Commish's Corner - June, 20th

Commish Corner - June, 20th
 

June is almost over and County Fair is just around the corner. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer.

A few updates from the County. First, Daley Farms in Lewiston will be hosting the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce annual Family Night on the Farm. It is Thursday, June 21st. It is an opportunity to see Winona County's ag highlighted.

Several updates to the County. First, we choose to opt out of  the 12 County SE MN Redesign effort, and investigate where we can cooperate with counties that fit more seamlessly with Winona. We currently share a Community Health Director with Fillmore. With the purchase of EDocs, computer software, we will find more opportunities to work with other counties.

Winona County's Economic Development Authority (EDA) has been reenergized and is moving forward in a positive direction. Currently, Jason Gilman has taken the lead. He has already, or is slated to, meet with the area banks to educate them on our County EDA and how it can benefit our business community. Jason is also reaching out to other EDAs to see how we can leverage our efforts for the entire County

The WC EDA has worked with St. Charles and have 2 official applications for the Revolving Fund for $55,000 for 2 businesses. Additionally, another application will be reviewed this week to receive monies from the revolving fund.

The WC EDA is trying to get out the word that we are there for area businesses. If you have any questions as to how this can benefit your business, please contact either Jason, or our new EDA Director - Natalie Siderious. They are excellent resources.

One last item - if you visit the County website, you will see it is updated. We hope it is easier to find what you need. If you have ideas, feel free to send them to us. We want the site to be as user friendly as possible.

I hope to see many of you at the Daley Farm where you can celebrate Winona County Agriculture.

Please contact me with any questions or comments for the County. Citizen feedback is important and valuable.

Commish's Corner - June 6th

Commish's Corner, June 6th

I hope the summer is starting out well for everyone. Since I took office in Jan of 2009, my main mode of communication was through my Commish's Corner that is published every other week. This has always been used for an update of the county, or something of regional interest. 

I will be posting these columns in my blog in case you do not get our papers.

This is the latest: It highlights where Winona County is with respect to two of the 2012 Board goals.
 

June 6th Commish’s Corner

Graduations and weddings are on calendars everywhere. I hope those who are partaking in the celebrations truly take time to enjoy them and not worry about the little stuff.

            We are half way through the year, and it is a good time to assess where we are with our County goals. When the County Board sat down for a Strategic Planning meeting, we discussed how each of us envisions the County in the future. From that, we developed a shared vision. We continually set our policies to align with our County goals. The staff then implements that policy. Our 2012 goals are printed on the county letterhead. There are a total of seven. One of the goals is to: Create action steps/options to reduce and eliminate our structural deficit. Many do not understand the term “structural deficit”. Some think, since the word “structural” is in it, it is related to buildings, but it is not. Quite simply it means an organization has more expenses than revenues, basically not sustainable. When times are good, it can be hidden, as money flows freely, and increases in tax levy and fees are not always noticed. But, when the economy is down, it rears its head and can devastate an organization.

            The only way to deal with a structural deficit is to increase revenue and/or decrease expenses. At Winona County, we were in the enviable position to be able to address our situation by mostly decreasing expenses. In the last few years, we have worked hard to reverse the trends of annual tax increases. We added onto our County Office Building, and were able to take advantage of merging departments, sharing counter space, and cross training our employees. We were able maintain services to our citizens with less people. Positions were eliminated as staff retired or moved to other job opportunities. No layoffs occurred. We have not reached our goal of eliminating the structural deficit altogether, but are well on our way. Three years ago, it was over $2M, currently it is less than $500,000.

            Another one of our goals is to: Develop a Comprehensive Plan Process. The “Comp Plan” is the vision for the County. It is created through a similar Strategic Planning process that the board goes through for our county. The “Comp Plan” is a citizen driven, countywide vision, that focuses on land use, economic development and growth.

Jason Gilman, the Planning and Environmental Director, is working with his staff to hammer out the process. The process must be sound, as it is a vital piece of creating a successful Comprehensive Plan. The process will include: education to the public as to what this means to us, how we will bring the citizens to the table, how we proceed once we are at the table, and the projected timeline so the public can know when to expect the results of the Comprehensive Plan. 

We anticipate the process to be in place and ready to start at the beginning of 2013. If you have questions, feel free to call Jason; he is always willing to share his knowledge and expertise.

Congratulations to all the graduates and newlyweds as you start the next chapter of your lives. I wish you all the best.

Please contact me if you have any questions or comments about the County.

Mena Kaehler

mkaehler@co.winona.mn.us.

Winona District 3

Winona County District 3

Includes the following townships:

• Elba
• Hillsdale
• Mount Vernon
• Norton
• Rollingstone
• Saratoga
• St. Charles
• Whitewater

If you live in District 3, I ask for your support in the upcoming 2012 election. I will continue to work for the county to benefit our citizens. 

We have accomplished much in the time that I have served the people of District 3.

If you have ideas or thoughts to share, please contact me at:

mkaehler@co.winona.mn.us 

or

932-3623

Thank you again for your confidence in me.

Kaehler USDA

Taken at USDA in Washington, DC. This was on the Minnesota Ag and Rural Leadership IV (MARL) visit to Washington DC in April of 2007. We had an excellent opportunity to visit with, then US Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns.

MARL Program

Minnesota Ag & Rural Leadership (MARL) is an incredible Program. I was in the 4th class. It is an 2 year intensive program that networks Ag producers and Ag businesses across the state. We have the opportunity to tour the state to understand the ag influence in Minnesota. We also spend one session in St. Paul and another in Washington DC to meet with our legislators, interest groups, and other Ag Leadership groups from across the US.

One of the highlights of the class is a 2 week international trip. Our class was fortunate to travel to South Africa. The previous classes went to Chile and Argentina, Mexico and Costa Rica, and China.

Class 5 members were selected this spring, and start the program this November.

To learn more about the program, go to:

http://www.southwestmsu.edu/marl/

MARL Class IV

Over a two-year period, a cohort group of Minnesota's best and brightest agricultural and rural leaders improve their skills through a challenging and uniquely structured educational experience - the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) Program. The program helps agricultural and rural leaders realize their potential more quickly, so they may ascend to greater leadership heights in their lifetime and better meet the challenges of today while engineering a thriving tomorrow.

St. Charles Gladiolus Day Parade

2008 Gladiolus Day Parade.


We had an excellent day for a Parade. St. Charles celebrates the Gladiolus Day Parade in August.

National Western Stockshow 2008

K-LER Sweetness - Champion Simmental Heifer

Open and Junior Show
National Western Stockshow - 2008

She is a bred and owned out of one of Seth's heifers.

We were proud and excited to achieve this great award.