On Monday, March 28, 2022, with a crowd of more than 100 attendees at the Branding Iron in Preston, Minn., the (PACF) Preston Area Community Foundation celebrated 25 years of making a difference in the county seat. The evening started out with casual conversations, bids on the silent auction items, and then a first class dinner was served for a first class event. PACF … [Read more...]
Rushford Village approves insurance option
In January, Rushford Village received a report following the League of Minnesota Cities’ appraisal of all city property. Upon review, there were wide discrepancies in valuations between the league’s and the city’s estimations. The city’s insurance agent, Butch Johnson Insurance, began checking into whether or not errors were made on the figures. At the March council meeting, … [Read more...]
Unemployment falls to lowest level in 20+ years as more people return to work Minnesota gained 5,200 jobs in February as labor force participation rises again
Minnesota’s unemployment rate ticked down two tenths of percentage point to 2.7% in February, according to numbers released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). That’s the lowest unemployment rate in the state since 1999. The decline in Minnesota’s unemployment rate was entirely due to people moving from unemployment to employment, as … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Jail process moves forward
At the county board’s April 5 meeting, a pre-design contract with BKV Group, for the county jail, was unanimously approved. After some clarifications and a few changes, the board took another step forward. Bruce Schwartzman, BKV Group, had met with engineers and some county staff last week to take a critical look at the existing jail building. They determined it can definitely … [Read more...]
Fountain gets property tax update
Fillmore County Assessor Jason McCaslin was present at the April 6 Fountain Council meeting to discuss changes to the city’s tax values. Like many other municipalities in the county, Fountain will see an increase to its building values, largely driven by the spike in housing market sales. The county is required by state statute to value property every year and conduct an … [Read more...]
Rushford approves private bond placement for Highway 30 project
At the March 28 meeting, the Rushford City Council received an update from financial consultant Mike Bubany, of David Drown Associates, regarding the bond for the rapidly upcoming Highway 30 project. The street and utility project is being coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and is set to kick off as early as late April. Being a state-run project, … [Read more...]
Chatfield Charter Commission recommendation for city administrator fails
At the March 28 meeting of the Chatfield City Council, councilors voted on the second consideration of two ordinances recommended by the Charter Commission. In order for the recommended amendments to become part of the city’s charter, there must be a unanimous vote on the second consideration. Ordinance 458-Elimination of the position of Health Officer was approved with a … [Read more...]
Bernard selected as first choice for R-P superintendent
After interviewing the six finalists for R-P Superintendent, the R-P School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to offer the superintendent position to Benjamin Bernard. Since they were aware that Bernard was also a finalist for a position at a nearby school, the board also selected Craig Ihrke as their choice in the event that Bernard turned down the offer. Teacher … [Read more...]
Caledonia switching to garbage and recycling totes
The Caledonia City Council met in regular session Monday, March 28, from 6-7:44 p.m. at city hall. Mayor DeWayne “Tank” Schroeder led the council and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members in attendance included Robert “Bob” Klug, Amanda Ninneman, Mayor DeWayne “Tank” Schroeder, David Fitzpatrick, and Brad Rykhus. Also present were Houston County … [Read more...]
Minnesota weekly gas price update
March 21, 2022 - Average gasoline prices in Minnesota have fallen 4.5¢ per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.91/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 2,856 stations in Minnesota. Prices in Minnesota are 50.2¢ per gallon higher than a month ago and stand $1.15/g higher than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Minnesota was priced at … [Read more...]