Polk County commissioners approve road contract, software agreement and a slate of grants and contracts

Polk County commissioners on April 15 approved a series of contracts, grants and resolutions, including a $2,226,844.10 award for a County Road 12 widening project and a three-year contract for Questica budgeting software.

The approvals came by voice vote after routine roll call items and department reports. Commissioners also accepted a state boat-and-water safety grant, amended a Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) contract for workforce services, approved a short-term family-support facilitator contract, approved local dumpster service contracts for parks, updated the county bridge-replacement priority list and authorized a ditch-cleaning project.

Why it matters: The road contract moves a nearly $2.23 million construction project toward this summer, affecting traffic and maintenance schedules on a roughly 10-mile stretch of County Road 12. The Questica agreement commits the county to a three-year implementation intended to centralize budgeting and replace spreadsheet workflows; commissioners debated contract length and implementation logistics before voting.

Votes at a glance:

- County Road 12 widening — Awarded to Knife River Materials, Northern Minnesota (Bemidji) for…