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The regular meeting of the Murray County Board of Commissioners was held on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 with all members present. The first item of business was to close the meeting for the purpose of conducting a performance evaluation of County Administrator Carolyn McDonald. At the resumption of the open session of the meeting, Chair Molly Malone stated that McDonald, after six months in her position, was meeting the expectations of the Board. In Addition, Malone expressed the appreciation of the changes that Mc Donald has brought forward.
McDonald brought the annual renewal of the Medical Examiners contract to the Board with no increase in rates. The contract conformed to that of other agencies performing forensic services.
A public meeting was set for December 20 for discussion of the 2023 Fee schedule. The schedule defines that charges made for a large number of services provided by County departments.
The next item of discussion was setting of meeting dates for the Board. Currently business meetings are held the First, Third and Fourth Tuesday of the month. Considering the light agenda of those meetings, from the fund.
Five parcels have been declared as forfeiting property available for purchase. Avoca and Currie both have one property with Slayton having the other three. The beginning auction price of each property was set at $1.00. Any assessment on the property will become the responsibility of the purchaser. The action is taken to bring the properties back onto the tax rolls.
County Ditch 11 was once again on the agenda. A Redetermination of Benefits is believed to raise the number of acres drained by the ditch from 1006 to a possible 1400 acres. Each landowner is assessed for any costs incurred to repair a ditch system. Costs will be sought for the service and brought to a future meeting.
Historical Museum Director Jakob Etrheim received approval for a feasibility study at a cost of $3,150 with funds from the Murray County Historical Society, the MC Economic Development Authority and the balance from the Museum’s budget. The study will compare the costs of continued upkeep of the 50-year-old building and the construction of a new building.
Human Resources Administrator Ronda Radke was given approval to continue the current daily meal reimbursement of $50. Itemized receipts are required of employees attending county business.
Heidi Winter presented the voter statistics for the County. Turnout was at 74% compared to the statewide turnout of 61%. All voting precincts within the County ware above the state average. The only election problem she noted was the number of voters coming into the office to vote who did not bring their mail in ballot with them. This nearly led to a shortage of available ballots in her office. Dovray Fire Department & Westbrook Fire Department: were awarded battery-operated combination auto extrication spreader and cutters with this grant.
Compeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America, the Farm Credit cooperative’s giving program, has awarded 177 grants as part of their Emergency Response Equipment Program, including 15 new collaboration grants for equipment shared by multiple departments.
Emergency Response Equipment Grants help to offset the cost of equipment that community emergency response departments need to carry out their important work throughout rural America. Additionally, the new Emergency Response Equipment Collaboration Grant highlighted the critical need for teamwork between volunteer fire, rescue and ambulance departments when responding to emergencies.
“We know rural departments often share resources and important pieces of life-saving equipment,” said Karen Schieler, senior corporate giving specialist with Compeer Financial.
“The spirit of collaboration is strong for emergency departments across Compeer’s territory and we hope these grants can help impact even more lives. First responders give so much when people are in need, and these tools and resources will help in Critical situations.”
The 2022 Emergency Response Equipment Collaboration Grants are for up to $10,000; and will directly impact 41 collaborating departments, 872 department members, 3,239 square miles of coverage and 121,007 residents. This year was the first time this grant was offered.
COMPEER FINANCIAL AWARDS $746K TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE DEPARTMENTS EMERGENCY RESPONSE EQUIPMENT GRANTS AWARDED TO DEPARTMENTS IN ILL., MINN. AND WIS.
