Observer Report: Rice County Commissioners, 11.19.25

Present: Malecha, Peters, Hoisington, Purfeerst, Underdahl 

Approval of Agenda- approved 

Approval of Minutes Regular meeting 11/4/2025- approved 

Property Tax and Elections: Denise Anderson 

Resolution#25-041/Resolution Adopting and Confirming Special Assessments for 2026 Circle Lake Improvement District- approved 

Environmental Services: Julie Runkel 

Interim Use Permit/New Leaf Energy- Poplar Grove Farms- Section 23, Morristown Township. Motion to table to December 2, 2025. Approved 

Zoning Ordinance Amendment – Solar Energy Production as an Interim Use within the URI, Urban Reserve Industrial Zoning District: Malacha NO, Peters, YES, Hoisington YES, Purfeerst YES Underdahal YES 

Interim use Permit/Dimension Energy Reuvers Section 12, Warsaw Township 

Approved 

Interim Use Permit/Dimension Energy (Reuvers) Section 7, Walcott Township- approved 

Interim Use Permit/Timm’s Trucking (Medford Properties II LLC)-Section 33, Walcott Township- approved 

Interim Use permit/Furball Farm- Section 9, Walcott Township- approved 

Interim Use permit/Wieme- Section 34, Wells Township- approved 

Waiver of Plat/Kalow (Krenz)- Section 3, Warsaw Township- approved 

Interim Use Permit/Carver Garden LLC (Carver)- Section 28, Cannon City Township- Approved with Malacha dissenting- 

Facilities: Chris Kluge 

Award Contracts for Conservation Building Part 1 and Part 2- Part 1 is NCC Builders out of Northfield- approved. Part 2 Webb Construction out of Mankato- approved. 

Child and Family Services: Chris Sammon 

RC Family Services Collaborative- Parent Leadership Training Institute Grant, national organization offering trainings for parents and care givers, fostering parent leadership. 225,000, yr one to begin as soon as contracts signed, 75,000 each year. Approved.  

Children’s Mental Health Screening Grant Acceptance- prioritizing under and no insured children. Approved 

Highway: Dennis Luebbe 

Highway Department updates. 10 yr highway update plan: 7 projects completed this year, 7 more to add into the 10-yr plan. Cty 54 now intended to be paved. Addition of trails to be added to projects already in plans. Potential fo two additional roundabouts, one south of Northfield (hwy1), another at Rice Cty 20 and trunk Hwy 3. Design issues with County Road 20/115 th st/ Hwy 3:  in design phase, including realignment of Eaton Ave to change the skewed intersection. Potential for development there by city of Dundas. Bike path, which will end in a trail head, part of 10-year plan to connect trails. Cty Road 22 Project: reconstruction of poorly designed intersection. Discussion of having open houses for public comment re: trails, with agreement that each phase of the project ought to have an open house; the first to include a brief discussion of overall 10-year plan, then to phase one/public comment. County Rd 78 pushed to 2029, including a trail (MNDOT shutting down Hwy 19 in 2028) 

2025 : 7 or 10 projects completed, three deferred to next year, including Lonsdale, paving project (district wide), Wall Street in Northfield.  

Resolution #25-044 Grant Application for Local Road Improvement Program- CSAH 20- up to 1.5 million to help support, from MNDOT. Approved  

Resolution #25-045, Supporting Bridgewater Township LRIP application 

Improvements to Decker Avenue. Approved 

Administration: Sara Folsted 

Consent agenda- approved 

Adjourn 

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