An informative section of the Houston County Commission meetings is the annual presentations which are also a component of the county’s budget process. For example, at the August 23 board meeting, commissioners heard from the Medical Examiner (ME), Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). MnDOT Principal Planner … [Read more...]
Fillmore County board to consider lot width regulation amendment
The Fillmore County Planning Commission held a public hearing on August 18 to discuss a proposed amendment to Section 604.05(5), lot width regulations, of the county’s zoning ordinance. The current regulation requires a minimum width of 150 feet at the front of a buildable lot, plus a provision that the lot shall have either 66 feet of public road frontage or a recorded … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central receives grant to install stop arm cameras on buses
The Fillmore Central School District was recently awarded a grant from the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety to cover the cost of purchasing and installing stop arm cameras on all of its buses. The total amount granted from the Department of Public Safety was $30,486.54. The district wishes to raise public awareness that all of the buses will be equipped with stop arm cameras … [Read more...]
Rushford clears up deferment process
The Rushford City Council took steps at the August 22 meeting to clarify the process for deferred assessment applications. The city’s assessment policies have been in place since the start of reconstruction projects in 2009. Eligibility requirements to gain deferment are in the policy. To date, there have been no applications for an assessment deferral with a city project. … [Read more...]
Caledonia approves ambulance purchase
At the August 22 regular Caledonia City Council meeting, the Council approved Ambulance Director Mike Tornstrom’ s request to move forward on the purchase of a new ambulance to replace Unit 257. Council members in attendance were Mayor DeWayne (Tank) Schroeder, Robert “Bob” Klug, Amanda Ninneman, and David Fitzpatrick. Brad Rykhus was absent. Others in attendance included … [Read more...]
Chatfield’s proposed amendment to the city’s Charter
The Chatfield Charter Commission has recommended that the city’s Charter be amended by ordinance to develop and install the position of City Administrator. A previous recommendation to create a city manager or city administrator position failed to receive unanimous approval of the city council as required. At the city council’s August 22 meeting, the council passed a resolution … [Read more...]
Fillmore County 2023 budgeting
At the Fillmore County Board’s August 23 meeting, commissioners directed County Administrator Bobbie Hillery to look for cost savings to trim the county’s preliminary 2023 budget. Early budget numbers register a possible double digit percent increase in the levy. For several weeks now, each department head has provided preliminary numbers for 2023. This day several budgets … [Read more...]
Spring Grove School participates in CIRD visioning workshops
Superintendent Rachel Udstuen updated the school board on the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) workshops at the board’s regular meeting on August 15. The visioning workshops took place in Spring Grove August 3-5. The workshops are a part of the Spring Grove 2030 initiative to gather community input on the next steps. The visioning workshops are a result of the … [Read more...]
Spring Grove Ambulance Department seeks volunteer EMTs
Recruiting volunteer EMTs in Minnesota face an uphill battle as EMT certification numbers decline. However, at the August 16 city council meeting, member Karen Folstad said she wanted to make her colleagues aware of the situation, emphasizing that she is not saying it will happen in Spring Grove, but the council should be ready for it in case it happens. The Spring Grove … [Read more...]
Minnesota weekly gas price update
August 15, 2022 – Average gasoline prices in Minnesota have fallen 10.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.87/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 2,856 stations in Minnesota. Prices in Minnesota are 66.5 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 83.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has declined 14.8 cents … [Read more...]