At the February 7 meeting of the Preston City Council, Mayor Kurt Reicks announced that City Administrator Joe Hoffman had submitted his resignation, effective February 25. His resignation was accepted. Hoffman has served the city for about 17 years. He has not only been the city administrator, but also general manager for Preston Public Utilities. The Public Utility … [Read more...]
Preston and Lanesboro team up to sustain ambulance service
At a September 2021 Lanesboro City Council meeting, interim Ambulance Director Dan Jaquith declared, “We are on the verge of closing.” There just aren’t enough volunteers. Preston ambulance director Ryan Throckmorton said a conversation between the Preston and Lanesboro Ambulance Services began a few years back. In 2021 they started working together. Both staff and members of … [Read more...]
Fillmore County hears from citizens
During a relatively brief meeting of the Fillmore County Board on February 1, Chairman Mitch Lentz, during committee reports, related that he had attended a workshop on human trafficking in southeast Minnesota. Lentz said he was disappointed and surprised to learn that human trafficking is prevalent in our own backyard. Bonita Underbakke, during the Citizens Input portion of … [Read more...]
County assessor explains residential valuation increases in Chatfield
Fillmore County Assessor Jason McCaslin reported on the assessor’s duties and the expected significant residential valuation increases at the Chatfield City Council’s January 24 meeting. Councilors Paul Novotny and Mike Urban were absent. McCaslin has been the assessor in Fillmore County since April 2020 and before that served in Jackson County. He grew up in Spring Valley and … [Read more...]
COVID grants for health-related purchases
Public Health Director Jessica Erickson requested Fillmore County Board approval for health safety purchases at the board’s January 25 meeting. Erickson explained, because the purchases each cost more than $5,000, she needed state approval for the purchases which she has secured. The board approved the purchase of a freezer ($7,909) and the installation of additional units to … [Read more...]
Rushford hires new deputy clerk
Last March, the Rushford City Council approved the seeking of a deputy clerk/accounting to provide some relief to city staff. The previous deputy clerk retired in 2020 and administrative staff was shifted, but the city never filled the positions fully. Rather than fill a lower-level role, it was decided to implement a deputy clerk/accounting role with a higher level of … [Read more...]
December 15 storm losses
At the January 18 meeting of the Preston City Council City Administrator Joe Hoffman reported the storm of December 15 resulted in an estimated $57,000 in losses. Councilman Dean Aug was absent. Approximately $21,000 of those losses will not be covered by insurance. The city’s losses will not qualify for federal disaster funding but may qualify for state disaster funding. … [Read more...]
State of city/community in Chatfield
Mayor Russ Smith commented on the state of the city and the community at Chatfield’s first council meeting of the new year held on January 9. He listed a number of improvements in the city, including the care center, remodeling of the Center for the Arts, and other development projects, which will improve the quality of life for many residents. There are other issues to be … [Read more...]
Your fair share of property taxes; no more no less
The local services we depend on every day are paid for in large part by property taxes. How is your share determined? The county assessor estimates the market value or what the property may sell for in today’s market for each taxable property. Then it is assigned a class according to its use. Minnesota has the distinction of having over 60 classes of property, by far the most … [Read more...]
Fillmore County discusses OSHA requirement
At the January 11 meeting of the Fillmore County Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard was discussed. The emergency standard applies to employers with over 100 employees. The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to make a decision whether to uphold or strike down the emergency standard which requires COVID vaccination or weekly … [Read more...]