The Houston County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, March 8, from 9-10:41 a.m. at the historic county courthouse in downtown Caledonia.
Commissioners in attendance included Chairman Greg Myhre, Teresa Walter, Robert (Bob) Burns via Zoom, Eric Johnson, and Dewey Severson.
Chairman Myhre called the meeting to order and led the commissioners and the public in the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners approved the March 8 meeting agenda with the addition of number four on the consent agenda and the previous minutes from the March 1 commission meeting.
The first three items on the consent agenda, Resolution No. 22-18, Resolution No. 22-19, and Resolution No. 22-20, involved the approval of signatures on the Merchants Bank accounts for the Hokah drop site aluminum purchase and La Crescent dumpsite aluminum purchase and additional signatures on the Caledonia supervised dumpsite and Spring Grove aluminum purchase. The fourth item on the consent agenda is the hiring of Michael Johnson as probationary jailer/dispatcher effective March 23, 2022. Motion carried to approve the consent agenda.
Katie Drewitz, the new Local Extension Educator for Houston County and Fillmore County, introduced herself and shared a little bit with commissioners about her background. “I grew up on a six-generation farm in Fillmore County. I got a degree in Agricultural Education from the University of Minnesota. I went on to work in animal pharmaceutical and worked at John Deere as a technical instructor for awhile, then moved into Extension where I worked in central Minnesota, Morrison County, as a local Extension educator before this position opened here, giving me the opportunity to be closer to home.”
Commissioners accepted a $150.00 donation from the Brownsville VFW for the veteran’s services office. The funds are for the needs of any veteran.
The board approved one interim use permit (IUP) and two conditional use permits (CUP). The IUP allows Joseph and Janine Engen to place a temporary living dwelling in the Ag District, Wilmington Township. One CUP allows Andy and Ellyn Mulholland to build a dwelling on less than 40 acres in Spring Grove Township Ag District. The second CUP is for Kruckow Companies LLC for mineral extraction in Winnebago Township Ag District.
Personnel Director Tess Kruger asked the board to approve the proposed 2022-2024 Tentative Labor Agreement between the County of Houston and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Council 65 Local 2166. Kruger mentioned, “This is the last union contract, and there are no surprises in the contract.”
The commission approved the Public Health department’s request for $200,000 in ARPA funds for the Electronic Documents Management System (EDMS) project.
County Assessor Lucas Onstad appeared before the commission to explain the increases in property values for 2023 after hearing from some county residents after receiving a letter from Onstad notifying them of the increase in the assessed value of their home. Onstad emphasized, “This is just a value increase, not a tax increase.” He explained that the property values are based on the market and assessed by age, size, and condition. “If you do not think you can sell your home at the assessed value, we will look at it.” Property owners Steven Doolittle and Carol Sweeny Marnach attended the commission meeting and shared their thoughts with Onstad and commissioners. Onstad summarized by stating, “It is all about education of the process.”
The next regularly scheduled Houston County Commission meeting is Tuesday, March 22, at 9 a.m. at the County Commission Board Room 222 located on the second floor in the Historic County Courthouse, Caledonia, or via the county conference call line (312) 626-6700 and Zoom, enter ID: 994-7297-7175 and password 368422. The public is invited to attend.