Washington County joined other counties in proposing reform on a list of 12 state mandates which counties believe place an undue burden upon local government. Among the list is the shifting of short-term (180 days or less) felony offenders from state prisons to county jails as a way to alleviate a state shortage of prison space. County jails are often ill-suited to handle this kind of serious offender. The list also includes the requirement to publish minutes and other official documents in a local newspaper. Counties advocate publishing this information on the county website instead, noting that such a move would save significant tax dollars while often making the information more accessible to parts of the county not necessarily served by the newspaper of record. The list came as a result of 2005 legislation which set up a system to propose reform of mandates through the State Auditorís website.

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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