New Dakota 911 will see more funding from county

By John McLoone

The Hastings City Council on Monday night authorized submitting an application for funding for a secure ballot drop box.

The Minnesota Legislature appropriated $2 million to the Secretary of State office for grant funding for local government for the 2022 Drop Box Grant Program for Minnesota Counties and Municipalities.

Grants are for up to $15,000 per box “and cover the cost of purchasing the drop box, installation of the drop box, installation of video monitoring and associated outofpocket costs with video monitoring such as license contracts, contracts for data storage or other costs association with data storage,” a memo from Assistant City Administrator Kelly Murtaugh to the council states.

The city is requesting funding for one drop box, which costs an estimated $4,000 installed. Video monitoring and installation is estimated at $3,200 with $200 planned for monitoring licensing. Total funding the city is seeking is $7,400.

Under the state law passed in 2021, ballot drop boxes are defined as a secure receptacle that is accessible 24 hours a day. They must be designed to prevent tampering, be protected from weather and emptied at least once daily. They must be under constant video recording during times of absentee voting.

No “electioneering” is allowed within 100 feet of a drop box.

Dakota County 911

The city will see some savings in a new Joint Powers Agreement with Dakota Communication Center.

The Dakota County Communication Center was formed in 2005 “via a joint powers agreement (JPA) to cooperatively engage in the establishment, operation and maintenance of a Countywide public safety answering point and communications center for law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and other public safety services for the mutual benefit of all, rather than individual dispatch operations in each municipality,” City Administrator Dan Wietecha wrote to the city council. “Over the past several years, there have been a series of discussions about the funding model. Currently, each member’s contribution is based on a threeyear average of the member’s call volume. There has been interest in updating this to have Dakota County carry a greater proportion of the DCC budget; this has been premised on the acknowledgment that dispatch service is a basic governmental service, it is a countywide service, and it has expenses regardless of the number of calls any individual municipality might have.”

A committee set up to review the matter made a recommendation that Dakota County cover 100 percent of fixed costs, which will be phased in over three years. Under the new plan, the Dakota Communication Center will be renamed “Dakota 911.” The Dakota County Board will reconsider the funding in three years and could increase the percentage over the system it’s paying at that time.

Wietecha said Hastings has budgeted $500,289 for communication system this year. Under the revision, the city would save $17,344 this year, $34,688 in 2023 and $52,032 in 2024.

The Joint Powers Agreement is between the county, and county cities: Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Mendota Heights, Rosemount, South St. Paul and West St. Paul.

Donations

The city council accepted donations from the Ruth & George Doffing Charitable Fund to help support the summer Music in the Park series for next year. The schedule includes 12 shows from June through September on Thursday evenings.

A donation was also made from the Ruth & George Doffing Chartable Fund in the amount of $2,500 to the city Parks and Recreation Department to support public art in the city.