Kudos to the county commissioners

I wish to take a moment—well, a column, really—to commend the leaders of our county government. I could joke that I am practically a member of the county board, since I spend about as much time at their meetings as the commissioners do. The one or two times in the past two years that I have missed a meeting, I have reviewed the online recording of what took place.

 

Furthermore, the best way to ensure we understand something is to summarize and explain it to someone else. After every board meeting, I spend a few hours doing exactly that.

 

But after my lighthearted claim, I would quickly issue a disclaimer, since I am aware how many discussions, sessions and gatherings the commissioners attend in addition to the “regular” meetings which take place on the first and third Tuesdays of each month beginning at 9:30 a.m., and are frequently preceded by an 8 a.m. work session.

 

My selection of this topic is prompted by two things.

 

The first is the recent achievement award from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for the “Broadband for All” initiative. Having been present for many of the summaries and reports which occurred as the $7.5 million in funding was applied for, I have an inkling of the difficulties and disappointments which preceded the April 2024 announcement the county had received its first grant. 

 

It happened that the office of broadband development had scheduled its announcements within the time frame of a meeting. Commissioner De Malterer, the board member who worked most closely with the project, had mentioned early in the session she was watching for the announcement and claimed she would do a handspring if the news was good.

 

Even without the handspring, the delight was palpable when, a bit later, the news was received.

 

Still, despite the significant personal effort exerted to achieve the broadband grant, the commissioners extend credit to the community members whose statements of support helped make the efforts successful.

 

When it was mentioned NACo had chosen to recognize Broadband for All, the response was gratitude for being noticed and a statement of pleasure the county’s citizens are being served.

 

I am also impressed by the commissioners’ efforts to finally rectify a problem which has been “kicked down the road” for decades.

 

The county law enforcement building and the jail inside it were planned and constructed during the cold war era and have been gradually falling out of compliance with state Department of Corrections (DOC) standards for decades.

 

The complicated and costly nature of the project apparently kept previous boards from updating or replacing the facility, leaving this board to cope with “must-do” circumstances arising from a DOC statement the number of unmet standards could lead to the relatively sudden closure of the jail.

 

The search for the “best” solution has been difficult and complicated, and honestly is not over yet.

 

But I have respected the commissioners’ genuine sincerity as they work toward a solution, trying to walk the tightrope between the “needs” and “wants” surrounding the plan against the amount of money it will cost taxpayers.

 

I have to admit, even after hearing all I’ve heard and learning all I’ve learned, I would still be uncertain how to vote on the project if I were a member of the county board–but of course, all the details are still being worked out, so it is not currently time for a decision.  In that regard, I have high respect for the knowledge and ability of county administrator Michael Johnson, whose job it is to acquire all the information board members are asking for and coordinate efforts with planners and architects. He has a remarkable ability to stay calm and seem collected, so that even though I assume he experiences considerable inner turmoil at times, there would be no way to prove that’s true.

 

So, in Waseca County, I want to observe that “government by the people, of the people and for the people” is working beautifully. We have far-thinking leaders whose genuine goal is to serve their constituency to the best of their ability. Yes, each of us will have complaints about certain circumstances or expectations, and yes, our independent spirits object to the “red tape” government seems to always entail.

 

At the highest level, though, my confidence in human nature is supported. When it comes to Waseca County government, from what I have seen, we are fortunate to have good people doing good work for good reasons.