At the county board’s July 28 meeting, Bretta Grabau, director of the Fillmore County Historical Society, updated the board on the society’s programming. Commissioner Larry Hindt was absent.
The History Center shares history with tourists, school classes, and local veteran groups. Students can now participate in scavenger hunts.
A program designed for children ages 6-12 has been created at the one-room schoolhouse during Prairie School Days. The program involves the teaching of pioneer activities and games, for example, making home-made ice cream and traditional square dancing.
The center hosted a 250th celebration. A reproduction of a 1878 plat map was presented to the commissioners as a thank-you for their support. The plat map will be hung in the board room in the courthouse. Grabau says the map tells a fascinating story.
A $60,000 grant has been received from the Minnesota Historical Society to be used to design an upgraded HVAC system to help preserve artifacts. Grabau said without improvements to the system the Fillmore County Historical Society will continue to lose artifacts. Applications for grants will need to be submitted to help pay for the project which may start in 2028.
Grabau said MCIT insurance costs continue to increase; she requested a $10,000 increase in the county’s annual appropriation for 2027.
Citizens Input
Adult Mental Health Social Worker Kiah Halverson read a letter from a team of four adult protection services (APS) social workers that work with vulnerable adults and seniors. Adult Social Worker Lead Christina Bothun retired effective July 9. Her position has not been filled to date. Halverson said there should be six social workers on the team, but now there are four. Halverson said Bothun had worked extra hours on her own time; “The four of us are working through breaks; the toll on us is affecting our mental health. We continue to show up for our community.” She told the board she hoped they could understand the impact this vacancy is having. “We will continue to show up, but we are no longer willing to be unheard.”
County Administrator Bobbie Hillery said the Community Services Committee meets after this meeting. There are concerns with caseloads; “We will discuss the possibility of shifting social workers internally or going out to hire. We are figuring out how to fix it.”
Commissioner Mitch Lentz said, “We need to understand cash flow and how to recover our costs. We have to understand why we have not been recovering our costs.”
Other Business in Brief
• Contractual County Assessor Ryan Rasmusson reviewed the 2027 budget for the assessor’s office. It was about a 5% increase from the 2026 budget. Rasmusson is on his second 90-day contract as allowed by the Department of Revenue. Hillery noted that the county has received no applications for the county assessor position.
Approval was granted to amend the Abatement Policy as recommended by the Department of Revenue. Abatement applications come to the assessor, if denied it ends. If approved by the assessor, the application goes to the auditor/treasurer. If the A/T denies it, it ends. If the A/T approves the application, it goes to the county board for its consideration.
• A/T Heather Broadwater reviewed the 2027 budgets for the A/T, for data processing, and for elections. The A/T budget showed a 12% increase over 2026.
Approval was granted to hire temporary staff (Bonita Underbakke and Anne Marie Flynn) to help with 2026 primary and general elections. Wages will be paid with VOTER funds received from the state.
Approval was granted to stop passport application services on the day before and the day of elections. Because of close quarters it is hard to provide privacy for both the voter and the passport applicant on the day of elections. Approval was granted with proper notice of the temporary closure and the stipulation that someone will keep track of anyone coming in to apply for a passport on election days to see if the temporary stop in services is an issue.
• Approval was given to send a letter to Governor Walz to request state disaster assistance for the damage from the July 2-8 flooding event. On July 14, the county declared a local emergency. A State Preliminary Damage Assessment was conducted on July 21 revealing damages to public infrastructure totaling $1 million which exceeds 50% of Fillmore County’s federal damage indicator. The state disaster assistance program reimburses 75%.
• The retirement of Blaine Tufte, custodian, was accepted with thanks, effective November 19.
The request to hire a replacement custodian was approved. The plan is to have the new hire in place so Tufte can help train the individual before he leaves.
• An access permit for Ken and Marion Ebner to widen two existing driveway accesses on CR 38 in section 30 of Jordan Township was approved.
An access permit for Andrew Hershberger for access to a new building site on CR 38 in section 1 of Spring Valley Township was approved.
An access permit for Steve Johnson for a new field access to CR 108 in section 23 of Holt Township was approved.
• Approval was granted to move three Waiver Social Workers from Human Services into the Public Health Department and budget. The social workers have indicated that their work responsibilities align more closely with Public Health.
• Approval was granted for a phased retirement agreement (PERA Pro or Phased Retirement Option) for Darrell Schmitt, Highway Department. The agreement was drafted by the county attorney and is for “up to” five years. Schmitt will be working half time and can help train individuals for some key positions in the department.
• The payment of Jail Project Paybook #41 in the amount of $145,958 was approved. Hillery noted this is the last bill for the actual construction project.
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