Photo by Charlene Corson Selbee
Houston County commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, July 5, at 9 a.m. at the historic county courthouse in downtown Caledonia.
Myhre led commissioners and the public in the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners approved the July 5 meeting agenda and the June 28 regular board meeting minutes.
Commissioners include Chairman Greg Myhre, Teresa Walter, Robert (Bob) Burns, Eric Johnson, and Dewey Severson.
Environmental Services Director Martin Herrick presented the updated contract with TKDA, a community planning firm based in Saint Paul, for approval. The final changes to the agreement included mapping and additional public meetings. County Attorney Sam Jandt and HR/Facilities Manager Tess Kruger reviewed the contract.
The Comprehensive Land Use Plan provides “a clear direction for future land use decisions and county services for the next 10 years and beyond.” In addition, the agreement lists six values that will guide the process:
• Comprehensive support for the agricultural community.
• Support for sound environmental practices that protect natural resources.
• Recognition of the presence of valuable aggregate resources.
• Affirmation of the need to grow, retain, and diversify the County’s economy.
• Recognition of the need to construct and maintain infrastructure which will foster economic growth.
• A commitment to citizen engagement in public processes.
“The schedule is being set up and there will opportunities for the public to provide input on the comprehensive land use plan update. We certainly welcome the input, and it will be used to develop the updates for the plan,” shared Herrick after the meeting. “The total cost of the contract is $75,000.”
Other business
The board approved Public Health and Human Services Case Aide Melissa Jordan’s assignment to the position of eligibility worker, B24, Step 1, effective July 18. Kruger is authorized to conduct a comprehensive search to replace Jordan as Case Aide.
Houston County Engineer Brian Pogodzinski’s request to approve change order number 40 from Wieser Brothers was approved by the board. The change order allows the landscaping allowance materials to be moved to the tax-exempt project resulting in a net zero change.
The commission approved Finance Director Carol Lapham’s request to transfer funds from the highway funds to the capital projects funds. The transfer eliminates negative cash balances in the five months from December 31, 2021 to May 31, 2022. Lapham noted that a blanket order to approve the transfer was not submitted to the commissioners for approval at the beginning of the year as had been done in previous years.
The Brownsville VFW donated $150 to Houston County Veteran Services for any veteran’s needs.
The evaluation of department heads continues. Department heads submit a self-evaluation to commissioners before the meeting, guiding the conversation. Commissioners met with County Assessor Luke Onstad and Veteran’s Service Director Robert Thoen.
Next meeting
The next regularly scheduled Houston County Commission meeting is Tuesday, July 12, at 9 a.m. in the County Commission Board Room 222, located on the second floor in the Historic County Courthouse, Caledonia, or via the county conference call line (312) 626-6700 enter ID: 994-7297-7175 and password 368422. Public attendees are requested to mute their line until addressed.
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