Freeborn County could save more than $3 million in the next five years under a proposed regional human services redesign.

The figure was presented last week at a meeting in Rochester with officials from each of the 12 counties considering the collaboration.

According to projections, Freeborn County could save about $89,000 the first year, about $543,000 the second year, about $740,000 the third, about $816,000 the fourth and about $897,000 the fifth.

Mower County could save about $1.6 million over the five-year span.

Freeborn County would receive more in savings because it currently has a bigger human services budget than other counties in the region.

Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever said the numbers were calculated based on historical spending on human services in each county, plus poverty rates and tax capacity.

The redesign proposal comes about because of continuous cuts in state and federal funding, which has led to reduced funding in most of the region’s counties. At the same time, more people are turning to county government for help with human services because of the economy and the aging population.

The proposal seeks to streamline services for residents, thanks in large part to increased technology.

Residents would go to one of several human services offices placed around the region to apply for services. Decisions about services would be led by representatives from a rotating number of counties serving on a board of directors.

Kluever said there were about 160 county commissioners and other people in attendance at the meeting, and responses to the proposal were mixed.

“In the room there were people who were advocates of it, there were people who showed some skepticism toward it, and then there were people there just to get the information, said Kluever, who is part of the steering committee that has been researching the redesign.

Each of the 12 counties considering the collaboration has a representative on the committee.

Kluever said across all of the 12 counties there could be potential savings of $30 million in state money in the first five years, plus an additional $30 million in federal savings.

According to a news release, the redesign proposal is the culmination of nearly two years of research.

Kluever said each of the counties considered in the redesign has until May 1 to decide if they want to participate.

Counties that have participated in the development of the model are Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca and Winona.