At the Houston County Board of Commissioners’ November 25 regular meeting, Chairman Eric Johnson recommended that Human Resources Officer Brent Parker be named the Houston County Coordinator/Human Resource Director.
Chairman Johnson explained that he and Commissioner Wright held several organizational meetings and discussions regarding an administrative position or coordinator position and reviewed what other counties do. Since the county did not budget for an administrative position, it was decided to go with a coordinator position as other counties do. The job description was shared with the other commissioners, emphasizing that department heads will report to Parker.
Chairman Johnson also thanked Carol Lapham for stepping up and taking on the role of administrator for the past year, confirming that she will continue as finance director.
The meeting was called to order at 9 a.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, and the approval of the agenda and the minutes from the previous meeting.
Board members in attendance included Cindy Wright, Eric Johnson, Kurt Zehnder, Bob Schuldt and Greg Myhre.
At the beginning of the meeting, Jon Kulas, vice-president of the Houston County Agriculture Society, presented the Society’s 2025 Annual Report.
Kulas noted that attendance at the fair over the past two years has remained steady and that the fair generated a profit last year, due to tightening of the “purse strings”, and the entertainment line-up. The funds remaining after paying all the bills is used to book entertainment for the following year. Kulas mentioned that there is $300,000 in the account for the cattle barn. Those funds are all from donations. The Society has not used all the ARPA funds received from the county which are being used for maintenance. Kulas proudly announced that last year the fair board raised $33,750 in sponsorships.
The highlight of the report is that the fair board voted to make a down payment to secure a carnival for the 2026 county fair. The carnival will feature 8-10 rides. The base price for a carnival is approximately $36,000 to $38,000, which the board is hoping will increase attendance.
Kulas noted that the ultimate goal is for the fair to be self-sustaining.
In conclusion, Kulas thanked the county for their support and noted that the board allocated $24,000 to the fair board last year, and the fair board is hoping that the county will allocate the same amount in 2026.
The board accepted the resignation/retirement of Janet Becker, Highway Department accounting clerk, expressing gratitude for her 18 years of dedicated service to the residents of Houston County.
The following 2026 tobacco licenses were approved: River Valley Convenience Store, Inc./Cenex, Houston; Houston Food Mark/BP, S&A Petroleum Inc. Houston; and DG Retail Dollar General, Houston.
Recommendations from Highway Engineer Brian Pogodzinski were also approved, including the sole quote from Phillips Outdoor Services in the amount of $31,327.89 for the fencing at the Houston County Airport. Board member Myhre said, “Putting in a fence is good for everyone.”
The board approved the final payment of $138,410.72 to Dunn Blacktop for the paving on County State-Aid Highway (CSAH) 2. The total cost was $2,768,214.37. Pogodzinski said, “I think it really has been a good project. We’ve had some positive feedback from the landowners out there.”
Additional board actions included approval of the Child Care Variance Policy and the regional contract management agreement with Olmsted County and authorized Director Pugleasa to Docusign the two-year agreement. Pugleasa said that the county has had a good partnership with Olmsted County for many years.
The board authorized Parker to post a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an EDA/Professional Services contract to effective date of January 1, 2026, approved a contract with Workforce Development Inc. for on-the-Job training reimbursements, and authorized a competitive search for a full-time Highway Department Accounting Clerk. Commissioner Zehnder noted that the Workforce Development Inc. contract is a “great opportunity.”
The board also approved payment of bills. No public comments were received during the meeting, and with no further announcements, the meeting was adjourned at 10:01 a.m.
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