County Board question and answer voters guide

1: The state continues to enact unfunded mandates where counties have to provide greater level of service or enforcement system, or buy new equipment to do something – but no money is provided along with the requirement. What needs to happen to repair that disconnection with state legislators? 2: County levy dollars have historically been distributed to what would probably be termed ‘NGO’s’ in the global political scene – nongovernmental organizations that are doing good works. Have you given any thought on how to go about adopting standards (policy) for spending county tax dollars? 3: It is 2013 and the county receives a $10 million dollar windfall, no strings attached. You tell the County Board the BEST WAY to spend that is...


George McMahon District 3

1. The state continues to enact unfunded mandates where counties have to provide greater level of service or enforcement system, or buy new equipment to do something-- but no money is provided along with the requirement. What needs to happen to repair that disconnection with state legislators? Mandates Can Be Good. Unfunded mandates are requirements that are placed on Chisago County by either the federal or state governments to provide certain services which are not fully paid for by these governments. An example of an unfunded mandate was the 800 Mhz emergency radio system. Based upon this mandate, our county spent approximately 14 million dollars to design and install a new 800 Mhz tower system and a new emergency communication center. The multi-million dollar expense for this new 800 Mhz radio system was incurred without increasing the county tax levy one penny. We were able to do this by shifting county resources to cover this need. This was also an example of a positive mandate which benefited our county. There are also a number of good mandates in health and human services, law enforcement, environmental protection and other areas that make us the great community that we are. I believe the primary way that we as a county, state and nation can address the negative aspects of unfunded mandates and make government work better for the people is communication. Federal and state officials must spend time working with county residents and local officials as they go about their important legislative work. We can solve this problem by working together.
2. County levy dollars have historically been distributed to what would probably be termed ‘NGOs’ in the global political scene-- non governmental organizations that are doing good works. Have you given any thought on how to go about adopting standards (policy) for spending county tax dollars? We Can’t Give Away Your Money. During these difficult economic times, our county board has carefully reviewed funding decisions involving non profit service providers. I believe that the county should require non profits to demonstrate compliance with the same fiscal and program requirements that our own county departments live by. There are certain nonprofits which have specific statutory authority to request public funds from our county. Generally these statutes also require specific funding limitations. I believe that we must comply with these limitations. Let’s not forget that we are talking about your money and I believe that it is my responsibility to invest it wisely. After all, you would.
3. It is 2013 and the county receives a $10 million windfall, no strings attached. You tell the County Board the BEST WAY to spend that is..... Pay Down Debt. I believe that the county should use such a windfall to pay down current bonding debt. We should start with bond issues with higher interest rates and are repaid by county levy dollars. This would immediately save us hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Every $300,000 in savings equals approximately one percent of our county tax levy.

Curt Flug District 3

1:Chisago County currently belongs to the Association of Minnesota Counties who lobbies on behalf of the Counties of Minnesota. We need to continue to work with that organization so the legislature becomes informed about the impacts of unfunded mandates on counties. A county commissioner liaison could meet with our legislators on a pre-determined schedule to be kept informed of legislative proposals. But, moreover, Chisago County needs to alert our citizens of specific legislative proposals and then ask them to phone, email or write to our legislators and urge them to support the County and the County's taxpayers. With today's availability of social media (email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) making that connection is easier. If we can rally the County's taxpayers to contact our legislators individually, I think we have a better chance of keeping the pressure on our elected officials to not transfer the cost of legislative programs onto the County.
2: Working on the assumption that one of the purposes of government is to deal with issues that the public, as a whole, cannot address individually. So, as the County Board develops the policy, the questions that need to be asked would be; 1) Is the program or service being provided a true necessity or is it only a desired service? 2) How many County residents are impacted or will use the service?
3) Is there some other organization that could deliver the service more efficiently and effectively? 4) What will happen if the County discontinues funding of the program/service or opts to not help initiate the program/service at all? 3: I would promote a program to work with the private sector to leverage economic development that maximizes the return on those dollars. Develop or expansion of industrial parks that have adequate sewer, water, streets, rail service would provide jobs and a tax base well into the future.

Rick Smisson District 5

1. When I was the Mayor of Harris, the single biggest issue we faced was the mandated construction of both waste water treatment and water treatment plants. Both of these were unfunded State mandates with imposed deadlines for completion. Not only does the state create these mandates, but they also put requirements on the mandates that make them cost even more. Those ridiculous requirements added roughly $800,000 to the projects in Harris. The county needs to join forces with the cities and present a case to the legislature that at a minimum put some constraints on the State’s ability to impose these costs. Many of the requirements come from agencies that could be reined in by the legislature.
2. The Non-Governmental Organizations that provide these services are typically able to deliver better services at a significantly lower cost. Many of the most effective ones are religious based. As the county funds “good works” programs, they should focus on supporting those organizations the deliver the best results for the dollar, regardless of religious affiliation. After all, many of their clients prefer to get those services from a religious based organization. The government should be focused on getting the best value out of every tax dollar.
3. To answer this question, I will again refer to the waste water plant in Harris as an example. For over 20 years the City Council discussed and debated what to do about the systems they would one day have to build. When the deadline finally came; we were forced to BORROW every penny for the plant because nothing had been saved. Over the past eight years the County Board has been discussing the fact that we will soon need a new jail. If we received a $10 million windfall, I would lobby hard for putting that money in savings to be used later as a down payment for this or some other capital project. As leaders we should be planning ahead like other people do. Government tends to spend every dime it gets and then borrow for the big stuff. Instead they should save for the big stuff and stop wasting millions of dollars on interest payments. We would not handle our own money that way so we shouldn’t handle other people’s money like that.

Mike Robinson District 5

1: Counties across Minnesota have been crippled by State mandates. Through the Association of Minnesota Counties, we have banded together to tell the legislators “enough is enough” but they keep doing it. I believe it is time we stood up to the State by refusing to pay for the mandates.
2: I used to believe in “zero-based budgeting” where every year each department and program line item was reviewed. Since the majority of the County Board voted to pull the rug out from under the senior citizens, by totally eliminating their budget for no reason, I have changed my mind. There should be a policy addressing these types of situations.
3: Even if it is make-believe, if this happened I would give it all back to the Chisago County citizens divided in equal shares.

Lora Walker District 1

1: Unfunded mandates have historically been a problem; not something new that just developed in any recent legislative term. Nevertheless, it has become more evident as the screw gets turned ever tighter with limited county dollars to cover what the state has been requiring. The county board has regularly informed our legislators of our concern about unfunded mandates and is eager to work with whoever is elected to stop the snowball effect. Legislators need have an improved understanding of how their choices adversely impact counties and property tax payers, and have a more proactive than reactive nature by working together.
2: I have experience both in my previous government employment working with contracted community agencies and as a Chisago County board member. Historically counties have renewed community agency funding year after year with few questions asked. In recent years, however, counties have begun to evaluate outcomes that were achieved for the dollars paid. This helped assess what value we were getting for the clients served. I have advocated for outcome-based evaluations in contracting for years. We have talented staff whose role it is to recommend standards/policy to the board, and I weigh in on their recommendations to streamline and eliminate program inefficiencies.
3: Wouldn’t that be great?! We have probably all had our dream of what we would do if we won Publishers Clearing House or the lottery, even if we never bought a ticket. I would ask for input from my constituents via my website at www.lorawalker.com. It is not my windfall, but all of ours. I would welcome the opportunity to share the joy of letting everyone dream what would be their ideal way to spend the money to better our community or to distribute to taxpayers if that is preferred. My constituents have abundant insight and my role is to advocate for their top wishes.

Darrel Trulson District 1

1: Like any organization, it is critical to have a positive working relationship with all parties involved. The problem that I see isn’t so much a disconnect, as the ability to establish and maintain a positive working relationship with officials at all levels of government. Recently, the largest unfunded mandate in Chisago County was the 800 MHZ radio system that were initially required by the executive branch of the federal government, and administered through the state. This mandate, however well intended and needed, has cost tax payers several million dollars related to new equipment costs. Many counties in the country were on top of this federal mandate right away and applied for grants to help offset much of the costs so they weren't born by county taxpayers. The key to this and any type of legislation that could affect the county is to maintain an open dialogue with our state officials. Over the past several years I have established strong working relationships with both our local representative and senator and currently meet with them at least once a month to discuss issues facing the county. As your commissioner I will continue to have these discussions with decision makers at the state level. I will also meet with our local officials at the township and city level to ensure that the citizens of the county are properly represented.
2: Standards already exist at the county level for spending tax dollars by the mere fact that the county chooses who to fund and who not to fund. Therefore, the real question should be what priorities need to be reevaluated for future funding. To establish priorities there first must be a “needs” assessment. Once that is established, the county must determine which organizations provide the greatest benefit at the lowest cost. In other words, just like we run our own households, the county must attempt to stretch the taxpayer’s dollars as far as possible. The way that is achieved is through open dialogue with these organizations and transparency with the public so they can contribute to the discussion. This way everyone has the opportunity to “weigh-in” on what is important and necessary in Chisago County.
3: First of all, it is important to understand that I view any money coming into the county not as the county’s money, but the taxpayers money. So whether it is a windfall, fees for services, or taxes from levies, the money belongs to the citizens of Chisago County and the Commissioners are merely stewards of those funds. If the county did receive a windfall, the first thing that should be done is to provide the property owners a one-time reduction of their levy by 10%. This would use up approximately $3 million dollars. Next, several million should be used to create a resource to help local businesses grow and encourage new business to locate in the county. This would be an investment in our communities that would pay dividends by creating new jobs and increasing the overall corporate tax base of the county. Finally the remaining balance should be used for programs that have gone underfunded in the county for the past several years. A few that come to mind would be funding for the Senior Center in North Branch, new job training programs for the unemployed, and a careful review of the Chisago County 5 and 10 year long range plans to determine where the greatest needs are and put money to those areas. If anyone has any question about my responses or thoughts about my campaign I encourage them to contact me at www.TrulsonForCommissioner.com.