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WALKER - Minnesota Sen. Tom Saxhaug and Reps. Tom Anzelc and John Persell attended Tuesday's Cass County Board meeting to discuss issues likely to come before the Legislature this year.

County officials presented the legislators with a packet of information on legislative concerns the board adopted earlier and reflecting some of the Association of Minnesota Counties positions Cass supports.

Cass Health, Human and Veterans Services Director Reno Wells and the county board emphasized their concern over the 93 new state recommendations for counties to improve their child protection services with an eye to keep children safer than in the past. Workers are being pushed to meet all the state requirements, Wells told the legislators. "If the services are a priority to the state, the money should follow it," Wells said. "When the state sets the rules the state needs to take more responsibility for funding it," Commissioner Neal Gaalswyk said.

Anzelc predicted there would be little new state spending this year without cuts being made elsewhere in the state budget. He said he expects the Senate to be more generous than the House.

There could be an increase made to state payments in lieu of taxes, he said.

On the issue of whether to extend unemployment benefits for Iron Range workers laid off after the decline in steel demand, Anzelc said he would rather see an extension made by affected county rather than by profession or industry.

He said he would be open to dropping the income tax on Social Security benefits and veteran pensions. Anzelc also would look at a state property tax exemption.

He expressed concern that eight metro area counties are doing well economically, while many out-state counties are not.

Anzelc supported more state money to offset county costs for out of home child placements.

It costs more to raise a child today, he said, whether in their own home or in foster care.

Persell said the state should focus on providing adequate chemical dependency counseling and mental health programs as one factor to try to bring down the need for children to be placed outside their own homes.

Persell mentioned the ongoing need to address long term transportation funding.

The legislators mentioned the recent discussion about dividing the state Health and Human Services Department as a potential cost saving measure.

On the question of whether the Legislature should eliminate the state property tax on seasonal recreational homes, Saxhaug noted it originally was enacted to help pay education costs, but instead went into the state general fund. Anzelc suggested eliminating some or all of it should be determined by the value of the seasonal property and not benefit high-valued property owners.

Cass Probation Director Jim Schneider thanked the legislators for funding crime prevention.

The county recently was approved for a $200,000 grant from that state fund to try a program to keep people at their jobs in the community while they await trial. Schneider hopes to reduce recidivism with this program.

When Saxhaug asked whether the recently approved federal funding for transportation would help Cass County, County Engineer David Enblom said none of the federal dollars will reach Cass until 2020.

Then, Cass will have to compete against other counties for a share of those dollars about every third year, Enblom said. The state gets 80 percent of Minnesota's federal money, and the counties, 20 percent, he added.

While short-term state funds could help a rural county like Cass, usually short-term money goes for a major metro area project, not several smaller rural projects, he said. If there were new state transportation money approved, Cass would more likely benefit more from a long-term transportation program, Enblom said.

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