Meeting began at 9:10 AM

Ended at 9:33 AM

Review of previous meeting notes approved.

Agenda review approved.

Consent items: there were 7 items and all were approved but not discussed at this meeting- the meeting started 10 minutes late as the board members had an 8:30 AM meeting that ran late.

The meeting progressed very rapidly and words were spoken very quickly thus it was difficult to catch everything, at least for this observer.

The first discussion was concerning a request to have the board agree to sign a letter of support for grant funding to resurface the Wacouta Town Trail.

Susan Betcher ( District 5) presented information about the trail and its use. 

The town of Wacouta maintains the trail year round.

The grant from the DNR would cover 75 % of the resurfacing cost.

The request was granted and a letter will be signed by the board.

Secondly, the Sheriffs Office Annual Report for 2025- there was no action to be taken.

A Deputy spoke about the class the Sheriff’s office is offering in the spring semester at the Zumbrota-Mazeppa High School for Juniors and Seniors.

It presents information on law enforcement careers, giving an overview of all the possible jobs in law enforcement, education requirements, and gives the students the opportunity to learn about various fields of practice to help in any decision making they may be considering.

Next, Linda Flanders (District 1) reported she attended a meeting of the Board of Directors of MN. Counties. She reported that thus far, counties have wanted to maintain their own control but, with the unknown future of Federal and State funding, regional control needs to be considered for small counties.

Brad Anderson ( District 2) reported he has attended 4 Township meetings where he felt the was a good response to projects and understanding of budget cuts.

He also mentioned briefly the use of drones by law enforcement and that they are very helpful in increasing safety.