Winona County discusses taking on Emergency Communications Board administrative role; no commitment made

Winona County commissioners discussed whether the county should assume fiscal and administrative responsibility for a multi‑county Emergency Communications Board after Olmsted County indicated it may withdraw from that role.

Commissioner reports said the Southeast Minnesota cooperative provides shared radio, tower and grant administration functions that Olmsted County has historically hosted. Commissioners and the sheriff’s office noted the position is time‑consuming and may not be fully covered by grant administrative fees; the regional committee requested a decision or an expression of interest by the end of the month.

Sheriff representation was present and commissioners asked if the sheriff’s office had bandwidth to host the role. The board asked staff to confer with Sheriff Ganrut (name in transcript varied) about capacity and costs and directed staff to prepare a discussion item for the next board meeting. Commissioner follow‑up remarks suggested exploring cost‑sharing among member counties if the county took on administrative duties.

Ending: No county decision was made. Commissioners asked staff and the sheriff to evaluate administrative capacity, potential costs and cost‑sharing options and to return with information for formal board consideration.