards are followed and avoid possible safety issues. Lee also gave an update on public safety and the new law enforcement vehicles. Currently, the county is waiting for the delivery of RAM pickups.
Lee then reported on the 2022 work plan for Polk County. Currently, the offices hope to hire a Finance Director or Deputy County Administrator. The officers hope to implement a County Enterprise Finance Software, but they need to hire the necessary personnel to make this an effective choice. This decision would possible affect other financial decision made by the county, such as bargaining units or the construction bid for the Juvenile Detention Center.
There are currently job openings through Polk County. However, the continued impact of COVID and employment issues have led to the county conducting a market study on wages and proper grading of positions to combat these staff shortages. By looking at the results of the study, Lee says the county can hopefully recruit people to open positions, which can be found on the Polk County website at co.polk.mn.us.