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...]

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...]

At the June 14 Chatfield City Council meeting a resolution was approved petitioning MnDot to conduct a speed study on Minnesota state highway 74 where it intersects with Winona St. (Fillmore County Rd. 5). Councilor John McBroom was absent.    Along with the speed study, the resolution requests an analysis to determine the feasibility of installing a pedestrian crosswalk … [Read more...]

At the June 8 Fillmore County Board meeting, the schedule for the 2022 budgeting process was set. County Administrator Bobbie Hillery said she will start meeting with department heads this day. She noted that the consumer price index was up 4.2% from April 2020 to April 2021. From January 2020 (pre-pandemic) to April 2021, consumer prices increased 3.5%. The board … [Read more...]

At the Preston City Council’s June 7 meeting, ambulance director Ryan Throckmorton and City Administrator Joe Hoffman detailed the growing challenges the ambulance service faces to provide 24/7 service with a volunteer staff. It was decided after much discussion to pursue a process to create a full time EMS support position. Throckmorton made it clear that the EMS structure … [Read more...]

Dr. R. Ross Reichard, M.D. reviewed statistics related to 2020 Fillmore County medical examination services at the Fillmore County Board’s June 1 meeting. The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office provides services for eight counties, including Fillmore. The number of deaths reported to the medical examiner in Fillmore County were 134. Sixty-eight percent of … [Read more...]

At the May 17 meeting of the Preston City Council, Mike Bubany, David Drown & Associates, reported that three bids were submitted for for the issuance of revenue bonds to finance the 2021 Street and Utility Improvement projects. Standard & Poors issued an AA- stable bond rating for the city before the competitive sale. The low bid was submitted by Northland … [Read more...]

The Preston City Council held its first regular in-person meeting in about a year. Councilman David Collett was absent. City Administrator Joe Hoffman reported that Planning and Zoning held a public hearing on the application submitted by Mark Welch for a new subdivision at their April 28 meeting. P & Z recommended approval of the preliminary plat once a number of items … [Read more...]

The revised Fillmore County Airport project bid was approved at the county board’s May 4 meeting. The only bid from Everstrong Construction had come in at $1,802,002, which was significantly higher than the estimated budget of $1,249,602. The county’s consultant SEH (engineering/planning firm) had not recommended accepting this bid as it was. There were two options; rebid the … [Read more...]

The Chatfield City Council approved the sale of its 2005 Sterling Plow Truck to the city of Wykoff for $28,000 at the council’s April 26 meeting. Councilors Paul Novotny and Mike Urban were absent. Brian Burkholder, Superintendent of City Services, reported the city council approved the purchase of a new Freightliner plow truck last November, which should be delivered in May. … [Read more...]