Past Local Government Innovation Award Winners
LGIA City Winners 2009-2010 | |
| City of Albert Lea Animal Shelter Collaboration (IBC) | The City of Albert Lea and a nonprofit organization, the Freeborn County Humane Society, agreed in 2009 on a thirty-year lease to operate the city’s animal shelter at nominal cost. The Humane Society also received a large donation from an anonymous donor which will allow the expansion of the facility, giving the animals a long-term home. |
| Cities of Annandale, Maple Lake and Howard Lake Annandale-Maple Lake-Howard Lake Wastewater Facility (COL) | The cities of Annandale, Maple Lake and Howard Lake began planning for a new wastewater treatment facility in 2002. All three communities faced similar problems: existing facilities were outdated, landlocked and incapable of achieving stringent new effluent limits. Bolton & Menk, Inc. collaborated with the cities to determine that it was practical and cost-efficient for the three cities to share a single facility. In addition to the intricacies of designing a system to tie all three municipalities together, Bolton & Menk spearheaded a project management odyssey that wound through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a series of spirited community meetings, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and the Minnesota Supreme Court. The new facility began operation in September 2009. |
| City of Eagan Eagan Television (E-TV) Partnership with Thomson Reuters Corporation (COL) | In 2009, the City of Eagan teamed up with Thomson Reuters Corporation to create a public-private television studio partnership, which resulted in the newly formed Eagan Television (E-TV). The partnership solved the dire financial situation of the former community television facility and resulted in a production studio located on the Thomson Reuters campus. The studio is utilized by Thomson for executive communications to its offices around the world and utilized by the City of Eagan for community television needs. The partnership has resulted in over $100,000 in savings that have been allocated to improved community television services. |
| City of Minnetonka Development of Opus Overlay District (COL) | The city of Minnetonka created a unique funding structure based on traffic counts generated by new commercial development to finance a $20 million capital expansion of a state highway interchange into a city business park using multiple public and private resources. The new financing mechanism is based on the concepts that businesses should fairly pay their own costs for public road transportation, while still recognizing that each business has an individual bearing and should not subsidize other businesses, and balancing both the public and private benefit of better roads. |
LGIA County Winners 2009-2010 | |
| Chisago County, Department of Environmental Services/Zoning Chisago County Unwanted Medications Disposal Program (COL) | Chisago County recognized the need for a safe and secure method for citizens to dispose of unwanted prescription, over-the-counter, and veterinary drugs. A partnership was formed between the Chisago County Department of Environmental Services/Zoning, the Sherriff’s Department and the North Branch Police Department to provide drop boxes for drug disposal. These medications are then safely and securely transported to an incinerator, where they are rendered harmless, meeting all federal standards for disposal. |
| Dodge-Fillmore-Olmstead Community Corrections Crossroads/Odyssey/Journey (COL) | Crossroads, Odyssey and Journey are stimulant-specific offender substance abuse treatment programs developed in response to the “meth epidemic” in 2003. It includes multi-disciplinary collaboration among several public, nonprofit and private organizations in the delivery of programming which incorporates all of the 13 “Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations” as published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Thus far, several hundred male and female offenders have been served, with some amazing success stories and changed lives. |
| Hennepin County Human Service and Public Health Department Hennepin County School Mental Health Program (COL) | The Hennepin County School Mental Health Program is a broad public-private collaboration committed to improving service delivery in children’s mental health. The School Mental Health Program has focused on several key service delivery components: improved access to services, improved effectiveness of mental health treatments, improved outcomes reporting system, collaborative financing, and development of a long-term sustainability strategy with state-wide implications that braids enhanced health insurance reimbursement with county, state, and school district financial support. |
| Dakota County Electronic Certificate of Real Estate Value Project (eCRV) (COL) | The eCRV (Electronic Certificate of Real Estate Value) project is a collaborative effort between the MN Department of Revenue, Dakota County, Hennepin County and real estate title companies for the development of an electronic version of the CRV form required for property transfers. Dakota County is currently accepting electronic CRVs from all submitters. The primary goals of the project were to eliminate duplicate data entry, reduce processing time, reduce errors, and allow for electronic recording of additional types of real estate documents. |
LGIA School District Winners 2009-2010 | |
| Bloomington Public Schools Budgeting for Success (IBC) | Faced with a statewide fiscal crisis, Bloomington Public Schools developed a long-range financial planning process called Budgeting for Success. This year-long process sought staff, parent and community input on how to ensure a sound financial future for the schools. Over 600 ideas were submitted and reviewed by a staff and citizens committee who vetted submissions to determine their feasibility and impact on students, staff, classrooms, the district and community. The process culminated in the creation of a “blueprint” of budget recommendations for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, amounting to a savings of $1.8 million for the 2009-10 school year and $1.2 million in savings earmarked for 2010-11 school year. |
| South Washington County Schools East Ridge High School / Bielenberg Sports Center (COL) | South Washington County Schools partnered with the City of Woodbury to provide residents with a facility to promote the health and well-being of the entire community while also providing an educational facility for high school students. Both entities continue partnership efforts through shared use and maintenance agreements that provide equitable distribution of both one-time and on-going expenses that optimize resources and minimize the need to provide duplicated staff and equipment costs. The finished project demonstrates how a governmental partnership can lead to synergies that provide great efficiencies and long-term benefits to the public. |
| White Bear Lake Area Schools Innovative Partnership between White Bear Lake Area Schools and White Bear Center for the Arts (COL) | Before the 2008-09 school year, the White Bear Center for the Arts approached the School District and inquired about a partnership that would give elementary age students an opportunity to receive art lessons taught by a professional artist. Now in its second year, each of the 3,700 White Bear Lake Elementary School K-5 students receives three watercolor lessons throughout the year that are taught by a professional artist. This partnership yields opportunities that would not have been possible or economically feasible for the district without a partnership. |
Award Key:
IBC – Innovative Budget Cuts
COL – Collaboration
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