Photo by Wanda Hanson
At the May 19 Houston County Commissioners’ meeting, the commissioners approved a courtesy car for the Houston County Airport. During the public comment early in the meeting, Yvonne Krogstad had specific questions regarding the car. She wanted to know who would pay for the purchase, repairs, maintenance and gas for the car. She also wanted to know how many people would actually use the car and if the users would pay a fee to use the car. Krogstad suggested that the money could perhaps be better spent elsewhere.
County Engineer Brian Pogodzinski stated that the Caledonia Police Department would be responsible for taking the calls. Pogodzinski anticipated that there would be a couple calls a week. There will be a log that could be shared with the commissioners monthly.
The car that will be used is a car that has served as a county car and a sheriff’s vehicle. Oil changes and maintenance will continue to be done by the county. Users will be responsible for purchasing gasoline. The League of Minnesota Cities will cover the insurance for the vehicle.
There have been multiple requests for a courtesy car. Having a car available will bring people into the community, help the economy and increase tourism.There will be no fee for using the car – it’s a courtesy car. Pogodzinski informed the commissioners that the “vast majority of airports do have courtesy cars.”
Commissioner Cindy Wright commented that having such a car was considered because there was a car available. She felt that later they could determine the next steps. It could change over time and be tweaked to make it work. Wright felt it was good use of available resources and that is was important to get feedback and look at the data later.
The agreement has a 30-day cancellation for either of the parties. The commissioners approved the agreement.
Boulevard Tree Policy
The commissioners examined a tree policy and permit document which would govern the placement of trees and appropriate trees to use on boulevards. The goal is to keep from damaging the sidewalks, curbs, gutters and pavement and to plant trees that can survive road salt.
According to Pogodzinski, the permits are geared toward municipalities. The City of La Crescent has been asking to plant trees on their boulevards. The policy was approved and will be shared with the cities. The permit fees will come later; it will be necessary to hold public hearings regarding the fees.
Cindy Wright pointed out that some cities have their own tree ordinances as well. Pogodzinski replied that the county policy lines up “pretty much with what cities have already.”
Contract for Liquid Chloride
The commissioners were approached by the liquid chloride supplier for a contract adjustment. The contract is a short-term contract and does not have a clause for fuel prices adjustment. Such an adjustment is usually for a 15% fuel price increase.
The supplier asked for an increase of six cents per gallon to hel;p with a 24% increase in diesel prices. The company is a good company to work with, but the commissioners decided not to take any action and abide by the signed contract that was in place. They didn’t want to set a precedent.
Other Business
In other business the commissioners:
•Decided to replace the 30-year-old boilers at the Woodland Building. $20,000 was budgeted for the replacement in the 2026 budget; the cost for the boilers will be $23,900;
•Accepted the resignation of Jason Kraft and the appointment of Honor DiDonato to the Root River Trail Extension—Citizens Exploratory Committee;
•Accepted donations for the Tesmer Farm Safety Day and donations to the Veteran Services Office from Auxiliary Post 6801 totalling $425;
•Approved the Houston County Snowmobile Club Resolutions authorizing County Sponsorship; this is required yearly for the snowmobile club to receive grant-in-aid from the DNR.
Peddler Ordinance Discussion
The Houston County Peddler Ordinance is not consistent with other counties. An update to the ordinance is planned One change will be that the ordinance fee structure would change from a 30-day license to a one year license. The peddler ordinance will likely be presented at the June 16 meeting.
New County Website
The new county website is now live. The switch happened on Friday with the old and new site running parallel until Monday. The new website is www.hocomn.gov/. There has been no public feedback regarding the site yet.
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