At a special meeting of the Chatfield City Council on July 21, councilors denied the request from Western Days, Inc. to hold Western Days activities in City Park, to hold activities that require streets to be closed, and to use city services for related activities. The vote was 3-1, with John McBroom voting no and Pam Bluhm abstaining. Events like some Saddle Club events and … [Read more...]
Preston 2021 street and utility project to proceed
At the July 20 Preston City Council meeting, the council voted for a second time to adopt the resolution Ordering Improvement and Preparation of Plans for 2021 Street and Utility Improvements. The first vote failed. This time, the project estimated to cost a little less than $4 million was ordered to proceed with a unanimous vote. A public hearing on the proposed project was … [Read more...]
Western Days controversy
Western Days, Inc. has planned a limited celebration of Chatfield Western Days due to the pandemic. Councilors struggled between caution and the desire for some normalcy while discussing at length the annual celebration at their July 13 city council meeting. Twenty-four emails were sent to the city of Chatfield from residents; most asked that the celebration not be held this … [Read more...]
Fillmore County begins 2021 budget process
Over the next couple of months Fillmore County department heads will come before the board with their proposed budgets for 2021. This process began at the board’s July 14 meeting with the finance department. Finance Director Lori Affeldt presented the relatively new department’s budget for the first time. There are two staff members in this department. Early budget estimates … [Read more...]
County gathers COVID related invoices
At the July 7 Fillmore County Board meeting, Administrator Bobbie Hillery reported that Fillmore County received over $2.5 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF). The federal funds totaling $841 million have been distributed by the state to counties, cities, and townships to cover expenses incurred due to the pandemic. This is a portion of the state’s allocation which was … [Read more...]
Preston’s 2021 Street and Utility Improvement Project unresolved
The Preston City Council met July 6 in person in the apparatus bay of the fire hall to accommodate social distancing guidelines. About 20 residents attended to participate in a public hearing concerning the 2021 Street and Utility Project. Owners of over 100 properties could be affected by the proposed improvements. The public hearing portion of the meeting was streamed over … [Read more...]
2019, a good year for Chatfield Center for the Arts
Carla Gallina, President, and Michael Martin, Vice-President of the board of directors presented the Center for the Arts annual report at the city council’s June 22 meeting. Gallina said the board has adopted a new mission and vision statement in an effort to identify who they are. Their mission is, “to serve as a regional hub for advancement of the arts...” and their vision … [Read more...]
Approval recommended for MiEnergy telecommunications tower
The Fillmore County Planning Commission met via WebEx for their June 19 meeting. A public hearing was held on a MiEnergy application for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a telecommunications tower. At the May 21 meeting of the Board of Adjustment, variances for setbacks from the property line and the road were approved for the construction of this tower. The variances were … [Read more...]
2020 voting options discussed
During the April 23 Fillmore County Board meeting, Auditor/Treasurer Heidi Jones explained there have been many questions from citizens concerning voting in the upcoming 2020 primary and general elections. Jones said she has received over 300 applications for absentee ballots. Application for an absentee ballot can be accepted online. Also, everything will be in place for … [Read more...]
Board of Appeal and Equalization
Fillmore County’s five commissioners and Auditor/Treasurer Heidi Jones were sworn in as the County Board of Appeal and Equalization convened on June 23. County Assessor Jason McCaslin explained the purpose of this board is to provide a fair and objective forum to ensure equalization of assessment. Market values may be increased or decreased or property may be reclassified. … [Read more...]