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State Representative Tony Cornish
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4240
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS RELEASE
REP. CORNISH ENCOURAGED BY LEGISLATION ALLOWING COUNTIES TO SHARE HUMAN SERVICES RESPONSIBILITIES
ST. PAUL – In order to allow Minnesota to keep pace with the increasing complexity of human services programs, a bill at the State Capitol allowing shared services between Minnesota’s 87 counties is gaining momentum.
State Representative Tony Cornish (R-Good Thunder) said the idea isn’t new to the area, as Martin and Faribault counties have had consolidated human services programs for 35 years.
“We’re always looking for ways for to make government more efficient for the people it serves,” Cornish said. “While human services programs have increased in size and complexity over the years, the delivery structure remained largely the same.”
“Martin and Faribault Counties have had success by consolidating some of these services, so it would make sense for us to explore this option and determine if more counties could benefit,” Cornish added.
Cornish notes that inequities in resources, staffing expertise and services differ in each county, as do demographics and populations served. This leads to different levels of service being provided across the state when uniformity should be the standard.
A possible solution would be to allow counties with populations with less than 65,000 to form multi-county consortiums of four or more counties.
“The goal would be to improve overall quality, cost-effectiveness, and consistency in the delivery of human services,” Cornish said. “What we know for sure is that our current system is outdated and not sustainable. Reform is always difficult, but we’re going to need to look at new options that will allow Minnesota counties to keep pace and better serve their residents.”
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