All Commissioners Present.
- Property tax and elections: Jody Wagner
- A number of applications for temporary liquor licences and gambling permits for churches were approved, along with ongoing consumption and display permits for Grandma’s Lakeside Resort and LeMieux Resort for 2025.
- Information Technology: Allan Klug
- Darktrace annual payment, an intrusion detection and response software. $77,244 from the IT budget.
- In October 2024 a Chicago-based company bought Darktrace. It is maintained by offices in the UK, Singapore and the US.
- Purfeerst: How many cases did we have in the last year in Rice County where this software helped us.
- A: There has not been a specific breach that we can say that it stopped in the last year. It has stopped many outgoing transmissions to suspicious IPs.
- Hoisington: Notable that Darktrace is now an American company, because Hoisington received constituent concerns about the integrity of the company last year because it was based outside the US.
- A: Yes, and the previous owner of the company died last year.
- Approved unanimously.
- Microsoft licensing renewal and move to 365
- Migrating to Microsoft 365, because it offers more security and more compatibility with other agencies. $187,944.68 annually in 2025, 2026, and 2027 plus potential additional needed license costs up to $38,764
- Peters: The additional licenses would be at $38?
- A: Potentially. We are locked in at a lower level of licenses and then we have more flexibility for the additional hundred — in case we need less. This allows us to potentially save money.
- Peters: Is this locked in for the 3 years?
- A: Yes.
- Peters: How much did the price go up?
- A: 5-10%. However, licensing actual costs vary a great deal year to year.
- Hoisington: Thanks Allan for doing good work and looking for ways to save money.
- Approved unanimously.
- Public Health/Nursing: Deb Purfeerst
- Out of state travel request: This national preparedness summit is held annually and local public health preparedness coordinators are encouraged to attend. It is the longest running national conference on public health preparedness. The conference presents new research findings, shares tools and resources, and provides a variety of opportunities for attendees to learn how to implement model practices that enhance local capability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other emergencies. All registration and travel costs are covered in full by our MDH Response Sustainability Grant (RSG) and attendance and expenditure costs have been pre-approved by MDH. All expenses for attendance including registration, lodging and all travel costs will be covered 100% by RSG funding.
- Hoisington: I’m in favor of this type of thing — it’s important to collaborate, and it’s kind of a bonus for some of our employees to be able to experience this sort of thing.
- Approved unanimously.
- Community Corrections: Angela Brewer
- Dismissal of 2024 uncollectible debt: Individuals placed under supervision with Community Corrections are assessed fees per the County fee schedule, primarily for: supervision fees; drug testing confirmation fees; and reimbursement for electronic alcohol monitoring fees. These debts are subject to Revenue Recapture collection efforts, however there is a statute of limitations of six years (from the date of assessment or last voluntary payment, whichever is later) for collection of this debt. Each calendar year the department brings forth for review and dismissal the client fees which have been rendered uncollectible due to the statute of limitations expiration. This debt does not include fees that were waived pursuant to statutory requirement. The uncollectible debt proposed for discharge includes probation and related fees from calendar year 2018. The total amount is $90,518.00, the majority of which is unpaid felony probation supervision fees (see included chart detail debt type). Community Corrections budgets for the collection of $75,000.00 per year in collected revenue from fees. The average collection of these fees is $63,500.00 per year.
- The fees requested to be dismissed are beyond the statute of limitations for collection (six years). No direct funds are lost by the department, as these dollars have not been captured, and the inability to collect these fees will not change the department’s budgeted figures nor result in any request for any levy dollars to supplement them in the operating budget.
- Unanimously approved.
- Sheriff’s Office: Jesse Thomas
- Acceptance of Donation of $500 from the Aldorfer Family for DARE.
- Unanimously approved.
- Highway: Dennis Luebbe
- Award of Contract – CSAH 27 asphalt paving.
- Approved contract # 2572 to Crane Creek Asphalt in the amount of $1,033,885.68 for project SAP 066-627-006.
- Award of Contract – Aggregate Surfacing, Contract #25-50.
- Approved the 2025 contract
- Road Maintenance Agreement – City of Northfield
- Approved biennial agreement will continue past practices with the City of Northfield to provide maintenance services on 5.88 lane miles of county highways within the corporate limits of the city. This agreement includes a 4% per year increase in payments to the city, in line with similar cost increases with MnDOT and other agencies. Total costs in 2025 will be $14,384.66, and total costs in 2026 will be $14,960.05.
- Peters: Are they keeping up on all aspects of the contract?
- A: Yes, they do. We follow up to ensure they do.
- Approved Out of State travel request – National Association of County Engineers Conference. This annual conference is scheduled for April 14th through the 18th. The budget includes funding to attend this conference.
- Award of Contract – CSAH 27 asphalt paving.
- Administration: Sara Folsted
- Consent agenda approved
- Ratified of the MNPEA Deputies Union Contract approved for 2025, 2026, 2027
- Ratified of the MNA (MN Nurses Association) Union Contract for 2025, 2026, 2027
- Darktrace annual payment, an intrusion detection and response software. $77,244 from the IT budget.
