Votes at a glance: Stearns County board actions at final meeting of the year

The Stearns County Board took multiple formal actions during its final regular meeting. Key outcomes and brief details follow.

• Consent agenda: Board approved 18 items on the consent agenda after pulling items E6 (paid family leave) and E14 (EVA AI) for separate discussion; the remainder passed by voice vote (motion moved by Commissioner Bursky; second by Commissioner Johnson).

• Sauk River Watershed Collaborative work-plan revision: Presented by Becky Schlorf and Emily Forbord; the revision reallocates Watershed Based Implementation Fund grant dollars and adds priority watershed areas so funds can be spent on ready projects. Board approved sending the work-plan change to the Board of Water and Soil Resources and adopting the resolution once the state approves.

• Legislative priorities: Board approved a set of legislative priorities to guide outreach during the 2026 session, including justice center modernization, human services funding concerns tied to federal/state changes, and sales tax discussions. Staff will prepare concise one‑pagers for meetings with legislators.

• Commissioner compensation: After discussion the board approved a 5% salary increase for commissioners (new packet figure stated during the meeting as $48,565). Members discussed comparables, recruitment and possible future creation of an independent commission to advise on compensation.

• Per diems: Board approved adding a $50 site‑visit per diem for Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment members to encourage attendance at multi‑hour site visits; meeting per diems remain unchanged.

All listed votes were approved by voice vote; the board recorded no roll‑call tallies in the transcript for these items.