Although the Winona County board and department heads plead their case on Wednesday afternoon for state funding for jail overcrowding and mental health issues among jail inmates, maintaining the road system, and rural broadband internet development, state representative Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, offered only one suggestion.
Cut spending.
Glen Olson reports in the Winona Daily News article, County board and departments meet with legislators to give opinions:
Commissioner Jim Pomeroy referred to the problem of jail overcrowding and the problem of dealing with mental health issues among jail inmates as a “crisis.”
The city attorney’s office highlighted the need mental health system support, improvements to criminal justice system for juveniles and transitional housing for former prisoners and others.
According to several department heads and commissioners, community services struggle to cope with the work load due to a ahortage of money and staff. “The programs across the board are seeing a 10 to 27 percent reduction in reimbursements,” Pomeroy said. “Which really causes a lot of havoc in our budget.”
County engineer Dave Kramer said that the while they have seen increases in road funding, it hasn’t been enough to fully maintain the road system and would definitely not cover the cost of construction projects for new roads or bridges. . . .
. . .[Rep. Gene] Pelowski said that along with meeting transportation needs, infrastructure improvements in other areas are also necessary.
“We need internet access,” Pelowski said. “It’s just like telephone was at the turn of the last century, or electricity.” . . .
But Drazkowski was having none of it:
Drazkowski didn’t speak to funding much of anything, but focused on what cuts could be made.
“What can we do to decrease the number of things you’re required to do and the number of employees in your agency to cut costs,” Drazkowski said.
Internet? Relief for jails that are substitutes for mental health care? Roads and bridges? What surplus? What help for Greater Minnesota?
Photo: State Representative Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa.
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Vile idiot. This fool Has absolutely no business being in the legislature. Go do something else Drazkowski, let someone who is actually going to help the people they represent do the job.
Posted by: Tired of worthless legislators | Jan 28, 2016 at 06:59 AM