At the July 9 county board meeting Kathryn Frette was hired as the new county assessor effective August 5.
Frette has worked as an Olmsted County appraiser for more than 20 years and also worked one year for LaSueur County. She has her AMA (Accredited Minnesota Assessor) license and is nearing the end of the process to obtain her SAMA (Senior Accredited Minnesota Assessor) license.
Fillmore County had contracted with Steve Hacken who served as an interim assessor since the resignation of Jason McCaslin late in February.
Other Business in Brief
• Ordinance 2024042 Public Use of Cannabinoids was approved. A public hearing was held on the proposed ordinance at the July 2 meeting. The Public Use Ordinance will apply to both low and high potency cannabinoid products. An ordinance regulating the sale of low potency Hemp derived consumer products was approved in mid 2023. The county board will eventually have to add to that ordinance or draft a separate ordinance to regulate the sale of high potency Hemp products.
• More departmental proposed budgets were reviewed for 2025 including the Recorder’s (equipment and unallocated) and the Auditor/Treasurer’s (data processing and elections). County administrator Bobbie Hillery said a potential additional Recorder office position will contribute to a larger increase in the Recorder budget.
• A/T Heather Broadwater provided a Poll Pad quote from Knowink, Inc. in the amount of $16,987.50 for the board’s consideration. The current Poll Pads were purchased in 2017 and they will sunset at the end of this year. This quote will lock in the price for next year; funds are in the 2025 budget for the purchase. The purchase was approved as presented.
• Approval was granted to reapply for the Public Health Toward Zero Deaths Grant. This is separate from the TZD grant for law enforcement. It will be about $20,000 if received.
• Jessica Erickson, director of Public Health, reported on some of the possible uses planned for SHIP (statewide health improvement partnership) dollars. Public Health is requesting up to $10,000 which could be used to retrofit public transit buses with bicycle carriers in the front of the bus and outdoor hydration stations for filling water bottles.
• Erickson updated the board on the MRC (Medical Reserve Corps) STTRONG Grant. The focus is on health emergency preparedness, response, and health equity needs to improve local emergency response capabilities. MRC is a nationwide system to manage and mobilize volunteers to aid community response to disasters. Fillmore County applied for and received the grant and will partner with a couple other counties.
Leave a Reply