Debate flares over outside contracts

A Carlton County board meeting flared hot Tuesday, when commissioner Tom Proulx and county staff squared off over the use of contracted social work.

Despite a 4-1 vote affirming the use of contracted social workers to address a surge in disability services and long-term elder care cases, the preceding debate stirred tensions at a time of union contract negotiations.

Proulx first squared off with public health and human services director David Lee over the issue.

“What would happen if we said no?” asked Proulx.

“I would have to come back and ask for probably two additional staff,” Lee said.

“And what if we said no to that?” Proulx said.

“Well, then we would have to start cutting our contract with managed care companies … We’d lose money, but we could do that and we’d have less oversight of some of our more complicated cases for our disabled citizens and also some of our seniors that we’re involved with right now,” Lee said, citing the closing of Cloquet-based Sunnyside Health Care Center and work done to relocate those folks.

The county turns a profit when it bills the state on its most involved and complicated cases, Lee explained, while simpler cases that are billed lower would be contracted out at closer to break-even levels.

“Why aren’t we asking for a body; why are we contracting out?” Proulx said.

“I’ve heard many times from the board we’re trying not to add bodies,” Lee said, while colleagues Gary Jackson, human resources manager, and county coordinator Dennis Genereau added that the county is working not to grow the levy.

“I would rather hire people,” Proulx said. “It doesn’t sound like it’s a cost item for us if it’s a moneymaker.”

Proulx had previously asked for county staff to get a letter from the AFSCME Council 65 in support of contracted hires.

Staff did not secure the letter, arguing that its contract with the union allows the county to use contracted services, provided doing so does not displace any current county employees. The county has contracted caseloads in the past, including in the county attorney’s office. Once a surge abates, the contracted services are let go, Genereau said, adding that if the surge becomes a permanent reality, then the county honors it by hiring extra staff.

“I’m not sure I believe that,” Proulx said, adding that union members had told him they didn’t believe they had an option to add new hires.

“Right now, you’ve got a union in the midst of negotiations,” Genereau said. “This is something that is borderline [sensitive] … and I would caution against talking too much about this in the public arena.”

Jackson was concerned that a letter of support would imply the county needed union approval to conduct its business. Genereau said that’s already trending that way.

“Union contracts are very significant directors in the way … we do the majority of business,” Genereau said.

In the end, the majority of commissioners accepted the advice of staff by approving the use of contracted case workers.

“We don’t need a letter from the union saying we can do something in this case, that’s correct?” board chair Dick Brenner asked, receiving an affirmative.

“I don’t think [the union] has been given all the information,” Proulx concluded. “They don’t believe we’d hire somebody if we said no to this contract — and we would hire somebody at no cost, according to Dave [Lee].”

Following the meeting, county staff shared an email with the Pine Knot confirming the county did share its intent with the union, and said there was no disagreement from the union’s business agent.

Fentanyl cases soaring

After hearing about the latest opioid settlement case that includes the county as part of a class action lawsuit, commissioner Gary Peterson sought a better understanding of the current illegal drug climate.

“I’ve been hearing so much about this fentanyl problem,” he said. “Is that a serious problem in Carlton County, too?”

County attorney Lauri Ketola and chief deputy sheriff Dan Danielson provided grim insight.

“If we thought opioids were an epidemic, fentanyl would be an uber-epidemic,” Ketola said. “This is as bad as it’s ever been.”

The county has 250 pending drug cases, she said. The sheriff’s office is “saving somebody every other day, maybe every day,” Danielson added, referring to overdose reversals using Naloxone, or Narcan. “And that’s not including folks able to get Narcan over the counter who are saving themselves without ever calling 911.”

Ketola cited the recent case of a 4-month-old saved by a Naloxone treatment. Once used to lace other drugs, fentanyl is now being mass-produced and sold in pill form, she said. Stronger and deadlier than heroin, “the reality of what we’re seeing is terrifying,” Ketola said of fentanyl. She described the pills as selling between $5 and $10. Some young drug users don’t “have any idea what they’re ingesting,” she added.

The fentanyl crisis is affecting caseloads in child protective services, and resulting in more thefts and people driving while high, Ketola said.

“It’s bulk-produced for pennies and infinitely more potent than heroin,” Danielson said. “There’s a lot less risk in producing that and shipping it versus growing heroin and that stuff. The economics of it are in favor of the drug dealer. We could spend all day, every day and all our resources fighting this. … We’re working on it; I don’t know if it changes (anything).”

The county is collaborating with federal authorities and targeting larger cases involving high volumes of pills and guns.

“We’re availing ourselves of those relationships,” Ketola said.

In other news:

• The county board tabled a request to allow the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources use of 40 county acres bordering the reservation to hold elk planned for reintroduction into the area. Board members wondered if land commissioner Greg Bernu could negotiate a rental price. The plan is for roughly 20 elk from a Red Lake reservation herd to be transplanted into the area — first into a holding pen. Bernu said he’d be glad to seek out terms from the Band and DNR. “This is probably a small step in a long process,” he said, noting that Red Lake has not yet agreed to the use of its herd.

• Sheriff Kelly Lake said during the Nov. 7 committee of the whole meeting that the city of Moose Lake has approached her about what a contract for services would look like. Currently, Moose Lake joins Cloquet as the only cities in the county with police forces. The Sheriff’s Office has oversight throughout the rest of the county. “The [city] council has not voted to abolish their police department,” Lake said. “At this time that final decision has not been made. They are exploring options, and one is a contract for services with Carlton County.”

• The county board unanimously approved the creation of a housing trust fund on Tuesday. Doing so is necessary for the county to begin pursuit of state housing grants available beginning next year. The board had previously approved a housing study to identify needs, strategies and locations for housing in the county. “We need to be prepared to apply for [grants] and have some kind of specific program to put them in,” said Mary Finnegan, the county’s economic development director, of the housing trust fund. A public hearing will be required to establish the fund, which will use only levy dollars if the board approves it. Finnegan identified $111,000 in affordable housing aid allocated to the county from the state in 2023. Another round is expected in 2024. Earlier this year, the state legislature approved $1.2 billion for housing in a series of multimillion dollar programs. County department heads have been meeting regularly to discuss housing, which they describe as one of the area’s most pressing needs. With old housing stock, the county would be well-suited for rehabilitation funds, and monies ticketed solely for rural housing. “It’s a great idea,” Peterson said Tuesday. “We need to move forward to establish a trust fund. It’s kind of the hot topic out there in government right now.”

• The county wrote a letter of support for state legislation that would make three days and two nights of outdoor education free for all of the state’s middle school students. Bryan Wood, executive director of Sandstone-based Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center, addressed the board during its committee of the whole meeting in November. “We would love to have every student get this experience,” Wood said, noting studies show children getting outside less than ever before. Currently, Esko, Cromwell-Wright, Moose Lake and Barnum participate in outdoor education experiences. Sen. Jason Rarick, R-Pine City, co-authored legislation in the Minnesota Senate that would create an opt-in program administered by the DNR. “It’s a great idea and we would send a letter of support,” Proulx said. The experience features 12 hours of instruction time and seven meals across the three days and two nights. Wood said expanding the experience would mean hiring more staff, creating an economic driver for outdoor learning centers throughout the state.