The 12-county Southeastern Minnesota Human Services Redesign effort may be going back to the drawing board.

On Tuesday, Olmsted County became the sixth county to vote down the current model to potentially merge the 12 counties’ human services departments, leaving only Houston County left to vote. Houston tabled its vote again to July 17.

Last week, Freeborn became the fifth county to move ahead, along with Mower, Steele, Dodge and Waseca.

Wabasha, Rice, Winona, Fillmore and Goodhue have also opted out.

Where the counties go next remains to be seen.

“Everything’s up in the air,” Human Services Director Julie Stevermer said Tuesday.

More answers could come this week, as officials from the 12-counties are set to reconvene and hash out new ideas on Thursday. Human Services directors from the region will also meet and discuss the issue Friday, according to Stevermer.

A recent Star Tribune article said the attempt to build a human services “living laboratory” also has shown just how hard it is to share power and resources when the counties are so different in size, culture, wealth and even views of the proper role of government.

Human service programs typically represent one-third of county budgets, although most of them are paid through state and federal funding.

“The programs are complex — like health care, income supports, food stamps, mental illness, child support, adult protection, adoption, all requiring a lot of staff expertise,” said Jane Hardwick, human services director for Dodge County

Funded with about $600,000 by the Bush Foundation, a study by consultant Accenture suggested that total “cost avoidance” — savings from what otherwise would be spent for human services in the region –would be $60 million over five years, half to the counties and half to state and federal taxpayers.

 

MCT Information Services Contributed to this report.