Neilon honored for service with county
Published 12:00 am Monday, December 11, 2000
Fresh from a three-day junket to Rochester, the Mower County Board of Commissioners returned to action Thursday.
Monday, December 11, 2000
Fresh from a three-day junket to Rochester, the Mower County Board of Commissioners returned to action Thursday.
The annual "Winds of Change" -themed conference of the Association of Minnesota Counties kept the commissioners and county coordinator busy earlier this week at Rochester.
When they convened for their regular meeting Thursday, the commissioners acknowledged an award received by Tom Neilon, Mower County Correctional Services director.
Neilon was honored for his outstanding service at the AMC convention.
The MCCS director since 1996, Neilon has initiated several programs, including family conferencing, adolescent and adult drug and alcohol education, pretrial supervision and mentoring.
Neilon himself mentors two elementary age youths.
In the community, he is a tireless youth sports advocate, having coached hockey, football and softball for over 20 years.
Expanded role sought
Nataya Jandragholica, the county’s court interpreter and cultural diversity program director, made a lengthy presentation to the county commissioners Tuesday.
Jandragholica was hired earlier this year to be an interpreter in the Mower County Third Judicial District criminal justice system. In addition, she was to coordinate the development of new cultural diversity programs for the county.
Among the programs she offers is a driver license instructional version for Hispanics.
However, she wants to expand upon her role in such areas as a bilingual nutritionist/family facilitator, an educational curriculum for individuals and families who are not familiar with Minnesota state and local laws, cultural values and community expectations.
To do all the things, Jandragholica said she will need additional staff, office space and money to implement her proposals.
One possible resource is to tap into the already available resources offered in the Mower County Extension Service office.
The county board’s personnel committee took the requests under advisement for further study.
The requests come at an inopportune time for the county commissioners, who completed their annual budget process months ago and are now in the midst of the year-end process to adopt a new budget for 2001 as well as a property tax levy.
Already, the county commissioners have turned down requests to hire six additional personnel, including additional staff in the criminal justice system.
In other action Thursday, the county commissioners:
— Heard David Hillier, Third District, remind all of the Dec. 19 due date for contractor bids to construct a multi-purpose building at the county fairgrounds in southwest Austin.
— Approved a conditional use permit for Francis and Marian Sorenson to allow an additional dwelling per farm operation. The CUP had been recommended by the Mower County Planning Commission.
— Gave authorization with a resolution for the next segment of funding to be pursued for the Shooting Star recreation trail. According to project administrator, Daryl W. Franklin, and Gerald Meier, Prairie Visions trail committee chairman, the 4.7 mile segment would cost an estimated $100,000 per mile and take the trail from Lake Louise State Park near LeRoy to Taopi.