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Votes at a glance: Houston County approves grants, contracts and routine items; levy preliminarily set at 6%
Summary
At its meeting, the Houston County Board approved an emergency management grant resolution, health partnership agreement, hauler licenses, equipment purchase, and several contracts; the board also set a preliminary 2026 levy at 6% and tabled the operating budget for further staff work.
The Houston County Board of Commissioners handled a series of routine and substantive items and recorded votes across multiple agenda items.
Key approvals and outcomes
- Resolution 25-45: Emergency Management Performance Grant (2024 cycle) — authorized for signature and execution. (Approved by voice vote; transcript lists grant amount ambiguously as "15,116 thousand dollars.")
- Public health partnership: Authorized the public health supervisor to sign an agreement with the Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance so the county's community health worker can join a training cohort and learn billing procedures. (Approved by voice vote.)
- Hauler licenses: Approved annual commercial solid-waste hauler license renewals for 2026 (about a dozen regular haulers). (Approved by voice vote.)
- Richard's Sanitation rate increase: Approved a 1% contract rate increase for 2026 per the contract's annual adjustment clause. (Approved by voice vote.)
- MnDOT Aeronautics grant: Approved acceptance of a state aeronautics grant to cover 70% of a fence project at the hangars; county share estimated at $9,371.37 of a $31,237 contract. (Approved by voice vote.)
- Equipment purchase: Approved buying a grader attachment (walk-and-roll roller) from Ziegler Cat for $49,920; staff said funds were budgeted and available. (Approved by voice vote.)
- EDA professional services contract: Awarded to Groundbreaking Connections LLC at $85,000 after scoring two proposals; staff recommended the local firm as higher-scoring and $10,000 cheaper than the alternative. (Motion passed.)
- Non-represented pay grid: Approved a 3.5% increase for nonunion staff, consistent with union settlements. (Approved by voice vote.)
- 2026 tax levy: After extended discussion the board set a preliminary levy at 6% (roll-call recorded yes for each district) and tabled adoption of the operating budget to the next meeting so staff can adjust numbers.
- SELCO library contract: Approved a one-year library-service contract for 2026 with a 3% increase (county contribution ~ $203,283). (Approved by voice vote.)
- Payments: County payments presented were approved.
Several agenda items were procedural or scheduled for future meetings, including committee appointments and the operating budget, which was tabled to allow staff time to rework numbers.
The board announced it will revisit budget and contract matters at its next meeting.
