At the January 12, 2022, school board meeting, Katie Priebe, Matt McMahon, Tom Keefe, and Lanny Isensee were present as well as principals Shane McBroom, Eric Nelson, Superintendent Ed Harris, and Trista O’Connor, business manager and Lorri Lowery, administrative assistant. Josh Thompson joined remotely through Zoom and Jill Harstad was absent. Jeff Seeley, of Ehlers, a public … [Read more...]
Your fair share of property taxes; no more no less
The local services we depend on every day are paid for in large part by property taxes. How is your share determined? The county assessor estimates the market value or what the property may sell for in today’s market for each taxable property. Then it is assigned a class according to its use. Minnesota has the distinction of having over 60 classes of property, by far the most … [Read more...]
Fillmore County discusses OSHA requirement
At the January 11 meeting of the Fillmore County Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard was discussed. The emergency standard applies to employers with over 100 employees. The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to make a decision whether to uphold or strike down the emergency standard which requires COVID vaccination or weekly … [Read more...]
Hecimovich to retire from Kingsland
Kingsland School Board held a work session meeting on January 3. New board member Cindy Seabright was welcomed onto the board, and took the ceremonial oath of office. Superintendent (and grades 7-12 principal) Jim Hecimovich has submitted his letter of retirement. His leter stated, in part, “I am announcing my forthcoming retirement from Kingsland Public Schools after … [Read more...]
Ostrander looks to clean up the city
All members of the Ostrander City Council were in attendance on January 4 for the regular council meeting. The council heard from two citizens who recently received letters from the city due to their violations of the city’s “nuisance” ordinances. Andrew Vreeman asked, “I guess I’ll starting by just asking for specifics on what I’m in violation of?” City Clerk Wendy Brincks … [Read more...]
Fillmore County legislative priorities
County Administrator Bobbie Hillery called the January 4 annual meeting to order. The first order of business was the election of officers for 2022. Mitch Lentz was elected board chair and Larry Hindt was elected board vice chair. Department heads clarified their legislative priorities to Senator Jeremy Miller and Representative Greg Davids. Many priorities listed for the 2022 … [Read more...]
Greg Myhre new Houston County Commission Chairman
Houston County Commissioners elected District 5 Commissioner Greg Myhre as the board’s 2022 chairman. District 1 Commissioner Dewey Severson is the new vice-chair. The Caledonia Argus is the county’s official newspaper for 2022. The rates range from $7-$9 per column inch, the same as last year. Commissioners unanimously approved the $185,977 one-year contract with … [Read more...]
Preston updates fee schedule
The Preston City Council attended to annual business items at their first meeting in the new year on January 3. Councilman Dean Aug was absent. Changes to the city’s fee schedule originally adopted in 2011 were approved. City Administrator Joe Hoffman said fees were discussed with department heads to get their input for recommended changes. Changes were minor and included the … [Read more...]
Lanesboro council discusses recent Market and Calibration Study
Mark Goldberg from David Drown Associates was present via Zoom at the January 3 Lanesboro City Council meeting to discuss the recent Market and Calibration Study. The study evaluated each of the city positions for the type of duties required, any risk factors involved, and types of education or experience needed in order to determine the best pay rate for each one based on the … [Read more...]
Kingsland sets levy, increases sub wages
Kingsland School Board held a regular meeting on December 20. Immediately prior to the regular meeting, the board held their annual Truth in Taxation hearing. Business Manager Amber Herbrand stated that revenue formulas for schools are set by the State Legislature, except for voter approved referendums. She also gave a summary of the school’s proposed final levy, and a … [Read more...]