Announcements

All Staff Meetings

We are happy to announce the return of regular All Staff meetings. The first will be held on July 8th with two separate opportunities to attend, there is no requirement to attend both. Two Outlook calendar invites have been sent out for these meetings.

This meeting, along with other agenda items prior, will include a Q&A with the County Administrator and two County Commissioners. We ask you to submit questions ahead of time at this link here: Fire Side Chat Questions. Please note we will combine questions surrounding similar topics or themes for ease of access. We will also open up for questions towards the end of the meeting in case you weren’t able to submit ahead of time or thought of one during the meeting.

Department Updates

Administration

Happy summer! Over the past few months, a number of projects have been undergone by the Administration team which will last into the summer months. 

Customer Service Feedback

There are new signs posted on our front service counters and on door exits titled, "How did we do?" This new signage indicates the rollout of our new Customer Service Feedback program! Over the next year, these signs will provide an opportunity for members of the public to comment on a number of issues. The survey is meant to provide data points on where our customers are going for resources, how our building layouts hinder or embolden their access, and how our service personnel are doing in helping them. This survey is the first step in a larger picture of retaining feedback from the public and more steps will be announced within the year. 

Room 308

Since the new boardroom's launch in October, the old boardroom or 308 has been utilized hundreds of times for over 400+ hours. Given this dramatic increase, the County Board approved an expedited plan to transform room 308. By the end of the summer, the room will no longer include the old dais but will now be a multi-faceted training room with two projector screens, HD cameras, sound equipment, and moveable tables and chairs. Once completed, this room will be the largest training space within County facilities. We are excited by the potential of this project and how it will benefit all employees. Please stay tuned. 

Website

The new website has now been launched! With a new website comes new processes and a need for additional training. For those webmaster general users who have editing access, please be on the look put for additional training materials and resources provided by Briggs Tople and our provider Neapolitan Labs. 

Information Technology

Meet the team!

L-R: Eric Spahn, John Smith, Tom Naatz, Dan Schmidt, Ryan Archer, Eddy Wyld, Hannah Carlson

It has been a busy winter and spring for the IT Department…

Eric Spahn joined us in October of last year, and we moved the entire department to new offices on the first floor of the Government Center.  Our main Data Center is still on the lower level, but all staff and offices are now in suite 103.  Stop by and see us sometime!

Earlier this year, we transitioned the county to the new goodhuecountymn.gov internet domain name.  All county email and our official website now use the new domain.  Be sure to update all your contacts and communications with the new information.  The co.goodhue.mn.us domain will remain active for the foreseeable future, but not forever!  Someday we’ll need to retire that domain and you don’t want to miss any emails or break any links.

We also implemented a new network fax solution called eGoldFax – yes, people still fax, believe it or not.  We’ve replaced our remote support solution and now use BeyondTrust – you won’t see TeamViewer anymore.  We have implemented a new Security Incident and Event Management, or “SIEM” solution – that is all behind the scenes, but still very important for government work.  And, in between responding to Help Desk requests and upgrading computers, we worked with county departments to implement some other changes and upgrades, like:

• Bringing the new County Boardroom online
• Installing a new Building Automation system for Facilities
• Upgrading the hardware that supports the First Responder radio network in the county
• Helping the Auditor/Treasurer and Assessors move their systems off of the IBM mainframe
• Helping HHS with a major office reorganization
• Expanding use of Microsoft Office365, including Teams and OneDrive

And for the rest of 2024 we have even more projects in the works, including:

• Working with the Sheriff’s Office to implement Body Worn Cameras
• Replacing software in the Recorder’s Office
• Replacing our Help Desk and Project Management programs in IT
• Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication for all county network access
• Working with Communications to install Digital Signage
• Beginning the move to Windows 11 for all county computers
• And we’re planning a physical inventory of all county computer equipment – look for more information coming soon, and IT staff invading your office this summer!

It’s never dull or boring in Information Technology!  There is always something new coming along to keep things interesting – an upgrade, a new program, a security hack, a new mandate from the state…  But Goodhue County has an awesome IT Team to handle whatever comes our way.

Health & Human Services

Dear Goodhue County Colleagues,
Welcome to Summer! With this newsletter update we are finishing up getting to know the HHS department, and today we will focus on the HHS Social Services Division. Thank you for reading and Happy Summer!

Our Social Services Division provides services and supports in partnership with state, local and regional partners including Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). The division manages assessments and ongoing case management services to promote safety and the well-being of vulnerable children, families and adults. Reports of neglect and abuse are assessed with law enforcement. Social Services Division is also responsible for out of home placements, foster care and adoption assistance, guardianship, adult and children mental health case management, child care and foster care licensing.

Our supervisors for the Social Services Division are Abby Villaran, Sarah Matzek, Katie Quinn, and Kara Harbaugh. Here’s a sample of positions Abby, Sarah, Katie, and Kara have in their teams, and lead for our agency:

County Agency Social Worker – These positions focus on children, adults, or mental health while following state and federal laws and regulations, ensure coordination of services, work with families and individuals on an ongoing basis to address risk factors and increase safety, maintain case file documentation, and provide written court reports and court testimony.

Case Aide – These positions perform a variety of tasks related to adult, child, and family social services division, and /or HHS agency including transporting children/parents and supervise visitations on-site and in the community. Completing various mailings, record requests and notices accordance federal and state policies, conduct relative searches and facilitate mailing process. Provide support to the Social Services professionals, and the HHS agency.

Outreach Worker – These positions work with children, families and adults before incidents of abuse or neglect, connect them to community resources, services, and support groups helping to overcome challenges that increase the risk of abuse or neglect.

New Employees

Welcome to our new employees since January of 2024!

Retirees

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