A number of items pertaining to roads and zoning were up for discussion at the Tuesday, October 1 Rushford Village meeting. While no formal decision was made at this time, a decision will need to made on most relatively soon. Of particular interest was an item brought to the table by Mayor Gordon Johnson. The bridge crossing at Aspen Road has been noted by county inspections … [Read more...]
Fraud investigator annual report
Nathan Barker, Fraud Prevention Investigator for a five county region, updated the Fillmore County Board on dollars saved due to fraud prevention efforts, regarding public assistance programs. Commissioner Randy Dahl was absent. Barker is the fraud investigator for Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Wabasha, and Winona Counties. He noted 10 cases were referred to him from Fillmore … [Read more...]
Fountain weighs city engineer proposals, concert events
While initially indicating it was unlikely a decision would be made that night, the City of Fountain approved the hiring of engineering firm Widseth Smith Nolting at the Wednesday, October 2 meeting. Engineering firm WSB & Associates is currently working with the city, particularly on zoning projects, the comprehensive plan, and mapping. However, City Clerk Rhonda … [Read more...]
Chatfield School Board tours STEM shop
At the October 2, 2019, Chatfield School Board meeting, all board members were present except Lanny Isensee and Scott Backer. Also present were Superintendent Ed Harris, Community Education Director LuAnn Kleven, Principals Shane McBroom and Randy Paulson, and student senate representatives Isaac Rain and Isaac Erding. Superintendent Harris gave an update on a few projects … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central Superintendent Richard Keith announces retirement
A resignation from Superintendent Richard Keith effective June 30, 2020, was approved at the September 24 Fillmore Central School Board meeting. “I want to thank Dick for everything he’s helped us with,” school board member Ross Kiehne said. “But it’s not over yet, you gotta help us until June,” he added, laughing. Principal Heath Olstad reported that the enrollment numbers … [Read more...]
Preston addresses housing issues and declining population
For the last 20 years, the population of Preston has been declining. In 2000, it stood at 1,429 residents, but it has been declining at the rate of approximately 100 people a decade. On September 20, a housing summit was held in Preston to discuss housing issues and future plans for the City of Preston. Tickets for the event were sold out, with 75 people attending as guests. … [Read more...]
Chatfield adopts preliminary 2020 levy and budget
After a long discussion detailing the many demands on the budget that have to be addressed, the Chatfield City Council unanimously approved an 8.47% increase in the levy, an actual increase of $172,152. A letter was sent to the council, signed by 26 residents insisting that any increase over 2.5% was unacceptable. Mayor Russ Smith said he understood the sentiment behind the … [Read more...]
Rushford City Council fights against youth tobacco use with new ordinance
Many topics were discussed at the Rushford City Council meeting on September 23. There were three main topics of discussion; the review of the 2019 Municipal Improvement Project, letter review of the new FEMA flood plain maps for citizens that may be impacted, and looking at the purposed ordinance for the sale of tobacco products and to separate use of tobacco products. For … [Read more...]
Spring Valley sidewalk and junk complaints
The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session on September 23. Mayor Archer was absent, so Mike Hadland led the meeting. Other members in attendance included Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, John Dols, and City Administrator Deb Zimmer. Bryan Owens was present, and the council discussed the issue of negotiating an easement regarding his property at 412 West High … [Read more...]
County sets preliminary levy
At the September 24 meeting of the Fillmore County Board, County Coordinator Bobbie Vickerman reviewed 2020 budget and levy numbers. The county recorder and the auditor/treasurer had included in their budgets funding for one full-time position in each department. The final levy numbers did not include funding for either of these full-time positions. It did, however, include … [Read more...]