Peterson Council Discusses Voting, Hears of Memorial Garden Dedication

At a quick October 9 meeting, the Peterson Council covered two annual items in addition to discussing membership, voting, and the recent dedication of the John T. Erickson Memorial Garden. Councilor Kristina Grindland was absent from the meeting.

First up, the council tackled the final budget and tax levy for 2025. The final amount was set at $111,436. This represents a 4% increase over 2024.

“I thought this was pretty good by our city, our employees and everything, that they can keep it down because what I’ve seen in the paper, a lot of cities have been going much higher,” said Mayor Chris Stenzel. “Thank you to Tim [Hallum] and Chris [Grindland]. I appreciate that.”

The council also approved certifying past due utility bills to Fillmore County. According to City Clerk Chris Grindland, there are eight accounts with a cumulative total of $19,154.66 past due. An additional fee of $50 per account, for administrative fees, will be sent to the county for collection with property tax bills. The number of past due accounts is roughly in line with previous years.

While Public Works Director Tim Hallum wasn’t in attendance at the meeting, Mayor Stenzel requested official city action approving participation in a Regional Safety Group. The group was established some time ago in a partnership between the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) and the Minnesota Municipal, Utilities Association to bring safety groups to LMC Insurance Trust members in effort to “get personalized training and meet state and OSHA mandates without breaking the bank,” according the LMC Regional Safety Groups webpage.

According to Stenzel, the goal is to meet and shed light on day to day issues within the department field. There is no cost to join the group, but there may be costs associated with particular trainings. The LMC covers more than half the cost of training, but Regional Safety Group members participating in the training share the remainder of the cost, if there is one. The council approved the request unanimously.

Mail-in voting is underway in Peterson. Clerk Grindland once again noted the process stating that mail-in ballots have been delivered to voters. Residents may contact Fillmore County if they have not received a ballot. Absentee ballots may also be requested on the Minnesota Secretary of State website. They can be requested anytime, but must be mailed in and received by Election Day or brought to Fillmore County Auditor/Treasurer office, 101 Fillmore Street, Preston.

Lastly, Councilor Gail Boyum updated the council on the John T. Erickson Memorial Garden celebration which was held Saturday, October 5. Roughly 100 people attended, not including Friends of Peterson members and volunteers supporting the event. The garden honors the veterans of Peterson including long-time Peterson historian and museum curator John Erickson.

The event included music by Willa Holger and trumpeters Maynard Thompson, Jerry Barett and Beth Vitse, a welcome and history of the museum by Stenzel, speaker Kristina Grindland representing Peterson veterans, and speaker Becky Stocker representing the newly formed Peterson Museum Board, and the official ribbon cutting.

Those recognized with helping included Bruce Benson, who was instrumental in helping move the depot to its current location; Milford Olson, who worked with Erickson on the museum projects, maintenance, and giving tours; and Cheryl Eaton, who worked with Erickson to organize records, make displays, and catalog and display acquisitions. Other event volunteers included Alan Black, Nan Rustad, Val Gudmundson, LeeAnn Lyden, Jeanne Feldmeier, Gladine Hamilton, Chris Grindland, and Friends of Peterson members Martha Larson, Tracy Seelbinder, Marj Weir and Gail Boyum.