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Crow Wing County approves Sourcewell grant application, agrees to shared MNChoices assessor; opioid prevention funding proposal fails
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Summary
County board approved a $100,000 Sourcewell grant application (to pilot an AI phone assistant and fund a shared MNChoices assessor with Aiken County) and approved creating a shared assessor position subject to county attorney review; a separate motion to allocate $200 per high school for grad‑blast prevention failed.
Community Services staff asked the board to approve applying for a $100,000 Sourcewell Community Impact Fund grant to pilot two components: an AI‑enabled, multilingual virtual phone assistant (EVA) intended to provide 24/7 screening and resource navigation ($55,500 requested) and a shared MNChoices assessor position with Aiken County to reduce assessment wait times ($45,500 requested).
Staff said the application is strong and that Sourcewell had been consulted during the submission process, but acknowledged awards are competitive. Staff and commissioners discussed ongoing and potential costs: the EVA tool would have ongoing costs if adopted beyond the trial year, and the shared position is a two‑year arrangement that staff said could be supported with current personnel savings if the grant is not awarded.
Commissioners asked for monitoring and regular updates if the shared position is approved. Community Services reported current MNChoices assessment wait times had grown to October (about five to six months for routine assessments) and described temporary staffing efforts that have not stabilized the program. Board members asked staff to report regularly on wait‑list progress and to provide the board with data on workload and budget impacts.
On votes, the board approved the Sourcewell application (motion carried) and later approved the shared MNChoices assessor position subject to county attorney review (recorded vote: yes 4, no 1). During the same agenda segment, Community Services requested $200 per participating high school to support Grad Blast prevention events; commissioners debated whether the modest allocation met Blade steering‑committee prevention criteria. A motion to approve $200 per school failed on a recorded vote (ayes 2, no 3).
Staff told the board it would report back to the Committee of the Whole on Long‑Term Services and Supports (LTSS) and provide ongoing updates on wait‑list reductions and staffing outcomes.
