County to hire additional staff to overcome anticipated workload

Enrollment begins in October and plan coverage starts Jan. 1, 2014.

“Previously, I asked for one (staff member)...but we need two in order to implement,” Murray said of implementing MNsure. “I really feel the (additional) person is needed in order for us to provide the services.”

Murray said he plans to have one of the new hires pose as a “navigator” to determine what programs are available to new clients.

“We have to have this,” Commissioner Wade Pavleck said of the additional staff.

County Administration Director Teresa Jaksa said funding is available for the full-time position and Murray noted he was told, “Funding is secure as federal funding has always been.”

In related business, the board agreed to allow UCare, a nonprofit health plan providing health coverage and services to more than 300,000 members in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, to provide health care services to recipients of medical assistance in Koochiching County.

A contract with UCare was terminated about two years ago by the county after Murray said the company could not provide transportation to clients to medical facilities outside the county.

“That seemed to stimulate (UCare officials) to work with our contractor to provide those services,” Murray explained.

In addition to UCare, the county has managed services provided by First Plan and Medica to residents who qualify for medical assistance.

Murray also informed commissioners that the county was awarded a $2,784 Adoption and Foster Care Recruitment Grant to recruit relatives to pose as adoptive and/or foster parents for children in foster care.

The grant will be used to purchase LexisNexis – an advanced search engine to locate relatives of foster children.

The grant, according to a letter to Murray from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, is available until June 30, 2015 through state funds. It supports agencies’ efforts for the recruitment of relatives to become foster and and adoptive parents through access of web-based search technology to identify and notify adult relatives of a child’s need for foster care placement.

In other business Tuesday, commissioners agreed pay $41,400 towards improvement projects at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center, or NERCC, in Duluth.

According to Jaksa, when the county is required to send someone to corrections to seek needs beyond what can be met locally, the person is sent to NERCC.

The center is administered by Arrowhead Regional Corrections, and provides correctional services to five counties of Northeastern Minnesota’s Arrowhead region. The facility is operated by a joint powers agreement between the participating counties of Koochiching, Carlton, Cook, Lake and St. Louis.

The ARC Board in April met to discuss options for completing improvements at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center at the cost of about $6 million. St. Louis County commissioners agreed to host a capital improvement bond for the project, which will be repaid over a 20-year period.

Koochiching County is responsible for 0.69 percent of the $6 million – or $41,400, based on usage of the facility.

Commissioners Tuesday were given the option to pay the lump sum, which would be due in 2014, or incur bonded debt to be repaid over 20 years, which with interest would amount to $57,692, averaging about $2,900 per year. The county would pay St. Louis County annually for its share of the debt.

“To me, it makes sense to pay it off,” Pavleck said of paying the lump sum. “I’d rather nail down our contribution...it’s the cleanest and simplest way.”

McBride agreed. “If were going to spend this much money, we’re going to do the whole thing.”