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Thursday, January 16, 2014

Volume 98; Number 29

www.bladepublishing.net staff@bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

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Kneisl and Kircher will lead Todd Board in 2014


By Rin Porter At the first meeting of 2014, the four remaining commissioners of the Todd County Board chose Gary Kneisl to serve as chair, and Dave Kircher to serve as vice-chair for the year. The votes for each were unanimous. The commissioner seat in District One is vacant due to the resignation of Mark Blessing on Dec. 30. The county board will operate with four commissioners for the next four months. A special election will be held on May 19 to fill the District One seat. Two candidates - Barb Becker and Kevin Crider - have filed papers to run for election for this seat. In the meantime, the committee and liaison assignments that Blessing held had to be redistributed among the remaining commissioners at the Jan. 7 meeting. Most assignments already had two commissioners assigned one as primary and one as alternate and in those cases, the alternate member will attend the meetings until a new commissioner is elected. In the case of Todd-Wadena Community Corrections, Commissioner Kneisl volunteered to fill Blessings seat on the Executive Board. That decision had to be made immediately. At the meeting, Commissioner Randy Neumann brought up his concern over the current estimated $550,000 shortfall in the countys projected revenues for 2014. Neumann also voiced suspicions about accuracy of the countys financial reports prepared by the Auditor/Treasurers office, but did not specify what might be wrong with the reports. In addition, commissioners learned of the amount of the severance payout and health insurance costs for the 11 people who retired in December 2013. According to Human Resources Manager Karla Nalezny, the severance payout that includes vacation, sick time, comp time, and PERA/FICA will be $262,106.67. This payout will occur on Jan. 22. Neumann asked his fellow commissioners to consider which county budget lines would be used to make the payout. In addition, the 11 retirements will cost the county a considerable sum each year for the next three years to pay for the health insurance incentive: 2014: $91,518 (Actual) 2015: $95,807 (Estimated 5% increase) 2016: $90,796 (Estimated 5% increase, however, not all retirees are eligible for the full three years of insurance). Commissioners ended the health insurance retirement incentive on Dec. 31, 2013, because, they said, it would save the county money by allowing long-time employees to retire and new employees to be hired at lower salaries. In order to make that savings a reality, the county will have to hire the 11 replacement employees at salaries that total at least $90,000 less annually than their combined predecessors salaries. In other business, the board: --approved a one-day malt liquor license for Swanville Lions Club to hold the Long Lake Fishing Derby in Burtrum on Feb. 22. --set board meeting dates for the year to be the first and third Tuesdays of each month. --set HHS board meeting dates for the year to be the fourth Tuesday of each month.

Long Prairie welcomes Prescription Drug Drop Box


Prescription Drug Abuse is a growing problem across the United States and has recently become the leading cause of accidental death according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To help address this issue at a local level, Todd County Health and Human Services Long Prairie Police Department., and Citizens Against Drugs Coalition has partnered with the City of Long Prairie to install the counties first and only Prescription Drug Drop Box. The box, which is located in the main lobby of the Long Prairie City Hall, is open during regular business hours to the general public and allows for people to dispose of their unused or unwanted medication free of charge. Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused drugs, behind alcohol and marijuana. The Long Prairie Police Department. and Todd County Health and Human Services want to try and get ahead of the prescription drug abuse problem by implementing this program. Police Chief Kevin Langer sid the inspiration for the drop off box came after the city and county collected hundreds of pounds of unused prescription drugs during the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in April of each year (last year, more than 340 pounds of medication was collected from take-back sites in Long Prairie, Staples, and Eagle Bend). While we have had great success with the take-back days, the drop box is a more user and environmentally friendly way to ensure that prescription drugs are being disposed of properly. The drop off box allows residents to easily dispose of their medications, preventing them from being flushed or thrown away and contaminating groundwater or from falling into the hands of children or others to be abused. The drop off box will be a significant addition to the ongoing efforts to fight substance abuse. Medications from Health Care facilities, Pharmacies and Veterinary Clinics along with syringes and sharps will not be accepted. If you have any question, please contact the Long Prairie Police Department at 320-732-2156.

Christ the King students visit local businesses

Todd County Board interviews two candidates for HHS Director


By Rin Porter At its Jan. 7 meeting, the Todd County Board of Commissioners interviewed two candidates for the position of Health and Human Services Director, made vacant by the retirement of Cheryl Schneider in December 2013. Cindy Marihart, Human Services Director for Mahnomen County from 1996 to 2012, and Jackie Och, currently employed as clinical services manager at Little Falls Medical Center, were questioned separately by Human Resources Manager Karla Nalezny during the board meeting. Each candidate was asked the same questions about her education and experience, as well as questions about her leadership style, approach to managing change, relationship with her current governing body at work, and how to handle difficult situations. Board members also asked questions of Marihart and Och during the one-hour interview session. The next step is for the countys personnel committee to meet, discuss the interviews and candidates, and make a recommendation to the county board. The recommendation may come as early as the next meeting, Jan. 21.

Several students from Christ the King School, Browerville, visited local businesses on Monday, January 13th. At each business the students learned what it takes to make a business run. Each of the students visiting the Browerville Blade received a Special Edition of the newspaper commemorating their visit.

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT


Tue. Jan. 14 Snow Showers 15/-11 Wed. Jan. 15 Snow Showers 18/17 Thur. Jan. 16 Snow Showers 23/-6 Fri. Jan. 17 Partly Cloudy 19/3 Sat. Jan. 18 Mostly Sunny 18/8 Sun. Jan. 19 Mostly Sunny 22/16

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