At their February 3 regular meeting, the Houston School Board officially approved two buildings’ purchase prices. St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 202 Sheridan Street will be purchased for $200,000. Funding for this purchase will come from the school’s general funds. The school has been granted lease levy authority for the sale of bonds to fund the purchase of the ABLE, Inc. … [Read more...]
Peterson finds savings; looks to welcome sign impact
An opportunity for significant refinance savings could have a big impact on Peterson’s budget. The city council was made aware of the opportunity at the February 9 meeting courtesy of financial consultant, Mike Bubany, of David Drown Associates. “When we issued bonds for County 25, we promised not to prepay or refinance before a certain date. It had a call date of February 1 … [Read more...]
Houston County approves Law Enforcement Labor Services, Inc., Local #237 agreement
The Houston County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, February 1, from 9-9:50 a.m. Commissioners in attendance included Chairman Greg Myhre, Teresa Walter, Bob Burns, Eric Johnson, and Dewey Severson. Chairman Myhre called the meeting to order and led the commissioners and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners approved the meeting agenda with … [Read more...]
Rushford Village tackles personnel goals
At the annual organizational meeting, the Rushford Village council approved the addition of several city and public works goals. Two of these were to write a Personnel Manual and to complete steps for A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction (AWAIR) Program, a part of Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration (MNOSHA) compliance. Adopted to existing safety … [Read more...]
Senate GOP rolls out C.O.P.S. package of bills aimed to recruit people into law enforcement careers
ST. PAUL, MN, February 3, 2022 – Senate Republicans rolled out a $65 million C.O.P.S. Program, which stands for “Creating Opportunities in Public Safety.” The proposals focus on recruitment to address the peace officer shortage affecting the entire state. The six different bills help young people get their degree in law enforcement, provide opportunities for nontraditional … [Read more...]
Fountain follows up annual designations
The Fountain City Council breezed through a two-minute meeting February 2. There were only two items for agenda consideration. The first item was the monthly consent agenda, consisting of last month’s meeting minutes, the treasurer’s report, and approval of monthly bills. All were approved in one motion and with no discussion. Councilor Colleen Fohrenbacher was absent from this … [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...]
Harmony Council considers emergency moratorium on zoning permits
The Harmony City Council held a special meeting on January 27 to discuss a recommendation from the Harmony EDA. The meeting was well attended by residents of Harmony. At the January 20 EDA meeting, the board discussed the possibility of an amended ordinance regarding a conditional use permit for retail variety stores. They had begun considering the matter in the fall of 2021, … [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...]