County raises several fee schedules, updates Ponderosa Landfill pricing and adds document shielding fee
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Summary
Blue Earth County updated multiple fee schedules, raising planning-and-zoning application fees (to $900 for variance/interim/conditional-use applications), increasing several Ponderosa Landfill charges, and adding a $75 document-shielding fee for redactions under the state's judicial-security program effective Jan. 1, 2026.
Michael Stahlberger, director of Property & Environmental Resources, presented annual fee-schedule adjustments for multiple divisions and recommended changes discussed in a November work session. Key changes the board approved include increasing variance, interim-use and conditional-use permit fees to $900 to reflect staff time; adjustments to landfill pricing including per-ton and construction/demolition rates, higher minimum charges, increased tire-disposal rates and a newly emphasized "found-on-work-face" fee to discourage mixed loads; and small increases to bundled GIS-data packages.
Stahlberger also described recording and mapping adjustments required by state policy: a new $75-per-document fee to shield records (redact names/addresses for qualifying judicial-security employees) to comply with updated recording rules and a minor research-fee and per-page copy adjustments. Staff said many statutory fees remain unchanged where law preempts county action.
Commissioners discussed the Ponderosa Landfill pricing and noted the work session review; after discussion the board approved the updated fee schedules.