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Koochiching County to recruit full‑time transfer‑station operator after state ends Sentence to Serve crew
Summary
County staff told commissioners the Minnesota Department of Corrections will end the Sentence to Serve (STS) crew June 18; the board approved recruiting a full‑time lead transfer‑station operator and a backup operator but directed that no hires be made without further board approval.
Koochiching County commissioners on May 13 approved recruiting a full‑time lead transfer‑station operator and a full‑time transfer‑station operator to cover recycling and transfer‑station duties if the Minnesota Department of Corrections discontinues its Sentence to Serve (STS) crew.
County staff told the board that the Minnesota Department of Corrections has notified the county it will discontinue the STS program effective June 18, 2025, citing proposed state budget cuts. The county said the STS crew had assisted environmental services and recycling work and that the program cost the county $77,627.48 in 2024 with an average crew size of 1.8 over the last two years.
County staff and the county management committee recommended adding a full‑time lead transfer‑station operator to run the county's transfer‑station program internally two to three days a week, with a larger crew on the other days. The personnel committee presented that option to the board and said the net annual cost for the position, after projected overtime savings, was estimated at about $75,000. The recommendation included posting the positions and recruiting applicants but explicitly not filling or making offers without further board approval; the board approved that approach.
Commissioners discussed uncertainty about the state budget and said they preferred to recruit in advance so the county would be prepared if the state does not continue STS funding. One commissioner said the arrangement is “kind of a crummy deal” because the county does not yet know whether state funding will remain, but that the county wanted to retain the benefits of STS work while ensuring the transfer station's daily operations would continue.
Action taken: the board voted to approve recruiting for a full‑time lead transfer‑station operator and to post a full‑time transfer‑station operator internally, with the provision that neither vacancy be filled or an offer made without subsequent board approval. The motion carried on a voice vote.
The county will wait until the state budget is finalized to decide whether to fill the positions. Staff said the personnel committee recommended the plan and the board accepted that recommendation.
