County looks at STD testing, deer hunting

Along with completing fairly routine business, members of the Waseca County Board of Commissioners addressed two somewhat controversial topics during their regularly scheduled meeting the morning of Jan. 20.

 

An item published elsewhere in this edition describes grants awarded to three area initiatives using funds acquired after the Minnesota State Attorney’s office joined a multi-state lawsuit against companies which profited from the marketing of highly addictive opioid pain relief medication.

 

As a result of the lawsuit, all Minnesota counties are receiving money earmarked for programs which combat and work toward preventing addiction. Spread out across about 15 years, Waseca County is due to receive more than $1 million toward such initiatives. In the first round of grants approved by the 16-member opioid settlement advisory council, the group recommended awarding just over $29,000 to programs meant to prevent or reduce the use of addictive substances. More information is available in that separate piece of writing.

 

Commissioners engaged in a lengthy discussion regarding another matter brought to the board by Waseca County Public Health Agency director Sarah Berry.

 

Berry had previously sought board permission to investigate adding testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to the services offered by public health nurses. She returned to the board Jan. 20  to share what she had learned.

 

Berry said that, based on information gathered from state agencies and other counties, cases of the common STDs chlamydia and gonorrhea have been on the rise throughout society. Test kits for the diseases cost about $65; administering the tests would not require much time commitment on the part of staff.

 

She estimated the public health department would administer somewhere between 20 and 30 tests a year; she stated she did not believe it was likely a number as high as 30 would ever be reached.

 

Finally, when patients taking the test are covered by insurance, she anticipates about $62 of the cost would be reimbursed, so even accounting for the possibility a few people would not be covered by private or public insurance, Berry estimated the cost to the county to add STD testing would be minimal.

 

Commissioners consented to a “pilot” program, requesting an update after one year, and possibly even a report at six months.

 

A second controversial topic was how Waseca County will respond to a new law implemented during the 2025 legislative session. Under the law, unless individual counties say otherwise by March 1 of this year, rifles of .22 caliber and larger will be allowed statewide during deer hunting season, eliminating the “shotgun only” restrictions which have been in place for decades in the southern and western parts of the state.

 

County administrator Michael Johnson had researched how other counties in the region are going about making their decisions, and admitted he had difficulty getting clear responses. Numerous counties indicated they would be “following the statute,” that is, allowing the use of rifles.

 

He reported that Rock County chose to hold a public hearing; more than 40 people attended to state their opinions.

 

County board members had asked Johnson to look into having a representative from the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) attend a board meeting to share the agency’s stance on the issue. Johnson reported that the DNR seems to have taken a rather “hands off” position on the matter.

 

Statements online from DNR officials claim the shotgun laws were in place not because shotguns are safer than rifles, but to reduce the number of deer harvested. Since deer populations have increased over recent decades, the agency says the reduction is no longer important.

 

Commissioners commented they have received mixed feedback from constituents, some of whom have very strong feelings on the matter.

 

Another topic mentioned during the meeting is that the county has again applied for a permit to reduce cormorant populations on Loon Lake island. The hope is that the permit will be granted in time to allow removal of existing nests even before the birds return to the area this spring. The permit also seeks approval to terminate some of the birds before they establish nests.