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Elisabeth Welch
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1 Employee Newsletter October/November 2011 Please save this date! January 20th, 2012 Recognition/Holiday Party at Steven s in Princeton 2011 Mille Lacs County Employee Wellness Program Lunch & Learn Series Mark your calendars to bring your lunch and join us at one or more of the upcoming Lunch and Learn sessions. These sessions are held on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. in the Board Room on the lower level of the Historic Courthouse. Following are the remaining topics: Feel Full on Fewer Calories November 9 Learn which foods are the best choices for weight loss. Deprivation leads to hunger, which leads to overeating. Discover how calorie density may be used to make better choices and keep you satisfied longer after eating. Stress Eating and Food Cravings November 23 Stress eating can pile on the calories quickly. This lesson will teach you how to burn instead of consume calories for stress, how to recognize and cope with stress and the cues that cause you to overeat, and some low-cal solutions to those cravings. Holiday Lights: Keeping off the Holiday Pounds December 7 This is one of the most challenging times of the year for people who are trying to control their weight. Creating a holiday plan, using recipe modification and party strategies to keep calorie consumption down, and staying active will help you survive the holidays without adding pounds. These sessions are brought to you with wellness funds provided by Resource Training & Solutions, St. Cloud, MN New Employees: Sheriff s Office Bob Jensen, PT Correctional Officer Promotions: Assessor s Office Lisa Braun, promoted to Appraiser Trainee Bob Heinrich, promoted to Appraiser Trainee Employees Leaving: Community and Veterans Services Von Meyer retired on September 30th, after 22 years of service Richard Schmidt retired on October 7th, after 23 years of service 1

Outstanding Service Award Recipient Norma Erickson was recommended for an Outstanding Service Award, which she was presented with at the Oct. 18th Board Meeting.

Norma is flexible, knowledgeable, consumer friendly, dedicated, etc. She is great to work with, willing to do anything she is asked to do and she never complains.

The Courthouse will be closed, so please remember to change the delivery date on your order when checking out. There is a drop down that allows you to choose an alternative date.

2 Outstanding Service Award Recipient Norma Erickson was recommended for an Outstanding Service Award, which she was presented with at the Oct. 18th Board Meeting. Norma Erickson, Registered Nurse Norma is an invaluable employee. She will help anyone in any way she can...she has taught me so much as a nurse. Norma is flexible, knowledgeable, consumer friendly, dedicated, etc. She is great to work with, willing to do anything she is asked to do and she never complains. Veteran s Day and Thanksgiving Holiday Office Depot will be making deliveries on Veteran s Day. The Courthouse will be closed, so please remember to change the delivery date on your order when checking out. There is a drop down that allows you to choose an alternative date. For orders placed on Wednesday, November 23rd, you will not receive the product until Monday, November 28 th. Office Depot will be closed and not making deliveries the Friday after Thanksgiving. FYI The cost to the County for making copies, not including the cost of paper, is:.008 cents per page for black and white copies 4.5 cents per page for color copies Please use double sided printing as much as possible and use color copying only when necessary. 2

3 Health Insurance and Negotiations The County Board set the 2012 Non-union insurance contribution rates: $ Single & $ Family Teamsters has an executed contract addendum for 2012 and 2013 with contribution rates as follows: $ Single & $ Family (2012) $ Single & $ Family (2013) We are in negotiations with the other unions to set the 2012 and 2013 contributions Budget The Board has directed that the preliminary levy of 1% be lowered to no more than 0% with a goal of a negative 0.5 % decrease. The 1% reduction equates to $148,000 plus an additional $74,000 to get to the 0.5% decrease. This would lower the County's budget by approximately 5% overall. An updated budget will be presented to the County Board on November 15, 2012 for review. The 2012 Budget Meeting, with public comment, will be held Tuesday December 6 th. The final budget would then be adopted on December 20, What is Lean? Lean is a continuous improvement philosophy aimed at better satisfying customers and eliminating waste in processes. It relies on simple, common sense principles to create a culture where everyone becomes a part of solving problems. Lean improves any organization s results for customers, the organization itself, and employees. 10 Rules of Lean Abandon fixed ideas. Think of ways to make it Possible. No excuses needed! Strive to make it BETTER, not necessarily best. Correct mistakes right away. Use your wits, not your wallet. Problems are Opportunities. Ask Why 5 times. Seek ideas from many people. There is no end to improvement! 3

4 Comprehensive Plan & Process The Board approved moving forward with creation of a Comprehensive Plan. We are currently working on putting the Steering Committee together and getting the word out that the process will be starting in January. The steering committee will be comprised of elected officials representing the County, City, Townships (or other appointed designees); business representation, planning commission, and other resident representation and will be set by the Board. What is a Comp Plan: Comp plan is the Spirit of the Law the wishes of the County that will help guide development and vision for the County. The question will be asked - What do residents want the County to look like or achieve in the future? Based on those answers, goals and objectives will be developed, for both the short and long term. We will be developing goals and objectives in the areas of: Economic Development, Environment & Energy, Recreation & Tourism, Land Use, Transportation, Public Safety, Intergovernmental Relations, Social Programs, Housing & Quality of Life The policy and ordinance changes (i.e. zoning or the transportation plan updates) are the letter of the law we re not working on that in this process. But rather, those will be part of the objectives and next steps to achieve the goals adopted. The process will rely heavily on public involvement and input. There will be an ad-hoc committee for each of the areas listed above, comprised of residents of the County. Why do we need one? Comp planning is visioning process for where residents want the County to go or to be in the future. The new plan will guide policy and planning for the County into the future based on the goals and objectives developed by the residents and staff. Time frame: It is anticipated to take months to complete. meetings will begin in Mid-late January. Public 4

5 Market Value Changes and Tax Impacts to Residents According to the County Assessor, the 2011 Legislature, during its special session, repealed the Homestead Market Value Credit, commonly known as Homestead Credit, and replaced it with a new program called the Homestead Market Value Exclusion. Through 2011 a homestead property received a state paid homestead market value credit, based on the properties market value, which was subtracted from the total property tax bill; and had been historically paid to the County by the State, to make up the levy difference. Under the new law, effective for property taxes payable in 2012, the state will discontinue this credit. Rather than a credit, homeowners will now see an exclusion or a reduction in their market value before the tax is calculated. The new market value exclusion will mean that beginning in 2012, each taxing jurisdiction s tax base will be reduced and the tax rate will rise to obtain the same property tax levy. The 2011 County Levy was $14,800,000. Of that total levy amount, the County received $1,017,176 from the State in Market Value Credit aid; and the remainder; $12,966,069 directly from the taxpayer. Under the new system, after the homestead exclusion is applied, the County will receive no funding from the state; and the full amount of $14,800,000 directly from the taxpayer. This tax increase or shift in funding will occur even if the County lowers or keeps their levy the same. The new system will shift taxes among homestead and non-homestead properties. Non-homestead properties will see the biggest impact of this shift; as there is no exclusion for non-homestead properties. With the homestead exclusion replacing the homestead credit most property owners in the County will see an increase in their tax bills, even if the County keeps the levy the same or lowers the levy. According to the County Auditor, the table below is a sample of 2012 property taxes for Mille Lacs County (this is County tax only, not including cities, townships, schools and other taxing jurisdictions). (Continued on Page 6) 5

6 (Continued from Page 5) 2011 Value w/ Market Value Credit 2011 County Tax $14,800, Value After Homestead Exclusion Taxes based on preliminary +1.0% Levy Increase $14,948,000 Residential Homestead $455,000 $3,191 $452,900 $3,686 $373,100 $2,617 $323,500 $2,657 $129,400 $908 $117,300 $737 Residential Non-Homestead $459,200 $3,221 $422,200 $3,436 $124,900 $876 $121,400 $988 $99,400 $697 $93,800 $763 Seasonal Recreation Residential $420,700 $2,951 $419,300 $3,412 $213,100 $1,495 $197,000 $1,603 $87,000 $610 $84,200 $685 Agricultural Homestead $291,900 $1,876 $295,600 $2,192 $194,000 $1,162 $195,100 $1,134 Commercial $502,900 $6,529 $499,500 $7,519 $259,500 $3,114 $286,700 $4,056 $95,700 $1,342 $95,000 $1,546 6

The display will appears as follows: The display tells you that there are 4 items containing the word passports, 3 of which are documents.

7 New County Website Feature One helpful feature on the County s new website is the ability to search for information. E.g., if you want to know who/if the County processes passport applications, enter passports in the Search bar on the top right side of the page and click on the Go button. The display will appears as follows: The display tells you that there are 4 items containing the word passports, 3 of which are documents. This means that there are 3 PDF documents with the word passports in them. There s also one link displayed, which is to the Auditor-Treasurer s Office homepage the office that processes passport applications. Keep in mind, when you re doing a search whether on Google or on our website wording is very important. For example, is you searched for passport instead of passports on our website, your search would return 11 documents instead of 3. 7

Safety Tips to Prevent Falls on the Ice November is here, and snow and ice are just around the corner. One of the biggest safety hazards in the coming months will be slips and falls on the ice.

8 Safety Tips to Prevent Falls on the Ice November is here, and snow and ice are just around the corner. One of the biggest safety hazards in the coming months will be slips and falls on the ice. We have numerous reports each winter of employees falling. Our maintenance crew is out before the sun is up working to clear ice and snow. But, even they can t get every spot, and there are always those spots that come unexpectedly in some locations due to ever changing weather conditions. Here are some tips: Wear good footwear. Be sure boots or shoes have good traction. Smooth plastic or leather soles can become slippery. Non-slip rubber or neoprene with grooved soles was recommended in one article. Wear warm hats and scarves, but be sure you can hear what is going on around you and it doesn t block your vision. And, if they are bright colored, drivers can see you better. In cold temperatures, assume all wet, dark areas on pavements are slippery and icy. Dew or water vapor can freeze on cold surfaces, forming an extra-thin, nearly invisible layer of ice that can look wet. Walk in designated areas whenever possible. Point your feet out slightly, like a penguin. This spreads your feet out slightly while walking and increases your center of gravity. Bend slightly and walk flat-footed with your center of gravity directly over the feet as much as possible. Keep your hands out of your pockets as that will decrease your center of gravity and balance. Extending your arms out to your sides helps maintain balance. When walking on steps, always use the hand railings and plant your feet firmly on each step. Walk slowly, taking short steps, and if need be, shuffle for stability. Upon entering a building, remove as much snow and water as possible from your boots or shoes. Remember the floors inside may be wet and slippery due to other people entering. If you notice a slippery spot and there is a salt pail by the entrance, toss some on that spot before someone else comes along and doesn t see it and falls. If it s more than you can remedy immediately, notify the maintenance department. 8

Sample Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention Program

Risk Solutions Sample Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention Program This sample program is intended to provide general information to consider in developing a slip, trip and fall prevention program. This sample