Goodhue County weighs taking over sentence-to-serve crew after state funding cut

Goodhue County commissioners on Monday reviewed options for continuing a long-running sentence-to-serve (STS) work‑crew program after the State of Minnesota notified the county it will end funding for the program effective June 18, 2025.

County staff told the board the STS program has supplied supervised crews for public works, facilities maintenance and community projects in Goodhue County for more than 35 years. Jenny McMahon, appearing on the meeting’s remote connection, said the state cut the program for budgetary reasons: “due to budgetary reasons within the state, and the way it was explained to us that federal funding was cut and therefore, the state had to cut different programs.”

The change reduces the crew leadership previously supplied under the state contract and leaves the county with a choice: create and operate its own STS program under court services, add public‑works full‑time employees to absorb the workloads, or outsource the recurring work to private contractors.

Why it matters: County staff said the STS crews perform routine mowing and landscape maintenance, fair setup and teardown, trail work on the Cannon Valley Trail, assistance during severe‑weather responses and other community projects. Staff and multiple commissioners cited justice and rehabilitation benefits for participants and noted that losing the program could increase jail time, reduce community accountability opportunities and disproportionately affect low‑income people.

What staff presented

Stacy (county staff) summarized program history and recent contract changes: Goodhue County had contracted with the state for three STS crew leaders for…