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Committee approves routine contracts, grant applications and three wildlife‑damage payments
Summary
The Land and Water Conservation Committee approved minutes, renewed parks cleaning and mowing contracts for 2025, authorized trail grant application and a conservation aids application, and approved three wildlife damage claims totaling roughly $13,000 in payable amounts.
The Vernon County Land and Water Conservation Committee approved a set of routine actions at its meeting, including renewal of park service contracts, resolutions to pursue grant funding, and three approved wildlife‑damage claims.
The most immediate outcomes - Minutes: Committee approved the prior meeting minutes after a motion from Dave and a second from Nathaniel; motion carried with aye votes. - Parks cleaning contract: Members renewed the county’s park restroom cleaning contract with the incumbent vendor for 2025; Marty presented the item and staff said there is no price change this year. Motion to approve was made by Dave, seconded by Nathaniel; committee voted aye and the motion carried. - Parks mowing contract: The committee renewed the parks mowing contract (same vendor) with no change in cost; motion from Dave, second from Nathaniel; motion carried. - Snowmobile trails grant resolution: The committee authorized applying for the state trail aid program that reimburses clubs on a per‑mile basis (staff noted $300 per mile and approximately 246 miles countywide, roughly $74,000 of allocation). Motion and second were made and the resolution passed. - Conservation aids grant resolution: Committee approved submitting an application for the small conservation aids grant (staff said these requests are typically about $5,000), motion carried. - Wildlife damage claims: The committee approved three claims through the county’s wildlife damage program (standard $500 deductible applies). The payable amounts the committee approved were: • John Hansen (Swenson Road): $4,201.79 payable after deductible. • Jeff Hastings (Snowy Ridge Christmas trees): $4,967.00 payable; staff noted much of the damage was buck rubs and some occurred during a fence transition period. • Robert Buckles (corn and soybeans): $3,795.33 payable. The claims were moved, seconded and approved.
Context and procedure Committee members emphasized that many of these items are standard annual business: cleaning and mowing vendors were retained with no price change, and the snowmobile trail and conservation aid actions are routine grant applications administered through the DNR portal and passed through to local clubs. Staff explained the trail aid program distribution process: clubs invoice or enter activities in the DNR portal; the county administers reimbursements and receives an upfront half allocation with reimbursements for additional spending.
Votes and records Where the transcript records motions, movers and seconders were named (commonly Dave as mover and Nathaniel as seconder); roll‑call vote details were recorded only as unanimous “aye” votes in the meeting audio and minutes. No opposed votes were recorded.
Ending: The committee concluded these routine actions and moved on to other agenda items including NRCS updates, a lengthy watershed/dam decommissioning presentation, and extension educator reports.
