Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Pine County board approves hires, signers, insurance rates and several administrative actions
Summary
At its October meeting the Pine County Board approved the hire of an auditor-treasurer, updated account signers, kept 2026 health insurance rates flat and passed several administrative resolutions, including authorizing participation in a hiring interview panel and a RUS reporting access update.
The Pine County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a series of personnel and administrative actions, including the hiring of an auditor-treasurer, an update to account signers, an authorization for a commissioner to sit on a hiring interview panel, maintenance of 2026 health insurance rates at current levels and a resolution updating access for rural utilities reporting related to a U.S. Department of Agriculture ReConnect award.
The board voted to hire Mary Jensen as Pine County auditor-treasurer effective Oct. 27, 2025, at a starting wage of $48.22 an hour; the action designates the position as a nonunion department head, grade 18. The board also approved designating Mary Jensen and Melissa Byrd, chief deputy county auditor-treasurer, as signers on Pine County financial accounts effective Oct. 27, 2025.
On personnel process oversight, the board authorized Commissioner Nelson — or an alternate as determined by the board — to participate in second-round interviews for the county’s environmental services manager position after the top candidate previously declined the offer. The county advertised the position on Indeed, the Association of Minnesota Counties and League of Minnesota Cities; 10 applicants applied and five were interviewed.
The board set health insurance rates for 2026 with no increase after discussion of claims trends and stop‑loss exposures. County staff reported rising claims and multiple high claimants that have hit or could hit stop‑loss thresholds; keeping rates flat was recommended to protect reserves.
The board also passed Resolution 2025-35 to update signers and system access in the Rural Utilities Service online system so county staff can continue reporting on the county’s ReConnect broadband award for the east-of-Hinkley project. The resolution updates names after recent county staffing changes.
Other routine items approved in consent included minutes, committee reports, and acceptance of the Pine County Surveyor and Housing and Redevelopment Authority minutes referenced in the meeting packet.
Votes and motions recorded during the meeting were moved and seconded and carried with voice votes; no roll-call vote tallies with named yes/no votes were recorded in the transcript.
Looking ahead, several of these administrative actions (notably the auditor-treasurer hire and signatory updates) take effect Oct. 27, 2025, and the county will continue reporting on the broadband ReConnect project as construction planning continues.
