County Detox Center Problems Troubling

Most people probably don't give a hoot about the Minnehaha County Detox Center because they or a family member has never had an occasion to use such a facility. However, the management of a county facility such as this should be of interest to taxpayers because it is taxpayers dollars that seem to have been mismanaged as it relates to the operation and oversight of the facility. The county paid a lot of money to this contractor to manage the operations of this facility and this facility has serious problems for what seems to be a long time.

The detox center is located on the second floor of the public safety building.  It's not like the facility was at some remote location. The Sheriff's department has employees in this building. Metro Communications is located in this building. The Jail is attached to this building. There is a lot going on in the Public Safety Building. And yet, no one seemed to know that there were serious problems with that center's operations until employee whistle blowers went to the media to get the county's attention as a last resort. That is never good and proves to be very embarrassing for government and elected officials.

There are a lot of third party contractors managing operations and functions in local government. However, that does not mean government officials can turn a blind eye to what is happening with these operations. In the case of the Minnehaha County Detoxification Center, it would appear that no one was minding the store.  Out of sight, out of mind because someone else was hired to manage it.  Due diligence and oversight is still necessary. Now the State of South Dakota has put the facility on probation and is not allowing any patient admissions because of serious safety concerns until a corrective plan of action is reviewed and approved. County officials said they already sent in their correction action. Fast action is good especially when you get caught with your pants down.

You have to feel a little sorry for the county in spite of what is going on with the Detox Center. The county is at the mercy of the state when it comes to a lot of issues relating to the indigent population. They don't always have control over expenses dictated by the state. However, it still obligates them to management and oversight of these programs and services.

In today's ARGUS LEADER, Minnehaha County Commission Chair Dick Kelly said that "the commission plans to keep a close eye on the detox center, and the state will, as well."   Is it really the county commissioners' job to keep a close eye on the detox center? Why isn't this oversight the responsibility of a county department? Maybe then it would not have gotten so out of control.

And it took a former employee going to the media to get their attention. Troubling.

When Commitments Don't Matter

We read another article in the ARGUS LEADER regarding the budget shortfalls at Minnehaha County and the hard fact that they won't meet their agreed upon commitments to city government. The City of Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County have entered into two important cooperative agreements; one regarding the shared obligation regarding the operation of Metro 911 Communications Agency and the other regarding the funding of Siouxland Libraries.

It is hard to imagine how Minnehaha County can just ignore those agreements and elect to not fund their share of operating these two shared governmental operations. When they do not fund their share of expenses regarding these two agreements, the burden falls to the taxpayers of Sioux Falls. When a government entity is faced with budget shortfalls or deficits, it must act appropriately and to just say they are not going to meet their financial obligation is irresponsible.

How Minnehaha County got to this point is certainly up for debate. However, funding their share of Metro Communications is an important budget priority that should not be shirked away, expecting someone else to pay. I realize that the county has made tough decisions regarding salary cuts and even staffing levels but clearly their obligations to fund their portion of the 911 Emergency center that supports the Sheriff's jurisdictions in the county must not be ignored.

Siouxland Libraries encompasses the operations of the branch libraries in the county. If the Minnehaha County can not live up to its fiscal responsibility as outlined in the Siouxland Libraries cooperative agreement with the City of Sioux Falls, then maybe those branch libraries should be closed down. The taxpayers of the city of Sioux Falls should not bear the agreed upon fiscal responsibility of the county because they are not able to keep their fiscal house in order. Same goes for the Museum.

Their dismissal of an opt out seems to indicate their disregard for their fiscal responsibilities related to their cooperative agreements and sends a message that the City of Sioux Falls can just pick up their responsibilities and pay their bills.