NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 9, 2016
CONTACT: Dana Kazel, Communications Manager
218-725-5049 (office) • 218-591-2219 (cell)
Board approves bond sale for road and bridge improvements, additional staff for Public Health and Human Services, Sheriff's Office
St. Louis County commissioners have approved hiring 30 additional employees for the Public Health and Human Services Department and in the Sheriff's Office. The new positions include: 20 employees in the Children and Family Services Division, and five financial workers, plus five corrections officers for the jail.
The new employees for Children and Family Services (CFS) will include six new social workers in the Initial Intervention Unit, which is responsible for assessing and investigating reports of maltreatment; 10 ongoing child protection staff, who work intensively with families in which there are unresolved child safety and well-being concerns; and four supervisors. The positions will be paid for from funds remaining in the new state child protection aid payment, but will be partially funded by the levy beginning in 2017. The CFS division has seen a dramatic increase in reports of maltreatment recently. From January to June of this year, they screened for assessment 1,115 reports of child maltreatment, a 15-percent increase from last year, and a 45 percent increase since 2014.
The five Financial Worker positions are intended to streamline the training and transition process as employees promote, transfer, retire or leave the department and new employees start. The new positions are not expected to affect the levy.
Similarly, the five new full time equivalent Corrections Officer positions at the jail will also help with staffing stability throughout training, retirements, military leaves and other situations that currently lead to high overtime costs. The additional positions, because of the reduction in overtime costs, are expected to reduce levy impact.
In other votes today, the County Board approved:
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The sale of $25 million General Obligation capital improvement bonds to fund road and bridge improvement projects.
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The sale of $15.5 million of General Obligation capital improvement refunding bonds to refinance earlier projects.
- The purchase of 7.8 acres of land immediately adjacent to Camp Esquagama for $36,700.
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