- OUTSIDE AGENCY: Sara Folsted will be presenting on behalf of NACo
- Presentation of the 2025 NACo Achievement Award: Rice County and the Rice County HRA have been recognized with a 2025 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards’ 18 categories honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents. At the build-out, Twin Oaks, a 7-acre housing project developed by Rice County’s Housing & Redevelopment Authority, will include a city park and 22 homes. Deed restrictions ensure the properties remain priced with the average Rice County worker in mind. Like most of the country, Rice County has very few single-family homes on the market. Even fewer are considered affordable and/or large enough for multi-generational families or those with a number of children. While housing prices in Rice County are up an average of nearly 5% in the last year, the average worker doesn’t earn nearly enough to purchase their own home. This is a great example of how local governments and non-profits can collaborate and make a real and lasting impact on the community. By partnering with Three Rivers Community Action, Rice County Habitat for Humanity and the city of Faribault, and by securing funding assistance from the state, this housing development will help nearly two dozen families realize the dream of homeownership. Twin Oaks is now moving into its second phase. The first family has moved into their home, three more houses are under construction – with one of those nearly complete – and an RFP seeking a builder for the next eight homes has been issued.
- COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS: Angela Brewer
- Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Services week proclamation: Every year, during the third week of July, the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) recognizes Pretrial, Probation, and Parole services week to honor and recognize the work of Community Corrections staff and agencies across communities in America. The theme of this year’s PPPS week, observed in 2025 on July 20-26, is Heroes Behind the Mission: Changing Lives, Enhancing Public Safety. PPPS Week salutes and celebrates the valuable efforts of roughly 90,000 community supervision professionals across the country. These individuals supervise approximately six million people nationwide under supervision branding from diversion and pretrial release to parole. The 2025 theme is aimed at breaking down walls and bringing people together to share, talk, heal, and celebrate so that America may flourish.
- Commissioners unanimously approved this proclamation.
- SOCIAL SERVICES: Chris Sammon
- Out-of-State Travel Request/2025 National Sexual Assault Conference: Through special funding from MNCASA (Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault) the Rice County Sexual Assault Multidisciplinary Action Response Team (SMART) has the opportunity to participate in a national-level conference August 26th-28th with all travel, lodging and registration costs provided. The National Sexual Assault Conference being held in Anaheim, California is an annual event with advanced learning opportunities to develop skills, share information, and network with others in the work from across the country. The conference is sponsored by Valor, US which is a foundation established in 1980 that has been working on behalf of survivors and advocates throughout the years to mobilize communities to influence change. Locally, a representative from HOPE Center, one staff from Community Corrections, and one from the Child and Family Services Unit have been selected to attend and represent Rice County.
- Commissioners unanimously approved this request.
- SHERIFF’S OFFICE: Jesse Thomas
- Out-of-State Travel Request/2025 Police Canine Training Seminar
- The 2025 Police Canine Training Seminar is hosted by the National Police Canine Association. This is a dog-less seminar. Registration, travel, lodging, and meals will be incurred by the Sheriff’s Office budget. ~$1,700 from training budget, which currently has $46k.
- Commissioners unanimously approved this request.
- DRAINAGE AUTHORITY: Dennis Luebbe
- Draft Drainage Ditch Policy overview: The Drainage Ditch Policy is being updated to address changes in operations and practices. With a full-time ditch manager, operational and administrative practices can be updated. A rough draft is attached.
- Discussion topics included: Private ditch crossings — not allowing them any longer without special approval, due to a backlog of issues that have occurred. Drainage system finance and how ditch maintenance costs will be assessed back to the property owners, as many are in the red. Installation of private outlet pipes on property to ensure it’s installed correctly. Tree removal, beaver dam removal, buffer strips.
- Purfeerst: Is it better to go through the planning process?
- Peters: Yes, like TDR splits, so they realize when they come in for a permit, so they realize they’re in a ditch authority. It should be spelled out in a title search, but just so they’re aware of it. The taxing part, that was brought up at our taxation meeting.
- Peters: It’s a good idea that we control the private crossings. And the buffer strips — I’ve gotten a lot of calls about that lately. Do you control that?
- A: About half the ditches have been redetermined in the last 10 years. We’ll bring the others forward, a few at a time, going forward. Eventually they’ll all (all buffers) will be under the ditch authority.
- Purfeerst: On assessments, last year the ditch authority was about $.5 million in the red. Let’s bill people when the bills are small, like $50, so they’re easier to pay, rather than waiting until it accumulates. It would make a big difference to the county to have that paid.
- Luebbe: Total length of ditches is 190 miles and about 5,000 parcels throughout the county. So this touches a lot of people throughout the county. Probably important to have public feedback.
- Purfeerst: Need to decide the limit the ditch authority can spend on a given ditch without coming to the board. Right now it’s about $2,000. It’d be nice if it were higher so he could take care of projects more efficiently.
- Underdahl: I think it’s important to have a public hearing. I know it’s a giant chore to notify everyone, but I think it’s important. Further, how do we get this information out to the property owners so they know there is a responsibility associated with having a drainage ditch, because it has a financial impact. Anything we can do to be transparent up front, the better.
- Malecha: I agree on the public hearing. The property owners are going to be impacted.
- Folsted: Yes, we can do that and do letters to specific parcels that would be assessed. Very doable.
- Luebbe: We’ve had meetings to try to get that ditch assessment added to property tax statement. And there might be two lines: one for county-wide ditch administrative costs and one for specific ditch system projects.
- ADMINISTRATION: Sara Folsted
- Consent Agenda
- Extra Time/ Over Time Report 6.13.25
- Payment of Bills
- Personnel Appointments
- Unanimously approved.
- SELCO Contract Renewal – 5 year contract for the library system
- CLOSED SESSION under MN Statute 13D. 05 SUBD .3 (C)(3) to develop or consider offers or counteroffers for the purchase or sale of real or personal property for the following parcels.
- Northern portion of 1831126262,1831126272, 1831126271, 1831126263, 1831126264, 1831126267,1831126266, 1831126265
- 2nd parcel 1819176005
- Third parcel 1836250006.
- ADJOURNMENT
