The August 4 meeting of the Houston County Board of Commissioners was held in County Board Room 222 in the Historic Courthouse. Commissioners Greg Myhre and Cindy Wright, County Engineer Brian Pogodzinski, and County Coordinator Brent Parker met with 765 transmission line representatives from Dairyland Power Cooperative within the last week and gave their report.
Chairman Myhre called the meeting to order at 9 a.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting agenda was unanimously approved as well as the minutes from the July 28 regular board meeting.
Board members in attendance included District 1 – Cindy Wright, District 2 – Eric Johnson, District 3 – Kurt Zehnder, District 4 – Bob Schuldt, and District 5 – Greg Myhre.
Parker said that it was a fact-finding mission for the Dairyland representatives as they are still in the process of planning the route. They were asking technical questions about future projects in the southern half of Houston County, including questions about the county airport regarding possible expansions, runway shifts, and anything of that nature, explained Parker.
Pogodzinski said that Dairyland had a meeting prior to their meeting and based on both meetings, they are seeing an impact on the airport.
There was also a conversation about either burying the wire underground or high-rise. In Dairyland’s opinion, a high-rise would be better.
County roads and township roads that the line would cross were also part of the discussion. Dairyland said they will leave the roads in the same condition as they are currently in. Before-and-after pictures and video logs will be used to document the conditions of the roads.
Commissioner Wright provided a handout describing the jurisdiction of utility proposals for counties and townships under Minnesota state law. She emphasized that “counties and townships do not have the power to ban utility lines but do have legal authority to regulate how the installation occurs to protect local infrastructure and public safety.”
Pogodzinski shared that Dairyland plans to file its route permit with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) this fall. At that time, an environmental impact statement will be prepared and provided to the county. The PUC will hold public hearings where people can comment. A decision from the PUC is expected in the first quarter of 2028, and Dairyland will be looking to get a road crossing permit from the county in 2029.
Consent Agenda
The board approved the consent agenda, which included the acceptance of a $1,000 donation from both Medica and BlueCross Blue Shield to support the elder day and flu vaccine clinic. The funds will be used for door prizes and refreshments.
The resignation from Tammy Klinski was approved, with thanks for her year and a half of service to the county. The board also reviewed and approved commissioner warrants totaling $378,848.12.
Action Items
Commissioners approved the Certificate of Final Acceptance for the Oakland bridge project, constructed by Minnowa Construction. The original contract was $629,999.99; the work certified totaled $615,234.68, with $6,152.35 retainage due. Pogodzinski confirmed that the project is complete and that Minnowa Construction did a really good job on the project; it turned out really well.”
Pogodzinski presented two airport lease agreements for approval. The board approved the lease for Ryan Kerr with an annual rental fee of $1,800 (prorated to 11 months is $1,650) and one for the Red Barons ($900 for Bay #1N and $1,800 each for Bay #1S and #2N) for a total annual rental fee of $4,500 (prorated to 11 months is $825 and $650 for a total of $4,125). Both agreements were approved.
There were no public closing comments before the board went into closed session at 9:36 a.m. Interim Houston County Attorney Suzanne Bublitz, first read a statement. “We’re going into a closed session to discuss potential pending litigation and different strategies.”
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:41 a.m. following the closed session.
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