By: Joanne Bergman During the December meeting of the Murray County Board of Commissioners, several agenda items were approved that prepare the board for 2026. Deposit and investment authority along with EFT delegation was approved for Auditor/Treasurer Heidi Winter. The pocket gopher fee will remain at $2 per critter. The Solid Waste Assessment and the Sign Assessment included on tax statements will remain at $24 and $3 respectively. The fee for beaver taken from the county ditches, parks and road ditches also remains at $75.
Action was approved at the request of the County Assessor to combine two lots - one on which the Dinehart-Holt House is located and the next lot to the south. This will allow for a better placement of a garage to house county motor pool vehicles. Facilities Manager Nathan Wurpts presented the plans for the garage to house seven vehicles. The projected building will be 30’x 97’. The Board approved the bid process for the structure only if there was an option included for no insulation, expressing a concern for the projected price of $200,000 being too much in light of the current budget increases.
Murray County Museum Director Nick Demuth received the go-ahead to submit a grant request to the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants Program for $19,980. This will provide the funds needed to repair and stabilize the 126 feet of track from the End-O-Line Park turntable to the engine house.
Jason Lohrenz, IT Supervisor, explained the need for a new ESRI Mapping Server. The costs of $34,000 will be shared by various departments of county government to consolidate all of the current maps available to those offices, including Zoning, Recorder, Sheriff and IT. Lohrenz also received approval to attempt to sell the old A/V equipment from the Commissioners Meeting Room.
Approval was given for the sale of the SW ¼ of Section 8 and the NW ¼ of Section 18 Belfast Township for wildlife management. The land will be planted in native grasses and flowers for preservation of the native prairie. Murray County will receive $14,123 in lieu of the taxes on the land.
Presentations were given by elected officials to outline their responsibilities and salary expectations for the coming year. Each considered the salary schedule lower than comparable counties, along with voicing appreciation of the working relationship with other departments. The amount of cross-training needed for the smaller numbers of employees in Murray County offices was also noted.
Approval was given for the hiring of Bryan Stading as the full time Murray County Economic Development and Marketing Coordinator. He comes with fifteen years of experience in Martin County. Starting pay will be $39.79 per hour.
