Saturday, August 11, 2012
Commissioner Galen Malecha wasn't happy with some of his fellow commissioners following Tuesday's county board meeting.
In this week's video, Commissioner Galen Malecha talks about outside agency requests for funding and some contract changes, but the big topic at hand was a proposed Social Services committee. At Tuesday's Rice County Board Commissioner meeting, the District 2 Commissioner proposed the creation of the committee to examine the future of the Social Services department as it continues to work through a backlog of requests. Malecha told Patch that he was surprised when Commissioner Steve Bauer outright declined joining him on the board because of "negative feelings." Commissioner Jake Gillen was reluclant to join the committee but eventually did, saying he will serve until the end of the year. The two will be joined by county staff. Malecha …
Friday, August 10, 2012
Commissioner Galen Malecha on Tuesday proposed a Social Services committee to examine the future of the county department as it continues to work through a backlog of requests.
It wasn't the most comfortable Rice County Board of Commissioners meeting Galen Malecha has ever attended. The District 2 Commissioner on Tuesday proposed a Social Services committee to examine the future of the county department as it continues to work through a backlog of requests. Malecha told Patch that he was surprised when Commissioner Steve Bauer outright declined joining him on the board because of "negative feelings." Commissioner Jake Gillen was reluclant to join the committee but eventually did, saying he will serve until the end of the year. The two will be joined by county staff. Malecha says the commitee is no different than the many other committees the county has to help steer departments and programs. Be sure to check …
Sunday, August 5, 2012
On Thursday, members from People for a Better Rice County met with coun ty officials at Northfield City Hall to discuss creating a social services committee.
In this week's video, Commissioner Galen Malecha talks about People for a Better Rice County, a group pushing for social services changes in the county. On Thursday, members of the group met with Rice County officials at Northfield City Hall to discuss creating a social services committee. "We have various committees that commissioners and staff sit on ... but we don't have a social services committee," Malecha told Patch. On Tuesday, Malecha will ask his fellow commissioners to create a social services committee with two commissioners and two social services staff members "basically to look how we can improve our delivery of services." The push for the committee follows months of criticism of the county's social services department, which…
Thursday, June 21, 2012
The Rice County commissioners on Tuesday voted against having the county join a collaborative effort of 12 southeastern Minnesota counties to deliver human service programs and other government services more effectively.
In the end, the five Rice County commissioners weren't interested. The commissioners on Tuesday voted against having Rice County join a collaborative effort of 12 southeastern Minnesota counties to deliver human service programs and other government services more effectively. Commissioner Galen Malecha said under the agreement, Olmstead County, the largest county of the 12, would have controlled 50 percent or more of the power. "That doesn't sit well with me," he said. "We would be putting money into this collaborative and they would be calling the shots on how our money would be spent." Malecha said there also wasn't a guarantee that a social services office would remain in Rice County. (Click on the image to watch the meeting) The county…
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Commissioner Galen Malecha talks about the latest action from the Rice County Board of Commissioners.
After months of public scrutiny, the Rice County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday made a move toward providing better consistency in processing the county's social services cases. The board hired a consultant to help assess the situation, manage the project and select a computer system to help speed up the process, according to the Faribault Daily News. The total cost should be around $500,000, with $30-33,000 of that paying for the consultant. Some county residents reported they waited up to five months to receive food andhealth benefits. At a meeting last month, Mark Shaw, Rice County Social Services director, said the caseload increase had been overwhelming. “We’ve seen sizable growth (in requests),” he said. “It’s not always an easy …
Thursday, April 12, 2012
At a meeting last month, Mark Shaw, Rice County Social Services director, said the caseload increase had been overwhelming.
After months of public scrutiny, the Rice County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday made a move toward providing better consistency in processing the county's social services cases. The board hired a consultant to help assess the situation, manage the project and select a computer system to help speed up the process, according to the Faribault Daily News. The total cost should be around $500,000, with $30-33,000 of that paying for the consultant. Some county residents reported they waited up to five months to receive food andhealth benefits. At a meeting last month, Mark Shaw, Rice County Social Services director, said the caseload increase had been overwhelming. “We’ve seen sizable growth (in requests),” he said. “It’s not always an easy …
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Have a letter for the editor? Email it to corey.butler@patch.com
To the Editor: Recognizing the need for expedited service to new and renewing clients of Rice County Social Services, the Rice County Board of Commissioners unanimously supported a decision to advance the agency toward obtaining an electronic data management system at its April 10th meeting. Those Rice County residents who are waiting inordinately long times to have benefits installed and those of us advocating for the service improvements commend the commissioners in their decision. To engage a contractor to guide the department to the right choice of system for best results is another step closer to preventing future paperwork log-jams. How wonderful it would be to see the system up and running by the end of the year and see no more …
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha talks about the backlog in the social services department.
Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha talks about the backlog in the social services department. For more on the topic: • Residents Press Rice County on 'Broken' Social Services System • QUOTES: Residents Speak Out About Rice County Social Services • VIDEO: Rice County Residents Talk Social Services Be sure to follow Northfield Patch on Twitter, "Like" us on Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter, which sends you updates about stories, breaking news, announcements, events and blogs on our site.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
A look back at Tuesday's Rice County Board of Commissioners' meeting.
Residents came out en masse on Tuesday to speak out against the current backlog in the Rice County Social Services department. During the board of commissioners' work session, nearly 20 people spoke during the public comment period about the country's struggle to provide food and health benefits to residents. A full agenda is attached as a PDF. The video of the meeting is all attached. Be sure to follow Northfield Patch on Twitter, "Like" us on Facebook, and sign up for our newsletters, which send you updates about stories, breaking news, announcements, events and blogs on our site.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
“I rely on benefits from the county of Rice.”
Residents came out en masse on Tuesday to speak out against the current backlog in the Rice County Social Services department. During the board of commissioners' work session, nearly 20 people spoke during the public comment period about the country's struggle to provide food and health benefits to residents. Some residents have reported waiting as long as five months to receive benefits. Below are some of the comments made by those who stepped up to the podium. Look for a full story tomorrow on Northfield Patch. “I really think the caseworkers at Rice County really care about their clients." “What’s critical is how we respond to the needs of people with the resources we have." “As we look over our current system, it’s obvious it’s not …
