ABOVE: Sentencing to Serve (STS) crew leaders, from left, Kyle Redenius and Tom Hennis, and Faribualt County crew leader Jason Casias at Prairieland Solid Waste in Truman.

FAIRMONT– Sentencing to Serve (STS) is a sentencing alternative for courts that allows eligible people to pay off fines and fees while working on community projects. As it stands, the program may not be funded by the state anymore after June of this year with counties facing the decision of whether or not to keep their local programs going.

At last week’s Martin County Board of Commissioners meeting, Holly VanPelt, a Department of Corrections (DOC) Supervisor, said that counties, including Martin County and Faribault County, stand to lose 25 percent of their funding for STS.

“STS is not likely to be included in our Department of Corrections budget,” VanPelt said. “Currently DOC has been a long time partner with the county and the STS program. You all fund 75 percent and we have been funding 25 percent. Several years prior it was a 50-50 split.”

Now the 25 percent funding will likely be dropped. VanPelt encouraged the board to consider taking on the program exclusively as a county program, rather than as a partnership program with the DOC.

The total cost to the county to run the program is about $219,611. The total additional amount the county would need to pick up annually equals $55,000.

Martin County STS has two experienced crew leaders, Kyle Redenius and Tom Hennis, and Faribault County has one, Jason Casias. The two counties partner together on join powers agreements such as Praireland Waste Management, Human Services and Prairie Transit.

VanPelt said that having two crew leaders like Martin County has is unique, but that it allows for a crew seven days a week so that more projects can get done.

“They can team up together and share tools. It’s very unique but I think it’s definitely utilized in this community,” she said.

Hennis said that this is not the first time the state has had a conversation about cutting the program. However, he did say that the conversation feels more aggressive this time.

“Every two years you’re looking at having the rug yanked out from underneath you. This time is different in the fact that they came right out and said ‘we’re cutting it,'” Hennis said.

In their off time Hennis said they spend a lot of time in conversation with legislators trying to get amendments passed so that people can see the value of the program.

“We enjoy the work that we do and it needs to be done. I feel like I make a difference and that means something to me,” Hennis said.

Speaking more to the value of STS, he said, “What’s really the biggest motivator for me is the changes you make in people’s lives that you get to see. It’s tangible. You get to see the skills you’re helping them learn.”

He said for some people, it’s beneficial for them to have a job that they need to get up for in the morning.

Redenius expanded on that and said, “They start at 7 and they end at 3. It’s like a job so when they get out of jail they’re used to getting up and going to work.”

He said he enjoys helping those come through the program learn life skills. Hennis agreed that it’s not all work, but conversation is a big piece of it, too.

“We’re helping them work through all kind of things they run into in their daily lives that they struggle with. We help them out by giving them ideas or resources,” Hennis said.

Those in the program also have the opportunity to meet many government officials and city staff members as they assist with a lot municipal projects.

Some of the annual projects the crews help with include putting in the Martin County Sheriff’s dock in the water each spring and taking it out each fall. They wash the boat as well as the buoys and wash and detail the county vehicles.

STS crews also maintain the Martin County Veterans Memorial by mowing and weeding it and cleaning up leaves.

Casias said they help set up community pools, too, including in Wells and Bricelyn in Faribault County and Truman in Martin County.

“Those are huge projects and those cities maybe have one or maybe three city employees. For them to do the work with one guy would take forever so it helps when we can come in,” Casias said.

The crews also regularly help with household hazardous waste collection at Praireland in Truman.

In the past, crews have also helped with cleanup after natural disasters including storms and tornados.

“We help cut and move trees so emergency vehicles can get through,” Hennis said.

Last summer they put out sandbags during the flooding that occurred.

Another big event STS crews help with each year are the county fairs.

“All of the booths in the fair buildings, we set them up,” said Redenius. “We set them up and we tear them down.”

While not all of the work is fun, it’s manageable. Hennis said he has never assigned someone a task that he would’t do himself. The crew leaders work right alongside those in the program.

“People see it for the opportunity that it is,” Hennis said. “It’s an opportunity to help them understand the decisions and actions have ramifications. There’s consequences for what you do and here’s what it will be.”

The crew leaders no doubt have seen the benefits of the program first-hand, but they’re not the only ones.

At the April 15 meeting, Commissioner Billeye Rabbe, who was the former Director of Prairieland, said she has witnessed the benefits of the program and said Kyle and Tom are great mentors who provide structure and understanding from a community standpoint.

“It is a good program and I personally want to see it continue. What it looks like at the county level, we have to figure that out,” Rabbe said.

At the end of its meeting on April 15, the Martin County Board of Commissioners approved establishing an exploratory committee to look at what needs to be done to fund the STS program.

Representative Bjorn Olson at a town hall meeting that also took place on April 15, addressed the cuts to the STS program.

He acknowledged that the state has been paying for 25 percent of the program while local counties pick up the rest. He said that funding the state’s portion of STS equates to about $1.8 million out of a $72 billion budget last year.

Senator Rich Draheim said he is a big fan of the STS program and believes the state should try to find the money to fund it.

“It helps people that have made a mistake and gives them the chance to come out and be a productive member of society. That’s what we should all strive for,” Draheim said.

Hennis said there is still the possibility of pulling some of the funding back, but that funding through any amendments or public safety finance committee bills has to specifically state that it’s for the STS program only.

“If something goes through but doesn’t say it’s for STS, the money could be used for whatever,” added Redenius.

While the three crew leaders admitted they’re worried about not only their jobs but the future of the program, they’re still putting in the work and are thankful for those who see its value.

“We get a lot of support from the community and we do hear people who are thankful for us and those are the ones who are willing to get a hold of their legislators and tell them that this is a needed program,” Hennis said.