Except for treasurer, some county staff are working from home to get job done

By: 
Dave Baumeister, County correspondent

Pam Nelson, Minnehaha County Treasurer

SIOUX FALLS – The Minnehaha County Commission was back in session Tuesday, April 14, and once again, Commissioners Jeff Barth and Gerald Beninga attended remotely by phone.

Only this time it wasn’t to test the system, it was due to Gov. Kristi Noem’s order that all people in Minnehaha County over 65 years of age and older should stay at home.

Barth and Beninga, as well as Sheriff Mike Milstead, were present via a conference call, since all fall into that “vulnerable” category.

And the theme of working remotely figured largely in the meeting, as the elected county officials – sheriff, auditor, register of deeds, state’s attorney and treasurer – all reported on what their offices are doing in light of COVID-19.

The sheriff’s office is the only one of those not located in the County Administration Building, and since deputies need to be out in the public and around inmates, there are limits on when they are able to do so.

Milstead lavished a great deal of praise on his staff for work being done under extremely difficult circumstances.

A main area he discussed was the county jail and working with the incarcerated.

He explained that most of their worries come not from within, but from outside staff bringing in any type of infection, and that to help with that, rigorous screening procedures and cleaning are in place, since unlike other departments, deputies and corrections workers cannot work remotely.

However, other county staff is working in an administration building closed to the public, and three of the four offices have been working in split shifts or remotely from home.

IT Director Monte Watembach cited several instances where he has helped to accomplish this, including having office phones ring through to individual staff’s remote work sites.

State’s Attorney Crystal Johnson told commissioners about changes being made at the county courthouse to accommodate social distancing in courtroom situations.

One such change is that some court sessions are being conducted remotely, and additional courtrooms are being used to accommodate fewer people needing to be present at any one time.

Johnson also said that some state’s attorney’s staff has the ability to login and work from home.

Minnehaha County Auditor Bob Litz and Register of Deeds Julie Risty also discussed changes in their respective offices.

Both said they currently have several staff members working from home, and others who split shifts but there is always someone present in their respective offices, but are not working in close proximity of one another.

Risty said she continues to work with title companies and others based on appointments.

 

Not all work remotely

The one office that has not transitioned to any remote workers is the treasurer’s office.

County Treasurer Pam Nelson told commissioners that her office is down five employees, due to being in the vulnerable category, but indicated none of them are working remotely.

Nelson said that staff needs to physically be in the office to do their work, despite the public cannot physically come to the treasurer’s office at this time.

Commission chairperson Jean Bender, who has seen the logs of phone traffic coming into the administration building, asked about the large number of calls to the treasurer’s office that go unanswered.

Nelson said this was because staff were inundated with an increased amount of mail.

But this left commissioners wondering why phones hadn’t been routed to those staff members under the stay-at-home orders.

“We have people that are at home,” Commissioner Cindy Heiberger said, “Have you looked into having some of them doing some of the phone calling? People have said that IT can transfer calls to their homes.”

Nelson replied, “Those are things we looked at, but we’ve not really been doing. One reason is we like to keep things the way they’ve been.”

Commissioner Dean Karsky questioned how Nelson’s staff is being utilized.

“I’m appalled (at) your refusal to work with your staff for the benefit of the taxpayers of the county. You don’t have lines down the hall – so what are people doing?” he asked.

In response, Nelson again referred to the increased mail volume and phone calls.

Although acknowledging the backlog, Nelson appeared satisfied in how the office continues to function.

“The Commission doesn’t have any control over how I operate my office. … I work for the people of Minnehaha County, and if they decide in November I’m not supposed to be here, then problem fixed,” she said. 

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Less intense matter

There were no heated discussions when it came to forgiving a property lien.

When a compromise of lien comes before the county, Commission Assistant Melinda Storley presents information about the lien and the individual applying for it.

Liens are put in place against a property or person when money is owed to the county, and must be paid when a property is sold and/or purchased.

Often times, when one party was responsible for amassing the lien, commissioners might move to transfer the lien to a certain person.

Other times the party owing money might come to an arrangement with the county for paying a lien so a property can be sold.

Occasionally, people petition commissioners to forgive a lien when they have made no efforts to pay any part of it. 

Those petitions are usually rejected.

But last week, the petition for compromise came from a single mother of three who listed her employment at a “local casino,” where she brings home approximately $1,300 per month.

She and the children have been living in a home they rented, but as Storley explained, the owner had made plans to sell the property.

Her lease gave her the first right of refusal for the $75,000 home, but she had a lien against her from Minnehaha County of just over $4,500, which needed to be cleared up.

The records Storley presented showed that she had been making payments on the lien, and offered to make a final payment of $2,500 if the county would forgive the remaining amount owed.

After learning of her position, all five county commissioners were ready to do more. Barth moved, and Heiberger seconded, to forgive the lien it its entirety.

“To keep these people in their home and keep the kids in the same school district is extremely important,” Heiberger said.

Barth added, “When you own something, you take care of it, and you improve it … (that) we’ll help this person get back on her feet.”

The commission voted 5-0 to forgive 100 percent of the lien.

The Minnehaha County Commission meets next at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 28 on the second floor of the county administration building at Sixth and Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls. Meetings are open to all, and public comment is usually encouraged. For those wanting to attend a meeting, currently, the only entrance to the commission chambers is on the west side of the building, and the number of people allowed in the meeting at any one time is being limited.

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The Brandon Valley Journal

 

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