Posted: 8/15/06
County approves bid for public defender services
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
At its August 8 meeting, the county board accepted the bid of the Rippe, Hammell, and Murphy law firm, Caledonia, to provide public defender services for 2007.
This is the first time that the county has contracted for public defender services. In the past, public defender cases were assigned on a rotating basis. It was a time-consuming proccess, explained Darlene Kuhlers, court administrator. Several months ago, the board gave Kuhlers permission to advertise for a firm to handle all public defender cases on a contract basis.
The bid of Rippe, Hammell and Murphy was $24,000.
ìI am very pleased with their proposal and with their firm,î said Kuhlers. ìThey covered all the bases.î
The amount of money paid to public defenders varies greatly from year to year depending on the number and complexity of the cases. In 2004, the county spent $41,000 on public defenser servies. So far this year, the county has spent $17,000.
ìI think weíre getting a deal on this one,î said board chair Kevin Kelleher.
Dental grant approved
The board also learned that the county has again been granted $142,000 for a dental health program, which is administered by Darla Zahn. This is the third time the county has been approved for the two-year program.
The county has a contract with Main Street Dental of Blooming Prairie to provide services.
Permits approved
Above the objection of a nearby landowner, the county board approved a permit for Don Bissen to create a wetland in Hokah Township. The creation of the wetland is necessary to replace a wetland that Bissen filled across the highway from the new wetland. According to zoning administrator Bob Scanlan, wetlands that are filled must be replaced by a two to one ratio. The land on which the new wetland will be created is owned by George Walther.
Carol Soland, whose property adjoins Waltherís on the west, told commissioners that she is concerned about the proposal.
ìNinety feet from the Root River is not far. What effect is his digging going to have?î said Soland. ìI am concerned about erosion. Itís a question of how long it must be monitored. If it erodes my land, I will see you in court,î she told Bissen. The wetland being created is 90 feet from the bank of the Root River.
ìI donít see any reason to stay further away, ì Bissen responded. ìItís a waste of land. The further we move, the less pasture George will have.î
Commissioner Larry Graf said that he did not see a problem with the proposal, and moved to approve the application.
The board unanimously approved the request.
The area of excavation is slightly less than an acre.
Board hears proposal for owner representative
The board heard a proposal from Aaron Rittenhouse, Johnson Controls, to act as owner representative in the bidding process of the upcoming criminal justice center project. He said the company would act as an advocate and look for opportunities to negotiate prices with the architect, construction manager and engineer.
ìItís likely we can lower the countyís costs up front and over time,î said Rittenhouse. If savings are not realized, the company will pay the county the difference, said Rittenhouse. He noted that 35-40 percent of the cost of a project such as the criminal justice center is engineering.
Chairman Kelleher said that ìWe need to prevent project creep.î
The board did not make a decision.
The board also:
ï approved a bid of $96,811 from H&R Construction for a guardrail on County 13 in Oak Ridge;
ïagreed to a bid of $2,600 from Steele Painting for painting the Woodland Industries building;
ï approved an increase in hours for Holly Felten of the zoning office;
ï reviewed financial statements from First Responder units in the county;
ï approved a 30-day leave for Mary Thompson of the public health department;
ï agreed to hold a public hearing to consider a request from Harlan Nelson to rezone a parcel of property in Money Creek Township from agricultural to general industrial in order to allow a welding/metal fabrication shop to be established.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com