[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6087622,"mediaKeyId","2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166","parentId",2889400,"title","Votes at a glance: Kandiyohi County board approves agenda, consent items, proclamation, appointment and public-works bids","audioSeconds",6736,"startMs",530000,"endMs",7266000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166&start=530&end=7266","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166/thumbnail_530000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6087622/Kandiyohi-County/Minnesota/Votes-at-a-glance-Kandiyohi-County-board-approves-agenda-consent-items-proclamation-appointment-and-public-works-bids","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087622-682eefe0a5e6890987324c3f8028de19/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041437&Signature=C6IT80z8gBjoZ9LBXxPM8rRr9lHlLFFNHBuoUGFrIYc4irPfGYwew92iG~jSxLSaeudlsiix0BftWEU5WRDp4D~oqwmhu9UZ9lJeJeGtSIjmSCllOWApcq1FADl7GVFzqMJQKphnGTYN2gqSSMtoNd11TDzyGk1dev~5XAHO03K7hseQSijPZrJxD0jL4KO5FdOyzE-QpEBvMfwqc0LyJeBvORtSfMJF3PILUylntI~m7LQdnYnCqdJ84ohuCMQ0ksG4MVcBIaxF9VwzbYec7XGAKeFXxuZ7TPM3Q2dlxfdJJbUuKOCoUAhU41OHHfdKpiZ2xQ72SJukhanesDl3Kw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kandiyohi County, MN","date","2025-04-01T00:00:00Z","article","The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners recorded these formal actions and votes on April 1, 2025. Where the transcript did not record individual vote tallies or named movers, the entry notes that information as not specified.

1) Approve agenda
Motion: Approve the meeting agenda for April 1, 2025.
Mover/Second: not specified in transcript.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.
Notes: Standard procedural approval at start of meeting.

2) Consent agenda
Motion: Approve consent agenda (including March 18, 2025 legal minutes, auditors’ warrants and claims, 2025 liquor-license renewals, drainage authority minutes and ag lease items).
Mover/Second: not specified in transcript.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.
Notes: No items pulled for separate discussion.

3) Proclamation — Child Abuse Prevention Month
Motion: Approve proclamation recognizing April 2025 as Kandiyohi County Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Mover/Second: motion and second recorded; individual names not specified in the transcript.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.
Notes: Health & Human Services Director Caroline Khan read the proclamation; supervisors then presented child-welfare statistics.

4) Appointment — Middle Fork Crow River Watershed district manager
Motion: Appoint Ruth Schaeffer to the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed district manager position (application received and recommended by staff).
Mover: County staff recommendation and a commissioner moved; second recorded; names not specified in transcript.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.
Notes: Only one application was received; staff recommended appointment and commissioners affirmed it.

5) Bid award — SP 30-495 (Spicer concrete trail)
Motion: Award SP 30-495 (concrete trail and ADA improvements in Spicer) to Asheville Company, Kokoda, Minn., in the amount of $297,744.89.
Mover/Second: moved and seconded; names not specified in transcript.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.
Notes: Project funded with Transportation Alternatives grant, State Aid and local match.

6) Bid award — SP 30-4602-43 (county bituminous program)
Motion: Award county bituminous contract (approx. 130 miles/130,000 tons) to Central Specialties, Alexandria, Minn., in the amount of $9,779,722.06.
Mover/Second: moved and seconded; names not specified in transcript.
Outcome: Approved by voice vote.
Notes: Bid came in about 19% under estimate; cities and townships may use the county contract for related work.

Each of the above actions was reflected in the meeting transcript as the board approved each motion by voice; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in audio minutes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kandiyohi County Board 4/1/2025","oneSentenceSummary","On April 1 the board approved the agenda, consent agenda items, a proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month, the appointment of Ruth Schaeffer to the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed and two public-works bid awards.","taxTitle","Kandiyohi County, Minnesota","taxId",70688,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6087626,"Hawk Creek Watershed group reports long-term monitoring, $18 million in local projects and multiple water impairments",598,6038000,6636000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166&start=6038&end=6636","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166/thumbnail_6038000.jpg","/articles/6087626/Kandiyohi-County/Minnesota/Hawk-Creek-Watershed-group-reports-long-term-monitoring-18-million-in-local-projects-and-multiple-water-impairments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087626-6c615052ffaafc44200520e9e5115f0a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041437&Signature=dihxN~ekIOhciwTwk1AZwWyqz6cUo~wZ~QwzvkofsFnfAMtxVhbrDRZBl12NAASBkSSfuUlOCcADgMMBd-RVQu5UqAUK05dbn4MC3I86bRKd1kLNZ-JUELIyQhiJywyBsbNaVDw0pG1uiDdIfQ6-ARJk4HX6jN0bJ8X~mD0ig0KGOB-svttq6e1lNN5Y5Y9ylMUbS6rEGG6WvV6yDEGmmMrZWZ1rmVohZvT6wVZ4VOPETIEnupscJtcJ6qmfvML7RdW4b1hbHPFLgoMtpz4Ifalvy7RIPozjudEDNmagranKkIaWtxDGrb6NvSjxUHio1jZ94MF~URdvtJFpR8BZ~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Heidi Raunhorst, representing the Hawk Creek Watershed Project, told the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners on April 1 that the joint-powers watershed partnership has a nearly 30-year history of monitoring, projects and outreach and has brought roughly $18 million into the local economies it serves.

Raunhorst said about $10 million of those funds were grant dollars and roughly $8 million were low-interest septic-loan funds. She said approximately $1.5 million in federal Section 319 (Clean Water Act) and other funds were encumbered for work in the watershed at the time of the presentation.

The Hawk Creek partnership is a joint powers agreement among Chippewa, Kandiyohi and Renville counties; Raunhorst noted Kandiyohi County contains about 30% of the Hawk Creek watershed. She described three primary program areas: long-term water-quality monitoring, implementation of on-the-ground best-management projects and education/outreach.

Monitoring work includes participation in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s pollutant-load monitoring network (six long-term sites) and the MPCA watershed restoration and protection (WRAPS) cycle. Raunhorst said Hawk Creek performed intensive WRAPS monitoring in 2010–11 and again in 2020–21; the 2020–21 effort included 22 WRAPS sites (seven lakes and 15 streams).

Raunhorst summarized a recent water-quality snapshot: Hawk Creek subwatersheds show elevated total suspended solids and total phosphorus; MPCA’s 2024 impaired-waters list names 19 impairments across 45 water bodies in the Hawk Creek watershed. In the Kandiyohi County portion specifically, she said there were 28 impairments in 19 water bodies.

She highlighted recent on-the-ground projects and shoreline restorations in Kandiyohi County, described collaboration with county drainage authorities and noted education activities such as field days, youth outreach and citizen-monitoring training. Raunhorst said Hawk Creek maintains partnerships with multiple agencies, including the MPCA, Minnesota Department of Agriculture and local SWCDs.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about funding sources and monitoring responsibilities; Raunhorst said Hawk Creek uses federal, state and partner funds for monitoring and expects additional funding opportunities to arise in future grant cycles.","The Hawk Creek Watershed Project briefed the board on monitoring, funding and local projects; officials said the program has drawn about $18 million into the region and that several water bodies in the watershed remain listed as impaired.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6087631,"Kandiyohi County wins Sauer Family Foundation planning grant to assess family resource center",729,4364000,5093000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166&start=4364&end=5093","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166/thumbnail_4364000.jpg","/articles/6087631/Kandiyohi-County/Minnesota/Kandiyohi-County-wins-Sauer-Family-Foundation-planning-grant-to-assess-family-resource-center","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087631-93a46393cfb17acc179990060db2bf86/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041437&Signature=ehYY4sCFzmb739P93A1UBf53fsV8Qw0ftUHatybDRIelH2E28Zbqnz2gqyXwaHvKTXdy8SZlGJO3vT0t2AXsNY9oBW~eWmxWjhrlq3-J~AEce6XrEiDAyWsbRUZVCvU5-Psevs0NzZ6BipTM7EmAXUYWubsh~todq0Kqcb4QNl5LL3NyFPLspebN5jjm-j2rndcblGhuvSPGUDvoz4lAIu-9soCBV-D~BuJHFIAzcmgYXbFxUvMKX7UfHfT2UNfaOF9LqDDbWQXUS2K9nOpgMLfaN-q-hAUvC8tS0~8bstpfvZdUhsNJDphNhYNYk1z07rGv4rUAxeStD5tL0MbAXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kandiyohi County Health and Human Services Director Caroline Khan told the board on April 1 that the county was awarded a Sauer Family Foundation grant to conduct an explore-and-assess process to study a Family Resource Center model.

Khan said the planning grant — about $96,000, as noted in the meeting packet — will pay for a nine-month community assessment and co-design process starting in May and running through February 2026. The county will partner with Creating Communities Consulting to facilitate monthly “momentum” meetings, engage co-designers from diverse community networks and compile quantitative and qualitative data about local needs in housing, childcare, employment, health, education and food security.

Khan described several planning goals: conduct a community needs assessment, collect a broad set of voices (a “bold” target of 10,000 voices through surveys and outreach), map resources and produce a recommended model and implementation roadmap. The co-design team would include county staff, commissioners, school and health partners, community foundations, faith groups, businesses and residents with lived experience; Khan said she would work with County Administrator Kelsey Baker to propose a 10–12 person co-design leadership team.

Khan said the grant includes funds for a public-health coordinator role to lead implementation of the planning process and to cover consultant fees, survey distribution and translation/interpretation where needed. She emphasized that the planning phase does not obligate the county to operate a future center; the county may decide the model is not right after the assessment.

Commissioners asked about county staff time and future costs; Khan said the grant will cover the coordinator’s time for the planning phase, that some county involvement would be in-kind (brief standing updates at monthly meetings) and that any future, long-term implementation funding would require separate decisions by the board and potential external funding applications. Khan noted that the Sauer Family Foundation has a later implementation funding opportunity and that participating in the planning phase preserves the county’s eligibility for implementation grants.

Commissioners expressed support for involvement and said they expected to be briefed monthly; Khan offered to return with a recommended co-design list and bring major findings back to the board for later decision-making.","Health and Human Services received a roughly $96,000 planning grant to conduct a nine-month community co-design and needs assessment for a potential Family Resource Center; the county will provide in-kind match and county staff involvement.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6087636,"Kandiyohi County proclaims April Child Abuse Prevention Month; children's services report shows fewer out-of-home placements",1177,2555000,3732000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166&start=2555&end=3732","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166/thumbnail_2555000.jpg","/articles/6087636/Kandiyohi-County/Minnesota/Kandiyohi-County-proclaims-April-Child-Abuse-Prevention-Month-childrens-services-report-shows-fewer-out-of-home-placements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087636-19485fd26bf5ff3b8cab3f3ec2ab28d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041437&Signature=eZJUgl-Y4m5dHebSHRyZj7crKDV78Is9B47prDnDpG0Ec1JZcgOmSXHYBcKzVvphhEvYUdN-GYkinBwqvrAseivGJ-KCId4daVHYOjo4Ckk0rrQJlUvvGT55O6JkSGyzrZY5sECDxP0LVpa-qDHXc7V~jfJMvkBjxazwbo63WG3XL5FIin4DvKYqa9GBDQk-ZFvl5dI1qhfjK2CL02JQilx6-YeVLYcub3UFipNZRCivaQskkWavn7iGm2k0u2BDJ51co7zBlZCryY2bwyrs0BLjxqclVyA0kvq8yg8C5Wn3TTMZ9KW7ZGrgtTFCoFVTxpCsynkOGp82bzTdTAwY9w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners approved a proclamation recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month and heard an overview of the county’s children’s services on April 1.

Health and Human Services Director Caroline Khan read the proclamation and asked the board to approve it; commissioners moved and seconded the request and the measure passed by voice vote. Commissioners used the proclamation moment to thank child-protection staff for their work.

Supervisors from the Children’s Services division presented operational data. Stacy Garris, who supervises intake and child-protection assessments, said the unit screened “well over a thousand” child-welfare reports in 2024, completed 169 family assessment responses and 251 traditional investigations, and uses statutory screening criteria to decide which reports merit investigation. She said reports screened out may still be offered voluntary child-welfare response services.

Nicole Munson, an ongoing child-protection supervisor, told the board that at the end of 2024 the department had 106 open child-protection ongoing cases and 65 open child-welfare cases for a total of 171 cases. She said 69 children were in out-of-home placement at the end of 2024, and that as of February 2025 there were 58 children in out-of-home placement.

Munson summarized common reasons for out-of-home placement in 2024: parental substance use (33% of entries), physical abuse and alleged neglect (each 12%), and psychological or emotional abuse and child mental-health issues (each about 9%). She said 9 adoptions were finalized in 2024 and eight children were transferred to relatives with permanent legal and physical custody.

Robin Stryker, supervisor for foster care licensing and children’s mental health, said the county had 62 open child-foster-care home licenses in 2024, 47 of which were relative placements; she reported 35 open foster homes so far in 2025, with 28 relative and 7 traditional homes.

Commissioners praised the children’s-services staff for reducing the number of out-of-home placements and for work to prevent escalation into court. Commissioner comments emphasized the workload’s emotional difficulty and thanked staff for their service.

The board’s action and the supervisors’ report provide a county-level snapshot of caseloads, placement types and service partnerships for 2024 and early 2025.","The board approved a proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month. Health and Human Services staff summarized child-protection workload in 2024 and said out-of-home placements fell to 58 as of February 2025.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6087641,"Woodland Centers tells Kandiyohi County board Medicaid drop forced staff reductions, urgent-care growth",943,624000,1567000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166&start=624&end=1567","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2889400-b70daf5694d12d74e8c4d0160c747166/thumbnail_624000.jpg","/articles/6087641/Kandiyohi-County/Minnesota/Woodland-Centers-tells-Kandiyohi-County-board-Medicaid-drop-forced-staff-reductions-urgent-care-growth","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087641-9c1965216fc4931b6e0c7dfc5f037ca7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041437&Signature=T7gOBXl8EOoQ8iuaGppNiFuAbEyxpCMfw-Io2pG8oQVEOaGjHy73YPmPOJhOJ3Rln693AzF8AEPKCkoWNaJzJ0m8yQLQU-7a60lMlIWybfAtyCnsn9nZikctHecZZoggVHoFYVF2NCthJqgbQLXUz3fFyqLGwTnpgVbJs-JW6OfwCxme1JPpH37WFKYRzx1a2n7GK8K1NWAXM2uwBw90ck1ga9KUpottC5I-kCZFoimKLTP7HFGM3hiuid0u1mrfCWCQUz70AWlS5Yn7mvACvPjkD3AH-R7UptZVYSffThiV8X~HzaimXuBXBBJjBQQefZCddLYo3veivuPE4P6UJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Woodland Centers Chief Executive Officer Ashley Chose told the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners on April 1 that the nonprofit served 4,762 individuals in 2024 and is seeing continued growth among youth clients, even as its Medicaid payer share fell.

Chose said Medicaid (PMAP) paid about 61% of Woodland Centers’ services in 2024, down from a typical level of about 70%. She told commissioners that the change in payer mix reduced the agency’s revenue by “hundreds of thousands of dollars” and led the center in February 2024 to reduce staff and cut some contracted telehealth providers.

The drop in Medicaid-reimbursed clients, Chose said, increased uncompensated care and forced Woodland Centers to cut five contracted telehealth employees provided through a vendor called Inovital and to reduce certain indirect staff. She described the cuts as a financial decision tied to payer mix rather than program quality.

Chose outlined program-level data for 2024: about 36.25% of Woodland Centers’ clients were from Kandiyohi County; 32% of clients were youths; clients’ ages ranged from 3 to 87; and the center served people from more than 60 Minnesota counties. She said commercial insurance accounted for roughly 18% of payments and that staff numbers fell from about 250 to about 225 across the center’s seven-county region.

Commissioners asked whether clients lost access after the staffing changes. Chose said the center transferred more than 600 psychiatry clients and a “quite a few” therapy clients when contracts changed; she acknowledged it was possible some clients were missed during transfers but said the agency’s aim was to place affected clients with other providers.

Chose said Woodland Centers’ urgent-care model has grown rapidly since it began in 2020–2023; the center recorded 704 urgent-care visits last year at its Kandiyohi location, and it operates mobile crisis services that respond to calls in the community. The urgent-care clinic is open Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., she said.

The center also described internal changes intended to improve care and reduce staff burden: rollout of measurement-based care for session assessments; deployment of an AI-assisted documentation tool (Helios) that Chose said reduced average documentation time from about 15 minutes per session to 3 minutes; and team-based meetings to reduce silos between therapy and psychiatry.

Chose and commissioners repeatedly stressed the potential community impact if fewer residents qualify for Medicaid: fewer people able to afford care, higher use of emergency rooms or law enforcement for crises, and increased uncompensated care pressures on providers. Commissioners emphasized Woodland Centers plays a central role in the county’s behavioral-health safety net.

Chose said the center continues to discuss contracts and funding with the region’s seven county social service directors and is exploring ways to sustain services if state and federal funding or eligibility rules change.

Commissioners thanked Woodland Centers for the report and for continuing crisis and prevention efforts in the region.","Woodland Centers reported rising demand but falling Medicaid revenue in 2024, prompting staff reductions and shifts in telehealth contracts while urgent-care and mobile crisis services continued to grow.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Kandiyohi County board approves agenda, consent items, proclamation, appointment and public-works bids

Hawk Creek Watershed group reports long-term monitoring, $18 million in local projects and multiple water impairments

Kandiyohi County wins Sauer Family Foundation planning grant to assess family resource center

Kandiyohi County proclaims April Child Abuse Prevention Month; children's services report shows fewer out-of-home placements

Woodland Centers tells Kandiyohi County board Medicaid drop forced staff reductions, urgent-care growth