Posted: 1/25/05
Commissioners approve new ag agent
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The Houston County Board of Commissioners approved a new quarter-time agriculture technical adviser at its January 18 meeting.
Jerry Tessmer, the agriculture agent for Winona and Fillmore Counties, will take the job at a cost to the county of $18,450.
The county board included the expenditure in the 2005 budget that it approved in December. But commissioners wanted to hear more details on what the person ës job duties would be before approving an extension contract addendum for it.
First district commissioner Larry Graf, who is on the extension committee, said it will take a couple months to see how the new position fits in with the committeeís expectations.
Fellow committee member Dave Corcoran, the fourth district commissioner, said that Tessmer would not be starting from scratch because he is familiar with agriculture issues like dairy programs and pesticide training.
ìYou can have joint meetings very, very easily,î Corcoran added, referring to Tessmerís jobs in the two adjoining counties.
Third district commissioner Ann Thompson said that hiring Tessmer made perfect sense.
Bringing back an agricultural agent came after the position was dropped in 2004 as a budget-saving measure. Several local farmers objected to that at meetings last year and urged the board to bring back an ag. agent.
ï The board also approved a contract with Jerry Hensley of Genoa, Wisconsin, to manage Wildcat Park in Brownsville. Hensley, who had the contract last year, will be paid 67 percent of the fees collected. In exchange he will manage the park, provide 24 hour supervision, pay electrical utilities, and do grounds maintenance, cleaning, and minor maintenance on county-owned lawn care equipment.
The park is located on land owned by the Army Corp of Engineers and is leased to the county.
Humans services meets
After last weekís 40-minute regular meeting, the board met with department of human services director Beth Wilms and financial unit director Bonnie Goetzinger. The board meets with them on the third Monday of every month.
Wilms said that two interns are now working with her department as part of their college training. The male and female, who each work 30 hours a week, will take on small caseloads and also do research projects. Their offices are in the public health department because there isnít enough space in human services.
Wilms also reported for social services unit director Karen Meier-Binde, who was absent. Wilms said that two families are adopting five children. She added that interviews for a new child support case aid worker will take place later this month.
Goetzinger said that child care applications are down, probably because income levels changed in 2003. Families making more than 175 percent of poverty level income are no longer eligible for child care money, she said. ìThat has cut back on a lot of child care.î
Houston County has $221,000 available in 2005 for child care, or about $18,500 per month, Goetzinger said, with 98 people using the service now.
There are 96 cases in the county now of families in Minnesota Family Investment Program and Diversionary Work Program, Goetzinger added.
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