The Fillmore County Planning Commission held two public hearings to consider conditional use permit applications at their September 24 meeting. Jonathan and Kathryn Schroeder, section 18 Pilot Mound Township, applied for a CUP to build a non-agricultural recreational pond on their property. A CUP is required per ordinance, section 604.03 (18) for non-agricultural ponds. Mark … [Read more...]
Preston certifies 2021 budget/levy
At the September 21 Preston City Council meeting, members unanimously approved a preliminary budget/levy of $1,034,386 for 2021; this represents an increase of $51,347, or 5% over 2020. City Administrator Joe Hoffman explained the majority of the increase is due to funding that is being set aside for bond payments, of which the first one will be due in early 2022 for the 2021 … [Read more...]
Chatfield’s Wastewater Treatment Plant operating efficiently
Steven Schlichter, WWTP superintendent, reported on operational strategies that have achieved higher effluent quality at the Chatfield City Council’s September 14 meeting. Councilor Josh Broadwater was absent. Schlichter noted the consistent success that has been achieved in the removal of phosphorous in 2020, significantly better than in 2018 and 2019. With the change in … [Read more...]
2020 Fillmore County jail inspection
Sheriff John DeGeorge and jail Administrator Jamie Fenske reviewed the 2020 Minnesota Department of Corrections jail inspection report at the Fillmore County Board’s September 8 meeting. The county’s jail facility was reduced to a 90-day facility in 2017. Since then several improvements and upgrades have been made to come into compliance with state requirements. Fenske said … [Read more...]
Preston approves EMS purchases
The Preston City Council approved more ambulance equipment to be purchased with CARES Act funding at their September 9 meeting. The city’s CARES Act distribution totals $100,127. Ambulance Director Ryan Throckmorton noted that the purchase of a Powerload System for the A-rig was approved at the last meeting at a cost of $22,526.55. He requested approval to make additional … [Read more...]
Fillmore County trims 2021 preliminary budget numbers
At their last meeting, the Fillmore County Board directed County Administrator Bobbie Hillery to trim early numbers for the proposed 2021 budget from an increase of 6.53% to an increase of around 3%. The budget proposed this day, September 1, with additional suggested cuts shows a levy increase of 2.94%. Commissioner Mitch Lentz participated via WebEx. The reductions total … [Read more...]
Ordinance amendments and meteorological and communication towers
The Fillmore County Planning Commission held four public hearings at its July 23 meeting. Timberwolf Wind, LLC has applied for a conditional use permit to construct a meteorological tower on property owned by John and Jacqueline Ryan, section 30, Harmony Township. This application is for a tower exactly like the one recently approved to be located in Bristol Township. The … [Read more...]
Fillmore County approves CARES Act Funding for local small business relief
An amount of $500,000 of the county’s CARES Act funding will be available to small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. At the August 25 meeting, the Fillmore County Board of Commissioners gave its approval to release the business grant application form for Economic Development relief grants of up to $10,000 to eligible businesses. The grants are to be used for costs … [Read more...]
Chatfield upgrades telephone system and police radios
Upgrades to some of the city’s communication systems were on the August 24 agenda of the Chatfield City Council. Police Chief Shane Fox noted that the 10-year-old 800 MHz portable radios that officers are using are outdated. Motorola quit manufacturing the current radios in 2017 and ended support for them in 2018. Fox proposed the purchase of five Motorola APX 6000 portables … [Read more...]
Preston prioritizes use of CARES Act Funding
At the August 17 meeting of the Preston City Council, a list of possible uses were discussed for the city’s $100,127 distribution of CARES Act funds. The funds must be expended by November 15. The total amount of possible uses for COVID related expenses exceeded the amount of available funding. City staff compiled a list of possible uses. Ambulance equipment upgrades, … [Read more...]