At the January 27 meeting of the Chatfield City Council approval was given to explore the possible sale of the Groen Park Bridge. Councilor Mike Urban was absent. Councilor Josh Broadwater, reporting for the Park & Recreation Committee, encouraged the council to authorize the exploration of the sale of the bridge. In 2022 the city received a matching grant in the amount … [Read more...]

At the January 21 meeting of the city council, some projects listed on the 2025 Capital Improvement Plan were discussed. Driveways at the Crown Hill Cemetery need improvements. Options discussed included paving of only the entrance estimated to cost $45,000, paving of all paved driveways estimated to cost $115,000, converting to gravel surface costing over $8,000 for the … [Read more...]

At the January 14 Fillmore County board meeting Nicole Lehman, DNR Area Hydrologist, explained the reasoning for the suggested language changes. The proposed amendments are centered around a change from “NE” (natural environment) to “Forested.” Lehman’s area includes Fillmore, Houston and Olmsted Counties. Fillmore County has nearly 500 miles of trout streams, which is about … [Read more...]

The Chatfield City Council met for the first time in 2025 on January 13. Councilor Paul Novotny was absent. Re-elected councilors Pam Bluhm, Josh Broadwater and David Frank repeated the oath of office, as did Mayor John McBroom. Councilor Frank was elected to serve as vice mayor. McBroom said he was honored to again serve as the city’s mayor and was looking forward to … [Read more...]

The County Board met for the first time in 2025 on January 7. Auditor/Treasurer Heather Broadwater led the newly reelected commissioners in their oath of office. Mitch Lentz, district 1, Larry Hindt, district 3, and Marc Prestby, district 5 repeated the oath of office. Prestby was elected board chair and commissioner Randy Dahl was elected vice-chair for 2025. County … [Read more...]

The Preston City Council met for their first meeting of 2025 on January 6. Three newly reelected councilmen, Dean Aug, Steve Hall, and Mayor Kurt Reicks repeated the oath of office for newly elected officials. City Administrator Ryan Throckmorton led a discussion on the possible purchase of the Harmony Ag site. A discussion with Harmony Ag has been ongoing about a possible … [Read more...]

Rep. Greg Davids and Sen. Jeremy Miller listened to the county’s legislative priorities for the upcoming legislative session at the December 17 county board meeting. The top priorities for District 9 were a bonding bill, tax relief, modernization of Human Services system, and Mental Health (public safety), Mental Health (public health and human services). Department heads … [Read more...]

At the December 17 Planning Commission, recommendations from the DNR to change classifications in the county’s shoreland ordinance were discussed. The DNR is proposing the shoreland ordinance be changed. The shoreland classification of trout streams are to be changed from “Natural Environment” to “Forested” to be consistent with the DNR classification system. The DNR has … [Read more...]

Sheila Craig, Preston Historical Society, updated the Preston City Council at their December 16 meeting, the last meeting of 2024. Craig explained she was asked to give a fundraising update to the council every three months. This is her second report; she announced that they have raised $289,965; with the inclusion of active pledges the fund will have exceeded $300,000. The … [Read more...]

City Administrator Michele Peterson presented Truth in Taxation information during a hearing at the city council’s December 9 meeting. Peterson listed guiding principles which include maintaining a steady, predictable tax rate at around 90% which has been achieved. Another goal is to reduce the city’s debt per capita to $3,500 or less (currently at $3,738). The city’s budget … [Read more...]