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Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers asked commissioners to contact area legislators “and let them know our concern over the implications of this new federal law and how the standards are written.”
Powers was referring to the Financial Disparity Act passed in December 2022. According to Powers, while the law’s stated purpose is to provide greater transparency, the way it is written, it could result in less transparency.
“The law could open the door to directing the use of scientific technologies for reporting governmental financial information, which could lead to a standard template and reduce transparency and eliminate details specific to unique functions and services,” Powers said.
In short, the law could add more reporting categories for government entities that would cost more and have less detail for the public.
And this is an unfunded mandate, which means the cost is passed on to the consumer.
A letter sent to the Public Finance Network to Janet Yellen, U.S. Department of Treasury, and Gary Gensler, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, cautions, “Without careful and thorough discussions and understanding of public sector financial reporting at the beginning of the process, there will likely be unnecessary confusion, burdens and costs for our members upon implementations. Accordingly, we respectively request the opportunity to provide a municipal securities issuers and financial reporting briefing, engage in ongoing dialogues, and participate in industry working groups that will be developed in the months to come.”
The letter was signed by 21 national agencies and coalitions, including the National League of Cities, The United States Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, State Treasurers, and the National Association of Counties, etc., said Powers. “They have all signed to ask our legislators to look hard at this new legislation. It’s actually passed, added Powers, but now the affected parties want to know how it will be put into effect and applied.
Powers said the legislation could offer “A lot of potentially high cost, but for what purpose?”
The biggest benefactor appears to be Wall Street, said Powers.
Board Chair Ann Sullivan added, “It’s also another unfunded mandate, which we are all tired of.”
Commissioner Stacey Hawkins stated that all eight of our Minnesota legislators voted for this, republicans and democrats, in a bipartisan vote, and she questioned why?
Powers said he suspected the power of lobbyists influenced the legislators. “They give one side of this (bill), and it sounds good. Very persuasive, and it’s in the vein of technological efficiency. It sounds good, and it was pushed through fast without any research. It was pushed through fast without hearings and people.” He added the bill was included in a big dollar defense authorization act.
Hawkins said she supported sending a letter to all state legislators asking to fix the bill. Still, the letter needs to ask them to pay attention and encourage them that when they pass laws at the federal level that affect counties, they make sure to check with our national county groups first to see what those folks say. “It frustrates me that they would have this many groups oppose this, and yet all of them still voted for it,” Hawkins said.
Board Chair Ann Sullivan said she would write the letter.
• On March 14. At 9 a.m., a second public hearing will be held to discuss restricting wake surfing on Caribou Lake. Unfortunately, the last public meeting was not properly advertised in the paper, “This wasn’t the fault of the newspaper,” said Sullivan, “This was on us.”
• Commissioners approved a 5-year bridge priority resolution authorizing the county highway department to replace, rehabilitate or remove failing bridges.
County Highway Engineer Robbie Hass said a new bridge would be built in Grand Portage on Mile Creek Road this summer. Hass noted that the road would be realigned, and traffic would be taken off the historic Stone Bridge, becoming a pedestrian walkway. Hass said he started working on this project a few years ago with many government partners starting with Grand Portage.
• Bridge work proposed for 2023 includes Sawbill Creek (County Road 49, Sawbill Trail), Junco Creek (County Road 27, Ball Club Road), Grand Portage Creek (CSAH 17, upper road), and Flute Reed River (County Road 69, North Road).
Next, Hass presented the annual Highway Department project update, a 2022 recap, and what 2023 will look like.
• Management Information Systems (MIS) Director Rowan Watkins presented an annual report about his department.
Rowan described five items his staff works to provide: Infrastructure excellence; defining/refining the MIS process; e-Government Solutions; mobile services, and they strive to provide customer service excellence.
He told commissioners infrastructure excellence was the key to providing most of the other services, and the county has a robust computer-based structure.
Over the last year, his department, among many things, has worked to improve Armer radio coverage, worked out the details for tower leases and tower inspections, and expanded site security and monitoring of radio towers.
The goals of MIS said Watkins is to provide “Reliability, security, stability, predictable budgeting from year to year, lower costs and fewer unplanned expenditures, and increase services without a corresponding increase in resources.” However, he added that one ARMER (Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response) radio cost was now “$6,000– $7,000” per radio.
“More than all of my cars combined,” said Commissioner Dave Mills with laughter following from his fellow commissioners.
• Andrew Ashcroft was hired as a Public Safety Telecommunicator/Jailer for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
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