Q: How many Carver County employees were affected by the County Board budget action Tuesday? (Several media organizations have been reporting that roughly 30 people lost their jobs.)

Here is the complex answer: 

·         There were 22 existing employees who either lost jobs or had hours reduced.

-         Two half-time legal administrative assistants in the County Attorneys office lost their jobs. (Equivalent of 1 FTE)

-         One full-time victim witness coordinator had hours reduced by 20 percent. (Equivalent of .20 FTE)

-         Fourteen seasonal temporary on-call (STOC) members of the Sheriff’s Office had their jobs eliminated. The STOC workers were not patrol deputies. Their duties included working court security, transport of criminals, and security at community events. Their hours ranged from only a few hours per year to part-time hours each week. (Equivalent of 2.8 FTE)

-         One .8 time library supervisor’s job was eliminated. (Equivalent of .8 FTE)

-         One .8 time children’s librarian was eliminated. (Equivalent of .8 FTE)

-         One full-time project management supervisor was eliminated from the Information Services Department. (Equivalent of 1 FTE)

-         One half-time administrative assistant was eliminated from the Employee Relations Department. (Equivalent of .5 FTE)

-         The division director positions for the Public Health Department and the Land, Water & Health Department were eliminated and will be replaced with one director position that will oversee a combined Public Health and Environment Department. (Equivalent of 1 FTE).

** Technically, 21 people lost jobs. As a result of the board action, the equivalent of 8.1 full-time positions were eliminated.

-         There were also five currently vacant positions that will not be filled (Equivalent of 4.8 FTE)

-- Richard Crawford

County approves $1.2 million budget fix 

By Richard Crawford

Carver County commissioners on Tuesday approved an administrative plan to cut staff to address budget problems even though union representatives had pushed for an alternative plan that would have included unpaid furloughs.

In a unanimous 5-0 vote, the County Board forged ahead with County Administrator David Hemze’s recommendation, which is expected to save $1.2 million in 2009 and nearly double that in 2010.

The county has been considering the budget adjustment for several months. In addition to a loss in state aid, the county is facing other declining revenue sources, including a falling tax base that is primarily the result of lower market values; lower investment income; and less income in the form of fees for services.

The budget challenges came to the forefront last December, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty unalloted more than $700,000 that had been earmarked for the county. This year, it is expected that the county will lose at least another $1.25 million in state aid.

Commissioners expressed appreciation for proposals developed by union officials but indicated they favored a budget plan that would be “sustainable.”

The union proposals centered on unpaid time off for groups of employees during the next 18 months in order to prevent layoffs. However, county commissioners were wary of the plan, in part, because it could  put the county in the same budget predicament when planning for 2011.

Tuesday’s vote means there will be staffing cuts to the library, the County Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and other departments as well as the merger of the county’s Public Health and Land & Water Services Division into a new division with one department head. Del Hurt, who is currently the director of Public Health, has indicated he’s planning to retire this year. Dave Draelen, head of the Land & Water Services Division, will have his job eliminated and there will be an open competition for a new director of a renamed Public Health and Environment Division.

The cuts will eliminate a children’s librarian position in Waconia and require the assistant library director to take on management of the Chaska Library.  In the County Attorney’s Office, two legal administrative assistants will be eliminated.

Public Health director retires

Carver County Public Health Director Del Hurt officially retired June 2.

During his nine years as director of Public Health, Hurt helped established the Carver County Health Partnership, a collaborative effort of local businesses, non-profits, community groups, concerned citizens, governments, and members of the faith community working together to make Carver County a healthy place to live and workHurt helped identify the need for another type of collaboration, a local foundation to support local initiatives and organizations. The Community Foundation for Carver County was organized in 2004 to serve as a catalyst for community investments that contribute to the health and vitality of those living and working in Carver County.

Hurt also advocated for the establishment of the Carver County Office of Aging recommended by the Carver County Health Partnership’s Senior Commission and approved by the County Board in August of 2007.  

More change is on the agenda for Public Health as a result of a plan to merge Public Health with the Land and Water Services Division.It is expected the new division, dubbed “Public Health and Environment,” will include the current Public Health Disease Prevention and Control/Family Health and Planning and Development departments, and an Emergency Management Department previously housed in the Employee Relations Division. Under the proposal, the new division will also include the Land and Water Division departments, Environmental Services, Land Management, Planning and Water Management, and two separate agencies under that division, the Community Development Agency and the Carver County Soil and Water Conservation District. 

The county anticipates hiring a director for the new Public Health and Environment Division in the fall.