County Administrator Bobbie Hillery called the January 4 annual meeting to order. The first order of business was the election of officers for 2022. Mitch Lentz was elected board chair and Larry Hindt was elected board vice chair. Department heads clarified their legislative priorities to Senator Jeremy Miller and Representative Greg Davids. Many priorities listed for the 2022 … [Read more...]

A resolution was adopted at the December 21 Fillmore County Board meeting declaring a state of emergency due to the December 15 wind/tornado events. Sheriff John DeGeorge said the storms resulted in significant public damage. There is an estimate of power damage in the amount of $570,000. DeGeorge noted four tornados were identified just in Fillmore County. Strong straight … [Read more...]

At the November 23 meeting of the Fillmore County Board, a discussion continued on options for the best use of the American Rescue Plan Act funds received by the county. County Administrator Bobbie Hillery reviewed five of these options including broadband, employment options, administration office improvements, HVAC improvements in three county buildings, and automatic … [Read more...]

At the November 2 meeting of the county board, approval was given to take the proposed ordinance for regulating recreational ATVs on county roads to public hearing to be held at 9:35 a.m. on November 23. County Attorney Brett Corson reviewed a few changes made since the proposed ordinance was last discussed. This ordinance will not apply to roads and streets within city … [Read more...]

At the October 26 meeting of the Fillmore County board, Gabby Kinneberg, Fillmore County representative for the Southern Minnesota Tourism Association, and Jen Hengel, representing Root River Trail Towns, reported on their activities in 2021 and requested 2022 appropriations. Kinneberg said Southern Minnesota Tourism represents 36 counties across southern Minnesota. Much of … [Read more...]

County Administrator Bobbie Hillery lead a discussion on appropriate uses for American Rescue Plan Act dollars at the board’s October 5 meeting. The county will receive about $4 million total. The deadline to spend the funds is December 31, 2024. A preliminary budget for the use of the funding is due January 2022. Hillery offered some ideas presented by county department … [Read more...]

At the board’s September 14 meeting, the Jail Needs Assessment Report was discussed. The nearly 100 page report was presented to the county board over a month ago. The Jail Needs Assessment committee spent 18 months developing the report that looked at four options for the future of the county jail. Options included closing the jail and totally outsourcing, a 72-hour book … [Read more...]

The future staffing of two positions the county has filled in the past were discussed at the county board’s May 11 meeting. Blake Lea, feedlot officer/zoning technician/GIS had submitted his resignation effective May 21. The board accepted his resignation with much thanks for his service. Lea had the ability to serve in all three roles. Lea was good in GIS. County … [Read more...]

Sheriff John DeGeorge and Commissioners Mitch Lenz and Marc Prestby attended last Wednesday’s Canton City Council meeting to discuss the need for a new county jail. This was the first stop in an informational tour DeGeorge hopes to complete in the next few months with other community organizations and government bodies. DeGeorge explained that he and his predecessors have been … [Read more...]

Fillmore County has been working toward a number of technology upgrades/initiatives for some time. At the board’s February 23 meeting, several initiatives were approved. County Administrator Bobbie Hillery detailed all of the planned initiatives which will be  purchased, installed, licensed, and maintained through Marco. All technological upgrades were discussed in the … [Read more...]