FAIRMONT– The Martin County Commissioners on Tuesday heard from Jail Administrator, Tanya Rathman, regarding the recent jail inspection. Given the board’s March decision to end work on a new jail facility, it also began talking about future plans for the Law Enforcement Center (LEC).

Under rule compliance summary, the jail received a rating of 99.21 percent for mandatory and 100 percent for essential.

“The inspection overall went well. We do as well as we can with what we have. We keep it clean. We keep it organized,” Rathman said.

The following were included in the inspection comments:

“While the physical plant continues to show signs of age, the administration has proactively addressed this by replacing outdated equipment and fixtures to mitigate further deterioration. The facility is well-maintained and currently does not present any immediate health or safety concerns related to the physical infrastructure. However, despite its overall maintenance, the facility’s physical layout continues to present operational challenges.”

“Given the significant improvements made by Martin County to address the concerns raised in prior inspections, and after consultation with Inspection Supervisor and the DOC construction inspector, the recommendation to reclassify the facility to a Class I or Class II will be deferred. However, should the physical plant experience further deterioration or health and safety issues that cannot be promptly resolved, the reclassification process will be revisited.”

“It is recommended that Martin County continue to explore long-term solutions for the future of the jail, whether through a major renovation or the construction of a new facility.”

Later in the meeting, the board considered setting a work session to discuss the future plans for the LEC. Some immediate concerns are the air conditioning units on the roof. Commissioner Joe Loughmiller asked why the existing Building Committee wouldn’t talk about upgrades to the building.

“I don’t want to take six months to do something that should take six minutes,” Loughmiller said.

Commissioner Richard Koons said there were other issues that came up at the Building Committee meeting and it was suggested to hold a work session to see how far everyone wanted to go on.

“I’m okay with a work session but my take on it is the physical plant stuff is Building Committee stuff and we have a standing committee for that,” Loughmiller said.

Koons said there is more than just the air conditioning issues as there are also plumbing and electrical issues.

County Engineer Kevin Peyman, who is on the Building Committee, said he thought it would be helpful to have some whole board input on the future of the facility.

Sheriff Jeff Markquart was asked for his thoughts and said, “I don’t see anything changing in five years. That building will still be there and we’ll still be there no matter what happens in the future and it still needs to be functioning every day, 24 hours a day. Whatever you want to do with maintaining that is up to the board.”

The board did not set a work session but will discuss the possibility again at its meeting on May 20.

The board on Tuesday also heard from Human Resources director, Leigha Johnson, who recapped a recent meeting the Personnel Committee had regarding the future of the Sentencing to Serve (STS) program. At a meeting last month the board discussed possibilities as it’s likely the state will cut its share of the program, which equals 25 percent.

“The STS committee is recommending that the board consider, if state funding is discontinued by legislation… that we consider moving forward with one full-time STS supervisor. Currently we have two full-time positions,” Johnson said.

The last day of work for them if funding is cut would be June 17.

Commissioner Kevin Kristenson, who is on the STS Committee, said he believes it’s important to keep the program in the event that state funding goes away.

“I think it’s a benefit to our county in many different ways,” Kristenson said.

The board unanimously approved continuing the STS program as a county operated program, and to authorize recruitment for the position approximately on May 19, contingent upon the state of Minnesota legislation’s discontinuation of the state’s share of funding for the program.

In other action:

— The board recognized the retirement of Corrections Officer, Tamara Wohlhuter, for her 23 years of service.

–The board was introduced to the county’s new IT Director, Jeramie Jones.

— After discussion, the board approved a revised agreement for Welfare Fraud Investigation between Faribault County, Martin County and Joint Counties Human Services.

— The board approved and authorized the purchase of a tandem axle truck and attachments in the amount of $313,688.

— The board approved awarding a bid of $4.7 million to Ulland Brothers Inc.for 2025 road construction projects.

— The board approved a new jail nursing services contract at the cost of $55 per hour, which is up from $47 per hour in the last contract.

— The board heard from IT member, Paul Luther, regarding the possibility of live streaming regular board meetings. However, the board tabled making a decision until it can gather more information.