The county’s allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is estimated to be about $4 million. At the July 13 board meeting County Administrator Bobbie Hillery reported that the first half of that funding has been received. The second half is expected to be received next year. The board reviewed a document prepared by the National Association of Counties (NACo) … [Read more...]
Groundbreaking event planned August 19 for veterans home
During a July 13 gathering at the Preston Servicemen’s Club, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) officials, the project planner and construction manager updated a group of veterans and local officials on project plans and the timeline for construction of the State Veterans Home. The hour on August 19 for the ground breaking event is yet to be determined. The … [Read more...]
Chatfield invites interested residents to apply for council seat
At the July 13 Chatfield City Council meeting the process to appoint an interested resident to fill the city council vacancy was discussed. The vacancy was created with the resignation of John McBroom. Three options were considered: to advertise for interested residents that would like to contribute, to recruit a former councilor or mayor, or to review active people in the … [Read more...]
Preston hires full-time EMT
Ambulance Director Ryan Throckmorton reported at the Preston City Council’s June 6 meeting that two applicants had been interviewed for the full- time EMT position. The council had approved the creation of a full-time EMT position at their June 7 meeting. Throckmorton at that time made it clear that the EMS structure currently in place is not sustainable. Staffing with … [Read more...]
Fillmore County moves forward with process to appoint county recorder
At the Fillmore County Board’s July 6 meeting, a letter from county recorder David Kiehne to the board of commissions was referenced, stating his intent to retire at the end of his current term, December 31, 2022. Kiehne suggested hiring a full- time person by the fall of 2021 to begin the process of training his replacement. He plans to include a new full-time lead account … [Read more...]
Vacant Chatfield council seat
At the June 28 city council meeting, Chatfield councilor John McBroom announced his resignation. Councilor Paul Novotny was absent. McBroom, who was serving a second term on the council, explained that a lot of things come up which we have no control over. “Just can’t do it anymore; I am missing some of the grandkids’ events, you just can’t get that back,” he said. Mayor … [Read more...]
Fillmore County variance applications considered
The Fillmore County Board of Adjustment held public hearings on three variance applications in the Ag District at its June 17 meeting. The county’s zoning ordinance details what is permissible in the Ag District in section 604. Doug Lind, section 15 Norway Township, requested a 30-foot variance from the distance required for the construction of a structure from the … [Read more...]
Fillmore County hears appeals on property valuations
County Assessor Jason McCaslin reported at the Board of Appeal and Equalization public hearing that his office has received about 100 appeals from property owners through the local board or open book appeal process. He expects there will be a lot of appeals until compliance and equalization are back on track. McCaslin stressed that an equalization across jurisdictions is … [Read more...]
Commissioners spar over future Human Resources position
Human Resources Officer Kristina Kohn asked the Fillmore County board to consider her own resignation at the board’s June 22 meeting. Kohn has been with the county for 10 years. Her resignation was accepted with sincere thanks, effective July 16. She gave four weeks notice. Kohn made a statement thanking the employees for the exemplary work they have done; she told the … [Read more...]
Preston increases part-time police pay rate
At the June 21 city council meeting, Police Chief Blaise Sass reported on the continuing challenges he faces when trying to fill needed part-time shifts in the police department’s schedule. The current part-time police officer wage was set in 2016 at $17 per hour. This is substantially below the average part-time wage of similar size departments in the area, which is about … [Read more...]