Month: December 2022

The Northwest Regional Corrections Center reported the following arrest.

Logan Michael Lemmons, 21, of Liberal, Michigan, for Domestic Assault by Strangulation

The post ARREST/FIRE REPORT-DECEMBER 28, 2022 appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston City Council met on Tuesday night in the City Hall Council Chambers.  The meeting was the last for City Councilmen Steve Erickson and Tom Vedbraaten as both decided to not run for reelection.

CONSENT AGENDA
The meeting started with the passage of the consent agenda, which included the meeting minutes from December 12, 2022, approval of bills and disbursements in the amount of $588.909.20, and the approval of the 2023 calendar for the regular City Council meetings.  The meeting will be moved to 5:30 p.m. instead of 7:00 p.m.   The full schedule of meetings is below in the picture gallery.

PUBLIC HEARING –
The council had the final public hearing on the increase of the City of Crookston Utility rates.  Nobody spoke, and the hearing was closed.

REGULAR AGENDA
The first item on the regular agenda was the unanimous passage of the AFSCME contract for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025.  There wasn’t an across-the-board increase in the contract. Instead, they tabulated the salaries from eight other similar-sized cities and proposed the average pay of the comparable cities.  “We took a look at the overall wage structure for the entire staff throughout the city, and when it came to AFSCME, we made a comparison to eight evenly situated cities, and we tried to get to the average of those eight cities,” said Crookston City Administrator Corky Reynolds, who added. “There were two reasons, one, to attract workers and two, having those nine steps to retain our employees.  To get a raise, you move year to year, but you also have to have a positive review to get the raise.”

The City of Crookston has the Firefighters and the volunteer Firefighters contracts left to negotiate. “We are in negotiations with the Crookston Firefighters,” said Reynolds. “They made an initial proposal, and we made a counter-proposal which they are now considering, and once they have a response, we will meet face to face.”

The council unanimously approved increasing the City of Crookston utility rates, which hadn’t changed since at least 2011.  There will be an increase in most services, from sewage, garbage, city lighting, connection fees, and more.  “Some of the main rate increases are the wastewater rates were $1.75 per 1,000 gallons, and now it will be $3.50, and that is to support the infrastructure needs for that department,” said Crookston Public Works Director Brandon Carlson. “Street lights went up about 20%, and that is to cover the increase in materials and utility rates going up over the years.  The garbage went up a buck from $5 to $6 per month.”

The main reason for the increase is to cover the costs for the City. “It is to cover the costs of the departments,” said Carlson.  “I am trying to move forward to make sure we aren’t putting new streets on bad infrastructure and move forward from here.”

Carlson said he will start looking at the rates annually so the residents don’t have to deal with big increases as they will have in 2023. You can see a current water bill compared to a new water bill in 2023 below in the picture gallery.

SNOW REMOVAL –
Carlson told the council that they are working as hard as they can with the staff they have to clear snow, but with the amount of snow we have received in a short period of time has slowed down the process. “When you get big shots like that and then winds here and there where you don’t stop pushing snow, and there are certain areas where you can’t push snow anymore,” said Carlson. “I know some roads are narrow, and residents are getting their mail because of it.  So, we will try to target those areas and try to get them widened out as soon as we can, but it might take a week or two.  We tried clearing out cul-de-sacs and only cleared four out all day because there is so much snow.”

The council and Mayor Dale Stainbrook honored Steve Erickson for his eight years of service on the City Council.  Tom Vedbraaten wasn’t at the meeting, but he will get a plaque at a later date.

The next meeting will be Monday, January 9, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

#td_uid_1_63abbca7344dd .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item1 {
background: url(https://18280d.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023-crookston-city-council-schedule-80×60.png) 0 0 no-repeat;
}
#td_uid_1_63abbca7344dd .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item2 {
background: url(https://18280d.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/AFSCME-1-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}
#td_uid_1_63abbca7344dd .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item3 {
background: url(https://18280d.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/AFSCME-2-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}
#td_uid_1_63abbca7344dd .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item4 {
background: url(https://18280d.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Steve-Erickson-honor-80×60.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;
}

1 of 4

Loading…

Taking too long?

Reload document

|

Open in new tab

FOR THE ALL THE UPDATE UTILITY FEES SCROLL TO PAGE 47

Loading…

Taking too long?

Reload document

|

Open in new tab

The post CITY COUNCIL APPROVES UTILITY RATE INCREASE, AFSCME CONTRACT, AND GETS AN UPDATE ON SNOW REMOVAL appeared first on KROX.

Crookston is gaining another church after the unfortunate closing of Joe’s Diner in the fall, as the Freedom Church in Grand Forks has leased the building on the corner of North Broadway and West Second Street for future church services.

The church was originally holding meetings and sermons in the Valley Technology Park but had to vacate the building after the church had grown too large for the space they rented in it, and the city had found other uses for the space. “We had to vacate that place, the city had other purposes for it, and we were too big for it. So, we had been looking around at buildings, and we were looking at a different building that day Joe announced that he was shutting down the diner,” Crookston Campus Pastor Joel Schwarz explained. “We were looking at a different building at the time that didn’t work out so well, but our realtor said, “I saw this post on Facebook that Joe is shutting down. Why don’t I find out who owns that building,” So we told her to look into it, and she did. She found who the owner was and got a hold of him. He was surprised a church wanted to come into it, and we looked at the space, and it was one of the better spaces for a church in Crookston.”

With this purchase, the church is looking to create a satellite/campus church here in Crookston while keeping close relations with their original church in Grand Forks. “It’s a second church. We consider ourselves “One Church, Two Locations,” The church in Grand Forks is the big church that was started about 14 years ago. About four years ago, they had the idea to plant a satellite church here in Crookston, so we’re still partnering with that church,” Joel Schwarz explained. “So, it’s a satellite, and we’re very much involved in what they do, and they’re involved in what we do, so we are part of that church in Grand Forks.”

While the church has purchased the building and started moving into it, it is not ready to hold any services yet as there is still much more renovating that needs to be done for it to house a congregation and other members of the church. “We were hoping to be ready for a Christmas Eve service, but that’s not happening. We’re still building up platforms and making renovations. It’s a really great building, but going from a restaurant to a church, is still a work and has challenges,” Schwarz explained. “Our hope is to be open by the end of January, but we don’t have a hard date yet. It depends on when we get contractors, electricians, painters, and all that stuff done first, but the end of January is our goal.” The church has had a lot of help from volunteers from the Grand Forks Freedom Church in moving into their new building but is also getting help from Valley Electric for electrical work and reaching out to other local businesses to help renovate.

Schwarz noted that at first, the church will just hold Sunday services as it adjusts to its new location but plans to add other events throughout the week similar to the main church in Grand Forks. Such as their “I Encounter” service, where they meet once a month with their Worship Team and band for an extended worship. However, the church is excited to get involved with the other churches in the area with events such as the recent “Common Ground” event.

If you would like to learn more about the Freedom Church, you can visit their website to see announcements and updates about their new location at North Broadway and West Second Street at www.hellofreedomchurch.com. If you have any questions, you can email them at info@hellofreedomchurch.com.

The post FREEDOM CHURCH LEASING THE OLD JOE’S DINER LOCATION appeared first on KROX.

Governor Tim Walz today announced a new action plan to prevent fraud and improve oversight of federal grant dollars. Following his administration’s earlier directive to state agencies to identify areas of improvement, the Governor released a plan that includes a package of budget proposals. 

“I am committed to rooting out and stopping fraud,” said Governor Walz. “We need to protect taxpayer dollars. This plan will help ensure that state government works as efficiently and effectively as possible to improve the lives of Minnesotans while creating new tools to catch fraudsters and hold them accountable.”   

Minnesota state agencies oversee thousands of grants, and recent fraud involving federal funds—both in Minnesota and across the country—has highlighted the need for new protections. Earlier this year, the Governor directed Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) to work with other state agencies to conduct a review of federal programs and identify the most effective ways to improve state oversight of federal grants programs. While most grant programs are working as intended, the review suggests there are opportunities to enhance oversight and accountability.

The four-pronged plan will enhance enterprise-wide grant oversight and enforcement. While the Walz-Flanagan Administration can implement some of the state agencies’ recommendations on its own, others will require new legislation. 

1. Expand and strengthen enterprise grants management. The Governor’s plan would expand the Office of Grants Management at the Department of Administration, ensuring the office has the resources it needs to provide policy leadership over all types of grants. The Governor will also seek additional agency capacity for grant administration and oversight. The Governor is also requesting that the legislature fund the development of a roadmap for a statewide grants management system. Such a system would help agencies identify and root out bad actors across agencies and grant programs. 
2. Enhance resources for internal controls and oversight. The Governor will seek additional enterprise-wide auditing resources, which would be housed in the Internal Controls team at Minnesota Management and Budget. The Governor is also proposing resources for a coordinated approach to criminal investigations through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to track and investigate allegations of fraud in state-administered grants. 
3. Target additional resources at key agencies and programs. The plan would strengthen individual agencies’ grants management programs. For example, a new Inspector General at the Department of Education and contracting staff at agencies will ensure grants have appropriate agency oversight. The Governor proposes adding staff at six agencies to enhance oversight and accountability.  
4. Seek federal changes. Minnesota will request changes in federal practices to reduce the risk of fraud in federal programs. There are gaps in training, oversight, and federal standards that, if addressed, would reduce opportunities for fraud and misuse of funds. For example, the federal government should clearly define the process for withholding payments from grantees that are not compliant with grant requirements and should develop a one-stop option for reporting fraud. 

“Creating an Inspector General position within the Minnesota Department of Education is a critical step to ensuring proper oversight of federal funds,” Governor Walz continued. “I look forward to working with the state legislature and the federal government to ensure Minnesota’s state agencies have the guidance and resources they need to prevent fraud.” 

“The BCA is committed to working with all state agencies to hold those accountable who seek to exploit programs designed to help Minnesotans in need,” said Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans. “Creating greater coordination, focused resources and strengthening these programs will ensure fraudsters are held criminally liable for their misdeeds.”

“The Governor’s initiative is a big step forward to making grants oversight better,” said MMB Commissioner Jim Schowalter. “With these proposals, we’ll have a simpler, less piecemeal approach to making grants and monitoring how the money is used.”

“The Governor’s initiative will provide the resources for enhanced and targeted tracking to ensure the intended use of grant dollars,” said Department of Administration Commissioner Alice Roberts-Davis. “Additionally, this initiative will allow the department to better assist agencies and recipients in facilitated applications and more effective grant administration.”

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal regulators relaxed grant oversight. Those regulations have since returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The post GOVERNOR WALZ TAKES ACTION TO PREVENT FRAUD, PROTECT TAXPAYER DOLLARS appeared first on KROX.