Senior citizens will continue to receive senior advocate services

Senior citizens in Crow Wing County will receive the same amount of senior advocate services as they did last year.

At the county board meeting Tuesday, County Human Services Director Sue Beck said Horizon Health in Pierz plans to launch a one-year pilot project and will keep the current part-time senior advocate on staff through 2003.

"The funding will come from Horizon Health," said Beck. "They are not requesting any support from the county during the pilot year."

Region 5 Area Agency on Aging decided last year to change the current senior advocate position to a regional senior outreach specialist position. The new position began this month.

The two main areas in the county that are affected with the new position are coordination of the Life Unlimited newsletter and the Outstanding Senior Citizens program.

Beck said the two current senior advocates will continue to answer questions and provide educational discussions on a variety of topics relating to senior citizens.

She also said Horizon Health will make every effort to coordinate with the new Region 5 outreach worker.

In other county business, commissioners:

Approved the 2003 fee schedule. A few changes were made, including fees for certification of information doubled from $5 to $10 in 2003. Fees for administration work on a tax-increment financing project doubled and will cost $200 in 2003.

Fees for tree growth were eliminated from the fee schedule.

Adopted the 2003 harvest plan that includes 800 acres of aspen, 100 acres of birch, 140 acres each of oak and northern hardwoods, 45 acres of Jack pine, 32 acres of red pine, 10 acres each of balsam fir and black spruce, 15 acres of tamarack and 25 acres of ash/lowland hardwoods.

Signed a health grant project agreement for childhood immunization initiatives from the Minnesota Department of Health.

Approved a contract with Dr. Paul R. Carey for medical services for the county jail and detention center. In the one-year contract, the county will pay Carey $1,250 per month.

Agreed to allow the release of road bond sureties for the plats of Opah's Landing First Addition in Ross Lake Township; Palmer Place in Breezy Point; and Ruesken Addition to Hole in the Day Woods in Unorganized Territory.

Approved 2003 purchase of service contracts with the social services department.

Renewed a service contract with West Group for the Crow Wing County Law Library.

Approved an out-of-state request to send Mark Rudningen, county park foreman, to a ski-trail grooming clinic Jan. 15-16 in Ironwood, Mich.

Heard the out-of-home placement budget for December is $212,264 under budget. The net cost to the county for out-of-home- placements through November was $1.8 million.

Revised policies for out-of-home- placements, truancy and delinquency fees. Beck said the social services department will start charging people a percent of the cost for certain services they did not have to pay for in the past, such as placement for truancy.

Data privacy is another policy commissioners revised regarding how county board members receive information on a client. This policy had not been updated since 1988.

Approved several contracts with different convenience stores to supply gasoline at the pumps for county employees. It also contracted with the Oasis Express in Pequot Lakes.

Awarded a bid to Triangle Oil Co. for the county's annual gasohol, diesel and heating oil for $153,400.

Set county board meeting dates for Jan. 7 and 28.

Awarded a bid to Jayen in Duluth for updating the sound systems in court house rooms No. 1 and 3.

Approved the five-year road improvement plans for county state aid highways, county roads and federal fund projects.

Heard that identification badges for county employees will not be available until spring because of funding.