Stearns County Pushes For Tech Upgrades To Ease Taxpayer Burden

Stearns County is one of many Minnesota counties looking to see a technology upgrade from the State.  Stearns County Commissioner Tarryl Clark joined me on WJON.  She says counties have had a lot of expenses from the state shifted onto them.  Clark says human services have seen the most cost shifts.  She says county commissioners have worked hard to keep property taxes down but it's challenging when more and more services have been shifted to counties as opposed to the state.

Old Technology

The state has not updated their human services computer technology since 1989.  Clark says the old technology is costly and more time consuming for county staff.  She says there is bipartisan support in the State Legislature to upgrade the technology but it will cost $50 Million just for the necessary fix.  Clark is optimistic that this will get done during this legislative session and she believes it will save the county taxpayers money in the long term.

Quarry Park

The Stearns County Quarry Park masterplan open house will take place tonight from 5:30-7:00pm at the Stearns County Service Center in Waite Park.  Clark says this will be an opportunity for users to ask questions and offer opinions about the future of Quarry Park and Nature Preserve.

Town Line Road

The Sartell Community Center will host a project open house to discuss town line road on St. Patrick's Day, Tuesday March 17 from 5-7pm.  Clark says the county has been working with the State Legislature to help with funding for what she calls a costly project.  This event will allow the public to ask questions about the project.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Tarryl Clark, click below.