LWV Observer – Georgiana Campbell
This was a short meeting but with important business up for discussion. All commissioners were present.
Social Services – Mark Shaw, head. Presented four contracts for approval. These
contracts were for mental health practitioner services. The Commissioners approved these contracts.
Highway Dept. – Dennis Luebbe, head. Presented three resolutions; two involved bridge bonding money, the third asked for approval of the Revised Detour Agreement with the City of Faibault. The Faribault agreement had been discussed a few weeks ago, but the written agreement presented today was detailed and involved a $75,093.23 payment by Faribault which was compensation for the road life consumed by Faribault’s expansion of T.H. No. 60. The Commissioners voted to approve the agreement.
Public Health – Since Mary Ho, department head, could not be present, Administrator Gary Wiers presented contracts with the Minn. Dept. of Health and also with three individuals who would provide language interpreter services in Nuer, Spanish, and Somali. The Commissioners voted to approve these contracts.
Planning and Zoning – Julie Runkel, department head. Three individuals had requested CUP’s; one was a continuation of a previous request. Two CUP applications were requests to operate a gravel mining operation. These each had 16-17 conditions attached, to which the applicants seemingly had not objected. However, the third applicant had applied for a CUP so that he could operate a tree service contractor business. Conditions involving the screening of parked vehicles and the details of the screening (trees, and/or fencing) were not acceptable to the applicant. The Commissioners discussed this situation at length, expressing their dissatisfaction with the Planning Commission rules regarding screening. Commissioner Brown suggested further discussion at a future meeting by the Commissioners which could lead to less restrictive rules and would be less restrictive to the applicant. Future discussion along this line was approved by a majority of the Commissioners. Commissioner Malecha voted to retain the present procedure.
Fran Windschitl , Auditor/Treasurer, presented for approval the appointment of an Absentee Ballot Board and the city of Denison Mail Ballot Precinct Judges. These were approved by the commissioners. Also, three tobacco licenses were also approved.
The consent agenda was approved 4 to 1 (with Commissioner Malecha voting no). The agenda included the adoption and approval of the resolution which would deny county funding for state public defenders. This decision followed after discussion of this issue at previous meetings.
The meeting was adjourned.