Driving County Roads

Disclaimer: "The views, opinions and statements expressed herein represent only those of Judy D. Hanson. They do not necessarily represent the views and opinions held by either the Nicollet County Board of Commissioners nor of Nicollet County Government as a whole."

Hello:
Welcome to the weblog of Nicollet County Commissioner, Judy Hanson. (Nicollet County is a rural county in southern Minnesota with a population of 30,000.) The purpose of this blog is to share information and offer a glimpse of how county government works.
Counties are creations of the state. Counties do the work of the state of Minnesota, not in St. Paul, but in 87 different places around the state. About 65% of what counties do is to fulfill a state mandate or delegation. These mandates take the form of many different routes or roads. We are all familiar with the bituminous and gravel roads in the county. They lead us to school, church and to work. There are other types of county roads. Some roads lead our citizens to good physical and mental health; to improved infant care and better nutrition; to caring for veterans and senior citizens; or to a safe and secure place to live. One road leads to helping folks get back on their feet after unfortunate happenings. An important road leads county citizens to birth, death, and property records. People sometimes take the wrong road and our county is charged with the task of dealing humanely and fairly with them. They suffer the consequences of their actions and are offered options to help them choose the correct road in the future.
If we compare the county with a car; then the commissioners would be the driver; the employees would be the fuel and county citizens (along with the state) provide the roadmap. Come ride with me as we maneuver the roads of Nicollet County on this weblog.