County Board Joint Workshop with Dakota County on April 28th, 2026

The Scott County Board held a joint workshop with Dakota County on April 28, 2026, focusing on exploring collaborative opportunities to improve efficiency and service delivery across various county functions. Key procurement-related discussions included potential joint contracting and resource sharing in areas such as jail medical services, jail records management systems, emergency response services, and IT help desk support. The counties are considering a joint powers agreement (JPA) model for correctional health medical director services to address staffing shortages and improve consistency, with further research and evaluation planned. Both counties are also exploring shared procurement for jail records management systems and coordinated emergency response call handling to achieve cost savings and operational efficiencies. Additionally, the counties discussed the feasibility of forming a joint health insurance pool to stabilize costs and improve risk management. Solid waste management collaboration was reviewed, including joint regional programs and legislative advocacy for improved funding formulas. The workshop emphasized the importance of continued inter-county collaboration, with county leadership encouraging staff to identify high-value, feasible joint initiatives for future procurement and contracting efforts.