The Ostrander City Council held its regular meeting on February 4 at 6:30 p.m., with all members present. Mayor Stephanie Start presided over the meeting, joined by council members Dan Hellerud, DJ Start, Jimmie Dean and Lyn Massey-Mills. City Clerk Wendy Brincks was also in attendance. One of the first matters on the agenda was an equipment upgrade for the city’s maintenance … [Read more...]
Fountain Investigates Development Possibility
At the February 5 meeting, new Fountain Mayor Ron Reisner, councilors Jordan Kearns, Cory Spratte and Dave Stockton, along with Councilor Tammy Danielson, who joined by phone, discussed the possibility of a housing development at the north end of West Side Lane. The current residential area sits west of Highway 52 and was developed many years prior by Linus Hammel, according … [Read more...]
Village Receives SEMLM Updates
At the February 4 meeting, the Rushford Village Council received a summary of the recent Southeastern Minnesota League of Municipalities meeting held on January 30. City Clerk Mary Miner, who attended the meeting with councilors Mike Ebner and Rick Ruberg, noted a lot of good information, including updates on Emergency Medical Service funding. “That was interesting,” noted … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Council Hears Complaints About Civil Siren
At the opening of the February 3 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Mayor Alicia Pearson asked for input from the rest of the council on the addition of a number of items to the agenda. She recommended that a positive news report, updates on the Highway 250 project, and updates on the search for an EDA director be added as standing agenda items. The rest of the council did not … [Read more...]
Preston Hears Annual Reports
Several department heads looked back at 2024 at the Preston City Council’s February 3 meeting. Councilman Steve Hall was absent. Police Chief Blaise Sass reported that Public Safety Funds paid for equipment purchases made in 2024. He anticipates the purchase of a squad pickup in 2025. There is about $69,000 in the equipment fund at this time. Sass introduced Connor Simon, who … [Read more...]
Fillmore County to Advertise for Assessor
At the February 4 meeting of the county board, the resignation of Kathryn Frette, county assessor, was accepted, effective February 27, after six months of service. The county will advertise for a replacement assessor. Highway County Engineer Ron Gregg asked the board to consider the purchase of a rock grapple attachment for a skid loader. Two quotes were considered; the … [Read more...]
Caledonia City Council Appoints John Rauk to the Council
On January 27, the Caledonia City Council interviewed seven Caledonia residents for the position vacated by Ryan Stenzel. John Rauk was appointed by a roll call vote to fill Stenzel’s seat. Rauk immediately took the Oath of Office administered by City Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson. Mayor Leis called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. All … [Read more...]
Kingsland School Board Hears SMEC Audit Report
On January 22, Dan Armagost and John Mark Dundas, of the Southern Minnesota Education Consortium (SMEC), presented the Kingsland School Board with the fiscal year 2024 audit. SMEC is a multi-purpose cooperative of school districts that work together to provide support for special education students. Currently, there are seven member districts within SMEC including … [Read more...]
RFD Fire Chiefs Visit Rushford Council Meeting
Retiring Fire Chief Chad Rasmussen and the new fire chief, Nick Smith addressed the Rushford City Council at their January 27 regular council meeting. Rasmussen gave a summary of 2024 at the fire department and presented items for approval of the council. He detailed the list of officers, the relief association board, and meetings and trainings planned for 2025. RFD currently … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Board Hears Update on Driftless Hiking Trail
Alex Shapiro, director for the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail, reviewed progress made for the trail at the board’s January 28 meeting. This is a non-profit, private, independently directed effort for a 100-plus mile backpacking trail in southeast Minnesota. The proposed corridor goes from Chatfield area through Lanesboro area, Spring Grove area, to the state border … [Read more...]