The Murray County Board of Commissioners met on November 30. Board members will be attending the Association of Minnesota Counties meeting on their regular meeting date of December 7. This meeting was scheduled to handle any end of the month business and topics normally on the December 7 agenda.
The first item of business brought forward by Ronda Radke, Human Resources Director, was the approval of a wage increase for non-union employees. This was set at 2 ½ percent COLA increase plus a one step increase for all employees with a satisfactory performance review following one year in their current position. Brian Bose has accepted the position of Sheriff Sergeant under a Memorandum of Understanding with the union with a starting date of December 1. This is a temporary position with an end date of January 15, 2023.
Jean Christoffels was given approval on the 2022 AIS Plan. Additional grant monies will be used to install two monitors on Lake Shetek, one site on the north lake and the other on the south lake. Currently there have been no zebra mussels found in Lake Shetek.
The final plat of Goergen Heights 5th Addition was given approval for one lot on Lake Sarah with changes as had been requested. Northern Wind will be allowed to decommission all of its old wind towers on four different sites. They will be replaced with new higher kilowatt producing towers to be regulated under state statutes.
Economic Devlopment Director Justine Wettschreck was given approval to move $10,982.89 from the EDA Operational Account to provide funding for new or expanding daycares. Loans will be made as a five-year forgivable loan.
County Administrator Thomas Burke requested the date of December 21 for a public hearing to set the 2022 fee schedule, as there are some changes. The costs of a new HVAC for the Law Enforcement Center will be brought to the board at the December 14th meeting. A plan of action will need to be made to move staff during installation of the new system.
A need for a generator at the Fulda radio tower was discussed. The tower is essential for communication with fire, police and ambulance services. A generator attached to the tower is preferred over a portable unit that will be difficult to transport during an emergency.
Heidi Winter had a list of items for approval for 2022. She will continue to designate depositories and make investments of county funds and to authorize Electronic Transfer of Funds. The Pocket Gopher Bounty will remain at $2 per animal to be paid to the townships to reimburse the bounty that they pay. Beaver Control fees will remain at $75 for animals taken from drainage ditches, road ditches or County Parks as authorized by county officials. The Solid Waste Assessment on occupied parcels will remain at $24. The 2022 911 Sign Assessment will remain unchanged also at $3 per parcel.
A public hearing to set the 2022 Drainage Maintenance Levies followed the regular meeting. At this meeting the changes to the levies were explained with fund balances and expected expenses for each ditch system noted along with any increases to individual assessments.
The next meeting on the agenda was the 2022 Truth in Taxation Budget Hearing. This meeting is required for any taxation district with a population over 500. Murray County’s levy will increase slightly with each person paying $987 in 2022. The total levy amount will be $8,309,712. Total revenue from taxes and intergovernmental aids will total $19,973,976. Reserved monies will pay for the approximately One Million Dollars needed for a new HVAC system to provide improved air quality in the Law Enforcement Center which has experienced mold issues. The charts and figures used in Auditor Treasurer Heidi Winter’s report can be found on the Murray County website www.murray-countymn.com.
