By Joanne Bergman The Murray County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on July 2, 2024. Commissioner Gunnink was absent from the meeting.
On June 22nd the Board met for an emergency meeting with only one action item. That was to declare a State of Emergency due to flooding within the County.
An annual update of ACE was presented to the Board. According to Executive Director Michelle Baumhoefner, volunteerism has continued to improve over last year. Both the number of volunteers and the volunteer hours are up over the previous year. ACE serves eight counties in the southwest area. Murray County Program Manager Joyce Wiekeraad reported 381 volunteers donated 32,178 hours at 55 locations within Murray County. One program they would like to expand is NAPS (Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors). It is felt that there are many more eligible persons than are currently being served. Programs are funded with grant monies and input from the counties.
Justine Wettschreck presented one application to the Murray County Home Initiative fund. Matthew and Dawn Kopperud will be moving a house to property at 1794 201st, Slayton. When remodeling is completed the new value of the home is estimated at $380,481. The application is the third to be approved by the Board.
One donation was accepted. Community Growth donated $366.46 for the volleyball nets at Seven Mile Park.
Luke Schryvers, CEO, Murray County Medical Center presented his monthly report. Dr. Sanchez is scheduled to begin seeing patients on July 8. He and his family have purchased a home and are moving to Slayton. Dr. Jaeger has signed an agreement to provide outreach OB/GYN services at MCMC starting in October. Dr. Byron’s will be providing an additional day of surgery to make sure scheduling is timely for all patients. Cardiology patients will continue to see Dr. Steffen, however she has moved from Sanford to Avera.
The A/C unit has been replaced with the $120,000 cost impacting the available cash for the month. For the month there was a positive net income of $22,806.
Zoning Administrator Jean Christoffels presented the Conditional Use Permit for Great River Energy. The CUP calls for a 69Kv transmission line in Section 22, Slayton.
The final plat of Pelican Bay Addition was given approval. The plat is for development of 66.09 acres in Lake Sarah Township with 24 riparian lots and three out lots. Development will hinge on completion of an access road into the development.
Assessor Chad Benda presented contracts with five cities and nine townships within the County for assessing services. The standard cost is $12 per parcel. The term of the contracts is for three years.
