Goodhue County adopts 2026 fee schedule after public hearing; adds wind and solar fees

The Goodhue County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a proposed fee schedule for 2026 after a public hearing during its November meeting. Theresa, representing Finance and Taxpayer Services, presented the schedule and said changes were marked in red on the draft and that some fees are set by statute. The board opened a public hearing, heard no public comments, closed the hearing and then approved the schedule by voice vote.

Theresa said the management team encourages an annual review of fees to reduce separate public hearings throughout the year and noted a number of new fees on the proposed schedule, the largest being fees for wind and solar systems. She also explained that some charges—where noted—are controlled by statute and therefore not discretionary.

Commissioners discussed clarifying items that had not previously appeared on the schedule, including certain court-service fees and a mail-ballot fee that the county had charged historically but had not documented on the published schedule. Commissioners asked staff to research tiered mailing fees tied to jurisdiction voter counts to avoid pricing small jurisdictions out of election services.

The board voted to open a public hearing on the fee schedule, then to close it after three calls for comment, and finally to approve the proposed 2026 fee schedule as presented.