At the Tuesday meeting of the Wright County Board of Supervisors, the issue of Public Health’s decertification of skilled home nursing care was again a big topic. Many people tuned into the meeting via Zoom, though there were fewer public comments than last week. Alice Rector, former public health nurse and administrator, again spoke. She explained that she has received feedback from all across the state and country about the decertification. Overall, Rector continued to push for transparency and community input. She suggested that the decision to decertify should be left to voters of the county. She said, “The Board of Supervisors have to be willing to make a financial commitment to keep the service going.” Though he also spoke last week, Steve Sebby was scheduled on the agenda this week to discuss decertification. Sebby questioned why this issue was allowed to become such a problem before it was brought to the public’s attention. He spoke about the nurses that will lose their jobs even though they were considered “essential” during the COVID pandemic.
Board Chairman Dean Kluss reiterated that the supervisors trust the professionals on the Board of Health to make this decision and that it was “not taken lightly.” He added that the Public Health home care could not keep losing money and be sustained and that the county “is not in a position to compete with private entities.” Karl Helgevold, who is on the county Board of Health, added that there has been a decline in visits over the years, saying “there is a lot of difference from when we brought this in in the 90s and today….We are in a business that is being done by the private sector. We don’t see the sense in duplicating services.” He reiterated that the goal of Public Health will be to fill in other areas not provided for currently.
Sandy McGrath gave an update from the Emergency Operations Center on COVID-19 in the county. She said the number of positive cases in the county is no longer projecting up. She hopes the numbers won’t spike after the holiday weekend. Wright County sits at 528 cases as of Tuesday. She also said Public Health and vaccine providers are gearing up for the flu vaccine. She noted that the best time to get that will be the end of September or the beginning of October so it lasts until March or April.
Adam Clemons, Wright County Engineer, asked the board to consider an employment offer for the Road Superintendent position. The board agreed to make Nate McVey an offer for $57,500 per year with possible adjustments at 6 and 12 months. Clemons noted that he has 10 years experience with the county.
In other business, the board approved a change order for the Agribusiness Park Water Supply System. ISG engineer Kelly Evans said the water level of the well they are digging is significantly lower than anticipated so a bigger pump will be required, as well as some other equipment. This will result in an additional $34,941, putting the project $7,800 over the awarded contract price. The board passed a resolution on the amendment and appropriation of funds for the budget that was discussed during the public hearing last week. This involved moving funds from the general basic budget to the new public health fund, moving Agribusiness Park expenses and revenues to this budget year, and some additional jail maintenance.
