Olmsted County Information Technology Solutions (ITS) Department assists Veterans

Congratulations to MDVA and to the Olmsted County ITS folks for making it easier to serve our veterans.

The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs received the Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award.  This award was partly due to their collaboration with Olmsted County which assisted in the design and development of a database that makes it easier to locate Veteran’s discharge documents.

Electronic Poll Books used in Township Elections

On March 13, Township elections were held.  Some of the townships and Olmsted County collaborated on the use of “Electronic Poll Books.”  This was a trial pilot to check on the viability of this voting process.  The pilot went smoothly.  This system allows for increasing the efficiency of same-day voter registration and updating the Secretary of State’s Voter Registration System.  There is a bill in this year’s Legislative session to fund the purchase of Electronic Poll Books (HF 3791). The bill also includes automatic voter registration when renewing a MN Driver’s License.

Regional Mobility Transportation

There is a need for better transportation and mobility for people of all ages in Rochester as well as the entire Southeast Region.  Olmsted County supported a grant application submitted by Three Rivers Community Action to fund planning for a Regional Transportation Coordinating Council.  All people, including seniors, disadvantaged individuals, mothers with young children, as well as workers need to be connected through a transportation system allowing people to travel with ease within the southeast region. Olmsted county will participate in this planning.

I support a regional transportation system that is inexpensive and efficient.  The DMC transportation planning is focused on bringing workers to the city and the traffic patterns the city of Rochester.  I believe that a transportation system must not be limited to the city of Rochester but must work for the entire region and include working and non-working citizens.  Furthermore, the system must work in the evenings as well as on weekends.  Transportation is essential to all of our daily lives whether it be to get groceries, visit the doctor, see the pharmacist, enjoy entertainment, or keep in touch with friends and family.

Keeping the County Safe

One of the components of the Air Pollution Control system on the Olmsted County Waste to Energy generating plant will be replaced during a planned outage.  The County awarded a contract in the amount of $131,416.

I supported this project to insure that the Air Pollution Control system is doing its job properly and to keep the County safe from possible air pollutants.  I also supported this because the funds that will be used for this project do not come from property taxes.  The OCWE is financially self-sustaining through garbage hauling fees and recycling income.