Workers encouraged to make sure they see full benefit of Minnesota’s new sick time law

January 30, 2024 by

A member of the Twin Cities worker center CTUL spoke about the importance of having access to earned sick and safe time – and why CTUL was among the leading advocates of expanding the benefit statewide.

Minnesota’s new earned sick and safe time mandate took effect Jan. 1, and state lawmakers and regulators are encouraging workers to check with their employers to make sure they are earning the full benefit provided by the new law.

That means banking a minimum of one hour of earned sick and safe time for every 30 hours worked. Accrual must begin immediately upon employment, and workers may earn up to a 48 hours in a year, at minimum.

The new law applies broadly, covering full-time, part-time and temporary employees, although federal workers, independent contractors and some construction workers covered by collective bargaining agreements are exempt from the law.

“We know that everyone deserves paid time away to heal, to grow and to live,” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said during a press event at a bakery in Minneapolis, where she and other officials sought to raise awareness of the new mandate. “And when you come back your job should still be there.”

Employers must allow workers to access their earned sick and safe time to recover from illness or injury, access preventative care or care for family members. Workers also may access earned benefits to seek assistance for domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.

State Sen. Sandy Pappas (D-St. Paul), lead author of the new law, recalled fighting to include earned sick and safe time in the Women’s Economic Security Act of 2014.

Sen. Sandy Pappas of St. Paul was lead author of the ESST bill.

“I couldn’t get it over the goal line at that time, but I was really pleased with my city of St. Paul … that we were the guinea pigs to show that it could work and be successful,” Pappas said. “Now, earned sick and safe time will raise the bar for all Minnesota workers.”

St. Paul was one of four Minnesota cities that put sick-time ordinances on their books before state lawmakers expanded the benefit during the 2023 legislative session. Fourteen other states have passed similar laws too, Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach said.

“This law is providing an important workplace benefit that allows workers – regardless of their income, regardless of their background – the right to take time off to prioritize their health and the health of their families,” she said. “We know that it works.”

Some employers in cities like St. Paul and Minneapolis have cited the benefits of expanding earned sick and safe time benefits. Daniel Swenson-Klatt adopted the policy at Butter Bakery Café seven years ago, as city council members in Minneapolis were debating an ordinance. He called it “an investment that paid off.”

“In the end it provided my staff with safety and security. It reduced turnover,” he said. “There was an associated cost of hiring and turnover that just wasn’t there anymore. Over the years, it has added a little to my payroll costs, but it has brought back rewards far greater.”

Officials also emphasized that earned sick and safe time is not the same as paid family and medical leave, another workplace benefit state lawmakers voted into law last legislative session. The medical leave bill, which provides partial wage replacement for extended absences like the birth of a child, will go into effect in 2026.

Find more information about workers’ rights under the new ordinance on the Labor Department’s website.

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Senate Republicans block $1.9 billion infrastructure jobs proposal

March 16, 2023 by

IUPAT members (L to R) Tadd Tratar, David Kroger, Jordan Fry and Zach Thoemke rallied for the bonding will with Tim Stender (R) from the Carpenters union.

Before the Minnesota Senate voted today on infrastructure jobs bills worth $1.9 billion, union tradespeople pleaded with Republican members not to hold up the package of local public-works projects as leverage in a political fight with the DFL majority.

“Quit playing little games with my livelihood,” Carpenters Local 1382 member Mandy Reese, from Zumbrota, told lawmakers. “Do your jobs, get back to work and get this bonding bill passed today.”

Unfortunately for Reese and nearly 100 other union members who gathered outside the Senate chambers, most Republicans chose politics over jobs. The bonding proposal, which would see the state borrow $1.5 billion for infrastructure projects, fell shy of the three-fifths majority needed to pass the Senate, despite gaining bipartisan support in the House earlier this month.

The result prompted DFL leaders to scrap plans for a vote on a separate package of infrastructure projects that would be paid for with nearly $400 million from the state’s projected budget surplus.

Sen. Sandy Pappas (D-St. Paul), chair of the Senate Capital Investment Committee, said during a press conference before the vote that if the borrowing bill failed, DFLers in both chambers would begin crafting a new all-cash package, which they could pass with simple majorities.

But that bill is unlikely to be as robust as the two bills they had hoped to approve today, Pappas warned. And because it won’t need a three-fifths margin, the cash bill may also not be as inclusive of Republican spending proposals.

LIUNA Local 563 member Carolyn Wood of Rosemount spoke in support of the $1.9 billion local jobs and projects bills. “By creating good construction jobs, thousands of Minnesotans will gain access to the Trades and a better future like I did, including our young people, more women, people of color and veterans,” she said.

Pappas called the proposal rejected by Republicans today “the fairest and the largest” bonding bill in state history. She touted a 50-50 split between projects funded in metro and rural areas, and singled out proposed transportation, water-treatment and public-safety projects in GOP-represented districts.

“Frankly, it’s embarrassing for me to go back to these communities time after time, year after year, and they’re still waiting” for lawmakers to fund local capital projects, Pappas said.

As for an all-cash bill, she added, “I don’t know if it can be as balanced” as the borrowing proposal.

On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) recognized the strong support from organized labor for the infrastructure jobs bill, calling out several unions by name. But he said support from Republican leaders hinged on inclusion of tax relief.

“We wanted to help you,” Johnson said. “We Republicans wanted to get these projects done in the state of Minnesota. We have one simple request. Let’s get this done, but let’s ensure Minnesotans are taken care of as well, make sure that they have tax relief, make sure that we know what’s happening in our fiscal policy.”

The construction season is approaching quickly, and Minnesota’s asset upkeep falls further behind schedule – and costs continue to increase – each time lawmakers fail to act on a bonding bill, as they have since October 2020.

“We shouldn’t be talking about these projects,” said Bradley Peterson, director of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities. “We should be talking about the next round of projects.”

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Time has come for statewide earned sick and safe time, MN lawmakers say

January 17, 2023 by

Maria Vazquez, a member of CTUL, recalled going to work with a fever and trembling legs before St. Paul’s earned sick and safe time ordinance went on the books in July 2017.

Minnesota lawmakers today held up St. Paul’s earned sick and safe time ordinance as a shining example of policy they hope to replicate statewide.

Sen. Sandy Pappas of St. Paul and Rep. Liz Olson of Duluth, lead authors of legislation that would extend paid sick and safe time to an estimated 900,000 Minnesotans working without the benefit, said the time has come to ensure no one is forced to choose between their paycheck and their health.

“Over several sessions here at the Capitol, we have spent a great deal of time vetting this critical solution for economic security,” Olson said during a press conference with workers and advocates in advance of the measure’s first committee hearings.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic’s darkest days, we saw just how important it was for people to stay home when they were sick,” she added. “But this was a problem well before COVID, and it’s a problem we are going to solve now.”

The solution looks much like the policy members of the St. Paul City Council sent to then-Mayor Chris Coleman’s desk in September 2016.

The DFLers’ proposed legislation would require employers to provide one hour of sick time for every 30 hours an employee works, with accrued time capped at 48 hours per year – a rate on par with the St. Paul ordinance.

Employees would be able to carry over unused time from year to year, but their accrued time could not exceed 80 hours, barring an independent arrangement between the employer and employee.

The legislation spells out a range of ways workers could use their accrued time, including to recover or to seek care for injuries and illnesses to themselves or family members.

Maria Vazquez, a member of the worker center CTUL, was working as a housekeeper in St. Paul when the city council took up earned sick and safe time. At the Capitol press conference, she recalled showing up to work with a fever and trembling legs before finally gaining access to the benefit.

“Other people would rightly ask, ‘Why are you going to work when you are sick?’” Vazquez said via an interpreter. “But when you are employed without those benefits you still have responsibilities… If I didn’t go to work, it was (choosing) between my health or the roof over my head, the food on the table.”

Preventative-care appointments and weather-related school closures also would qualify under the proposed legislation, as would so-called “safe time” – absences that result from suffering domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking.

Laura Carpenter, a former food service worker in the Minneapolis Public Schools, recalled accessing her earned sick and safe time to seek legal protection from an abusive partner in 2018.

“I was able to take the day off work and go downtown to (Hennepin County Domestic Abuse Service Center), where I was supported by an advocate who helped me navigate the legal system,” Carpenter remembered. “This resource was invaluable for my family … but I wouldn’t have been able to access it during the daytime hours if I was worried about my job security or losing my income.”

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have earned sick and safe time laws on the books, as do the cities of Minneapolis, Duluth and Bloomington.

In St. Paul, the ordinance has worked so well that council members are poised to strengthen it, extending coverage to employees of companies outside St. Paul when they perform work in the city. The goal, Ward 2’s Rebecca Noecker said, is an even playing field – something a statewide measure could ultimately ensure.

“There’s a narrative that these sorts of policies are bad for businesses, but that can’t be farther from the truth,” Noecker said. “We have seen business owners in my ward and throughout the city respond really positively to the way that these policies provide a benefit that they would like to be able to provide for their employees.”

Filed Under: Labor Voices, Politics Tagged With: , , ,

Dayton’s final two years create window of opportunity for progress, unions say

October 31, 2016 by

capitolDuring the 2015 legislative session, a group of DFLers in the Minnesota Legislature put forth a bold set of proposals for paid family leave, earned sick and safe time, fair scheduling and protections to ensure people get paid for their work.

They called it the “Working Parents Act,” and it went absolutely nowhere.

“We couldn’t get any action on any of the proposals in the House,” Sen. Sandy Pappas remembered. “We couldn’t get them to hold hearings or have any kind of discussion on the issues we were raising.”

One year later, Pappas and her colleagues in the DFL-controlled Senate dialed down their expectations. They zeroed in on paid family leave, passing a measure that would ensure new parents aren’t forced to choose between their careers and their families during the critical first weeks of a child’s life.

Once again, the legislation hit a roadblock in the House, where Republicans held a majority.

It’s a pattern that’s played out on a number of issues at the Capitol over the last two years. And lawmakers and labor leaders agree that progressive, pro-worker legislation will continue to languish in the House unless working families win majorities in both chambers Nov. 8.

That means electing labor-endorsed candidates like Burnsville small business owner Lindsey Port in House District 56B, Rosemount realtor John Huot in District 57B and dozens of others across the East Metro area.

Port believes guaranteeing families access to paid leave is “one of the best ways we can grow the middle class.”

“It is a win-win for both employees and employers,” she said. “It allows employees to spend critical time with loved ones and employers to keep well trained and talented workers. This should be a top priority in the 2017 legislative session.”

Huot wants to see Minnesota make working families’ health care more affordable. A former emergency medical responder and member of the Minnesota Nurses Association, he believes Minnesota is the kind of state that is capable of thinking big.

“The insurance companies are going to keep cutting away, and pretty soon we’ll all end up with high deductibles and high premiums,” Huot said. “One of the biggest reasons I’m running is because I know we’re a state that can fix it. We can figure this out, but you’ve got to get the right people in office.”

A working-families majority might be critical to preserving gains made on another labor priority, earned sick and safe time, at the local level.

Both St. Paul and Minneapolis passed ordinances expanding access to the benefit this year, but a Chamber of Commerce lawsuit now claims they are in conflict with state law. Similar lawsuits targeted local smoking ordinances until lawmakers passed a statewide smoking ban in restaurants in 2007.

“When 1.1 million workers across Minnesota lack access to earned sick and safe time, we need lawmakers who will build on the progress we’ve made in St. Paul, not undermine it,” St. Paul Regional Labor Federation President Bobby Kasper said. “That’s what our labor-endorsed candidates will do.”

Perhaps no one is rooting harder for a labor majority in St. Paul next year than Gov. Mark Dayton, who has two years remaining in office. Some of his biggest accomplishments so far – raising the minimum wage, restoring fairness to the state’s tax system and signing the Women’s Economic Security Act – came in 2013-14, when labor-endorsed lawmakers controlled both legislative chambers.

“We saw what was done in 2013-14,” Pappas said. “We were able to rock and roll on a lot of our issues, and we’d love another window of opportunity to progress on these key issues for families.”

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For Minnesota’s women workers, ‘Equal Pay Day’ no cause for celebration

April 12, 2016 by

Cf3CzUvXIAAbKqbWomen working in Minnesota will earn $382,360 less than their male counterparts, on average, over the course of a 40-year career. As bad as that sounds, Minnesota’s lifetime wage gap is actually better than the national average.

Pay disparities between women and men are in the spotlight today on “Equal Pay Day,” but it’s not a holiday worth celebrating. Rather, April 12 marks the date the average woman worker finally will achieve the same earnings taken home by the average man in 2015.

Nationally, women employed in full-time, year-round work are paid, on average, 79 cents for every dollar paid to men – a rate that has held steady for roughly the last decade.

In Minnesota, where the wage gap is 81 cents on the dollar, lawmakers took aim at workplace inequities two years ago, raising the state’s minimum wage – most workers who earn it are women – and passing the Women’s Economic Security Act.

Sen. Sandy Pappas, a DFLer from St. Paul, was a leading proponent of WESA. She said it’s already delivered results, in part, by steering technical and financial assistance to women-owned small businesses and introducing women and girls to careers in high-wage, high-demand jobs traditionally held by men – including construction. WESA grants have helped provide training for close to 3,000 women, according to the state Office on the Economic Status of Women (OESW).

WESA also provides new workplace accommodations for pregnant or nursing mothers, and it requires contractors that do business with the state to provide proof they are meeting “equal-pay-for-equal-work” laws.

“We have almost 700 companies that have signed the certification to say, ‘Yes, we are meeting these requirements,’” Pappas said. “As we debated the bill, businesses testified that they thought this was too hard. ‘We can’t do this,’ they said. Well 700 of them have managed to do it so far.”

WESA is just one step forward in narrowing the wage gap, and even its fiercest advocates acknowledge more work remains to be done.

Expanding paid family leave and earned sick and safe time to all workers – proposals currently being debated at the Legislature – would keep Minnesota moving in the right direction, ensuring women workers don’t have to choose between keeping their families healthy and earning a paycheck.

So, too, would greater access to affordable, quality child care. Quality child care costs more in Minnesota than all but two other states, according to OESW. A single mother with one infant would pay, on average, 89 percent of her income to place her child in accredited, center-based care, leaving too many women with no choice but to opt out of working full time.

An investment in child care also would boost wages for child care workers, 95 percent of whom are women. Average pay in the industry is less than $10 per hour.

It’s just one example, Pappas said, of a female-dominated occupation plagued by low wages.

“A percentage of the pay gap is due to the fact that women go into these jobs that are not paid very well,” Pappas said. “As a society, we don’t value these professions like child care and teaching enough, and the wages show it.”

Lawmakers like St. Paul Rep. Rena Moran are also pushing initiatives to address the “disparity within the disparity” – the far greater wage gap that exists for women of color.

An analysis of 2014 Census Bureau data – the most recent available – by the National Women’s Law Center found African American and Native American women in Minnesota will earn, on average, more than $830,000 less than men over the course of a 40-year career. For Minnesota’s Latina women workers, the gap is more than $1 million.

“That has to change if we’re going to create true economic equity,” Moran said.

The Women of Color Opportunities Act, authored by Moran, would target academic assistance to girls of color in public schools, train women of color in financial literacy, introduce them to non-traditional career opportunities and provide grants and assistance to small businesses owned by minority women.

There’s no silver-bullet solution to narrowing the wage gap, of course. But collective bargaining has proven to be among the most effective answers.

Among union members nationwide, women working full time earn about 91 percent of what their male counterparts make, according to the NWLC. At 9 cents, the union wage gap isn’t perfect, but it beats the national average by 57 percent.

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Sandy Pappas: Honoring the legacy of American workers

August 28, 2014 by
Senate President Sandy Pappas

Senate President Sandy Pappas

Labor Day marks more than just the end of summer. It’s a celebration of American workers and the contributions they make to the strength, prosperity and economic well-being of our country. This Labor Day, the continued need for sustainable, living wage jobs is first and foremost on my mind.

As a state legislator, the decisions I make in the Legislature help to create jobs in my community and for my constituents. The same is true for Congress, but on an even bigger scale. Now that summer is over, it’s time for Congress to get back to work and make sure our constituents have the opportunity to be a part of the great legacy of American workers.

The federal budget is a critical blueprint for meeting our nation’s goals. In Minnesota and in Congress, the budgets we craft allow us to have schools, policemen, roads and bridges, health care and other essential services. Our state relies on federal investments to be safe, healthy, thriving and economically sound.

Yet Congress continues to allocate inordinate sums – more than half of the federal discretionary budget – to the Pentagon and its programs, to the detriment of our national and economic security. Since 2001, Pentagon spending has almost doubled. The growth of the Pentagon budget comes at the expense of necessary, vital programs that help our most vulnerable citizens – children, the elderly, veterans, the unemployed, women and their families.

In addition, the Defense Department continues to rely inappropriately on a special war spending account, using this for programs that should be part of the regular budget. In effect, this provides an $60 billion slush fund that is not subject to budget caps that Congress put in place to control spending. Any other federal agency, including those that serve veterans and military families, would love to have access to that kind of extra money, but none except the Pentagon do. We must prioritize the needs of the men and women in the military. Programs in Minnesota and across the nation are being eaten alive by the country’s militarized budget.

When it comes to creating jobs, Pentagon spending ranks last compared to investing the same dollars in health care, clean energy or education, according to recent studies by economists at the University of Massachusetts. Both sides of the aisle agree that job creation is a top priority. One of the best ways to create jobs is to examine the Pentagon budget, eliminate unnecessary and unwanted pork projects and move those dollars toward domestic needs and training workers.

Reshaping the Pentagon’s budget is necessary to address 21st century security needs in a strategic, fiscally responsible and accountable way. For example, spending the planned $350 billion over the next decade on U.S. nuclear weapons is unwise and imperils our security. These weapons are ill-suited to address today’s threats like cyber-attacks or nuclear terrorism. In fact, a greater number of nuclear weapons means a higher likelihood for accidents, terrorism and diplomatic crises.

The federal budget is a reflection of our nation’s priorities. Congress must choose between investing in a healthy and economically secure America, creating sustainable jobs and protecting our most vulnerable citizens – or siding with special interests and continuing to spend billions on wasteful programs that military leaders do not even want. This fall, Congress should do its job and create more jobs, strengthen the economy, and raise the minimum wage, invest in early childhood education and repair our aging infrastructure.

As a legislator, I know how challenging it can be to come to agreement about how best to address our state’s needs and prepare for the future, but job creation is a goal that we all share. Reducing the Pentagon’s share of the federal budget is a significant step towards achieving that goal. This Labor Day, let’s honor the legacy of American workers and safeguard our nation’s future with strategic investing, not more wasteful Pentagon spending.

– Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul) is President of the Minnesota Senate and Vice President of the Women Legislators’ Lobby (WiLL), a program of Women’s Action for New Directions.

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Panel: Women workers making gains in Minnesota, but work toward equity remains

August 26, 2014 by
Sue Scott, a union performer who appears on “A Prairie Home Companion,” moderates a panel discussion on women's economic security at the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion.

Sue Scott, a union performer who appears on “A Prairie Home Companion,” moderates a panel discussion on women’s economic security at the Minnesota AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion.

On the 94th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S., a panel of three state lawmakers from the East Metro discussed the gains women workers in Minnesota made with passage of the Women’s Economic Security Act this year – and the work for equality that remains to be done.

Sen. Sandy Pappas of St. Paul, chief Senate author of the Women’s Economic Security Act, joined Sen. Katie Sieben of Newport and Rep. Erin Murphy of St. Paul on the panel, hosted by the Minnesota AFL-CIO at the Labor Pavilion on the State Fairgounds today.

The primary goal of the legislation, the DFLers agreed, was to eliminate the gap between what women and men earn for doing comparable work. In Minnesota, women earn 80 percent of what men earn, Pappas said. For women of color, the gap is even larger.

The new law tackles pay equity in a number of ways. It requires businesses with more than 40 employees that have contracts with the state of $500,000 or more to comply with the state’s equal pay laws.

The law also makes it illegal to prohibit workers from discussing their compensation with other workers. Sieben said the measure empowers women workers to root out wage inequality on the job and demand parity with their male colleagues.

“Ability to discuss pay should help narrow the pay gap,” she said.

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson introduces state lawmakers (L to R) Erin Murphy, Sandy Pappas and Katie Sieben.

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson introduces state lawmakers (L to R) Erin Murphy, Sandy Pappas and Katie Sieben.

Although not part of the Women’s Economic Security Act, raising the state’s minimum wage is another step forward for women workers. DFL majorities in the Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton passed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2016 and adjust it annually for inflation each subsequent year.

“It certainly will do a lot … in the years to come for women in the state,” Sieben said, noting that women make up the majority of workers earning $9.50 per hour or less in Minnesota.

Women and men with the same level of education and work experience should have the same earning power, Muphy said. But too often, women fall behind their male colleagues because they are perceived as less dedicated to their career than their families.

“We need to make sure women who chose to work don’t get dinged because they’re pregnant, don’t get dinged because they have a family, don’t get dinged because they’re nursing,” Murphy said.

To that end, the new law includes protections for mothers and pregnant women, and it requires employers to make accommodations for women who are nursing. It also expands unpaid parental leave for women and men to 12 weeks.

Sieben, who has three children, said she remembers “how difficult it was to go back to work so soon after having a baby. Being able to have 12 weeks off to come for a newborn … is something that will help families across Minnesota.”

The law also provides funds to help women start small businesses, to study gaps in retirement savings between men and women, and to recruit and train women for jobs in fields where they are underrepresented.

That includes careers in the construction trades, where, if they work union, women are guaranteed to earn the same wage as their union brothers because they have the protection of a collective bargaining agreement, Pappas noted.

All three lawmakers agreed the Women’s Economic Security Act was just another step toward achieving gender equality in workplaces across Minnesota.

While the new law expands parental leave, it remains an unpaid benefit. Pappas said she’s committed to ensuring paid parental leave for Minnesotans, adding that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee paid parental leave for its workers.

Murphy said future Legislatures should work to guarantee access to affordable child care for working parents, as well as access to paid sick leave, “especially for jobs where we’re interacting with the public a lot, which often are lower-wage jobs.”

“There’s more to do in terms of women’s economic security,” Murphy said. “We’re just getting started.”

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Letters to the Editor: Sequestration cuts, Ramsey County Sheriff’s budget

September 12, 2012 by

Sandy Pappas

Letter: There is room for cuts in Pentagon budget

As some of us see Labor Day as a vacation and celebration of Minnesota’s workforce, others are struggling to recover from the Great Recession. We’ve seen efforts to reduce health care and retirement benefits for workers on the grounds that there’s no money, yet there’s always money for the Pentagon and its contractor cronies. Pentagon spending actually creates fewer jobs than spending on education, health care or clean energy.

If the automatic “sequestration” cuts occur, thousands more middle class jobs could be lost. Exempting the Pentagon from these automatic reductions will mean more draconian domestic program cuts.

As a legislator, I believe we need a balanced approach to the budget. There is room to cut waste from Pentagon spending. Our national security is strengthened by investing in our best asset – people. This Labor Day, let’s ask our members of Congress to invest in America’s workforce and economy – to secure our future.

– Senator Sandy Pappas, State Senate District 65

Letter: Your vote has consequences

Two years ago we were in the midst of an election campaign for the Ramsey County sheriff. During that time Matt Bostrom asked for the support of many unions. In turn, the vast majority endorsed his campaign for sheriff.

Prior to the election either Matt or I visited almost 20 of your union meetings, requesting your vote for him. A question frequently asked during those meetings was: “What does the sheriff’s race have to do with me or this union?”

Our response was that the Sheriff’s Office had consistently gone over budget during the previous 16 years, costing you more tax dollars – this at a time when many union members were sitting on the bench and struggling financially. Matt Bostrom found this unacceptable and made a public pledge to you and other taxpayers to balance the budget if elected.

Promises are easy to make, and you often never hear from them again or until the next election season. This is why I am writing now. Union members deserve a report for the faith they showed in Matt.

In March 2011 the Sheriff’s Office was reorganized to focus on core functions prescribed by state statute, providing efficient and effective services to the community and public safety partners. Through appropriate staffing, the community was kept safe as more deputies were assigned to the streets, courts, waterways and jail.

For the first time in 10 years, the Sheriff’s Office closed the year with budget savings. These budget savings would help offset an anticipated revenue shortfall. Working with the County Manager and the County Board in setting the 2013-2014 budgets, taxpayers were protected from an increase.

To continue these budget savings and create better efficiencies, employees are receiving training and performance evaluations, and innovative technology is being utilized.

Public service carries many expectations, including trust and accountability. As we look ahead, Matt Bostrom remains dedicated to guiding the transformation of the Sheriff’s Office and exceeding your expectations.

– Mark P. Wiegel, Bostrom for Sheriff Campaign

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