At the June 18 meeting of the Fillmore County Board of Appeal and Equalization, 12 valuation appeals were heard. At the beginning of the meeting commissioners were sworn in, accepting their duties to serve on this board. Brian Hoff, Land Records Director, and Cindy Blagsvedt, County Assessor, were present to answer questions. Hoff reviewed the role of the board and the … [Read more...]
County budgeting process begins
County Coordinator Bobbie Vickerman presented a timeline for the 2020 budget discussion at the board’s June 18 meeting. Departments will begin to prepare their budgets and submit them to Vickerman by July 29. During August and early September the board will consider preliminary departmental budgets. Vickerman said she hopes all budgets will be before the board by the end of … [Read more...]
500 tractors roll through Fillmore County
Anyone who lives or works in the southeastern part of Fillmore County probably noticed something unusual on Monday, June 10. Tractors (lots of them!) came putt-putt-putting through, as part of the WMT Annual Great Eastern Iowa Tractorcade. No, they hadn’t taken any wrong turns. In explaining why an Iowa tractorcade was in Minnesota, WMT and WHO Farm Broadcaster Andy … [Read more...]
Becky Brandt sworn in as Fillmore County Court Administrator
New Court Administrator Becky Brandt took the oath of office administrated by Judge Matt Opat on June 4. She will replace retired Court Administrator Jim Attwood who served in the position for 31 years. Brandt is no stranger to district court operations. She served the Olmsted County District Court for 21 years. She began working in the Juvenile Division in 1998, then moved … [Read more...]
Disaster recovery resources and information
Parts of southeastern Minnesota were hit hard this weekend by severe weather, including three possible tornadoes in Fillmore County. Thankfully, there haven’t been any reports of injuries to people or livestock losses. Next comes the recovery process. Recovering from a natural disaster can be confusing and stressful, but these resources might help. First, be sure to … [Read more...]
Technology upgrade and law enforcement vehicles
Approval was given for a technology upgrade for the Highway Department and two new vehicles for the sheriff’s department at the county board’s May 14 meeting. Highway Engineer Ron Gregg explained the VRS Technology upgrade will be used to gather survey data. It helps them access MnDOT’s stations and will be more accurate and faster. The upgrade was approved at a cost of … [Read more...]
County continues with Enterprise Fleet Management
The management program for law enforcement vehicles was evaluated after being in place for about a year at the county board’s May 7 meeting. Wong Nystrom, Enterprise Fleet Management, was asked by Sheriff John DeGeorge to put together a four/five year budget plan for the board’s consideration. The budget plan shows the amount needed per year to support law enforcement … [Read more...]
Court finds for Government in Amish septic case
Minnesota District Court Judge Joseph Chase, in a ruling dated April 22, decided in favor of Fillmore County and the State of Minnesota in the Amish septic system case. This case came before Judge Chase for trial in November and December 2018. Four Amish men (members of the Swartzentruber Amish community of Fillmore County) were the plaintiffs arguing that they objected to … [Read more...]
Semcac continues positive impact on communities
At the April 23 Fillmore County Board meeting, Lynn Mensink and Jim Wolter reported on the impact Semcac continues to have on the county. Commissioner Mitch Lentz was absent. Semcac has been providing services for 53 years, established as a private non-profit organization in 1966. It is the designated community action organization for seven counties: Dodge, Fillmore, … [Read more...]
There’s a new sheriff in town
On January 7 of this year, Fillmore County swore in John DeGeorge as its new sheriff. When asked how the transition was going, DeGeorge said, “It’s like drinking from a fire hose! The transition has been going really well. It has been extremely busy, but we have a great staff who have stepped up and kept us moving in the right direction. The support from the public has been … [Read more...]