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Murray County commissioners approve $80,000 EDA loan, two home tax abatements and multiple personnel and maintenance measures
Summary
At their April 22 meeting in Slayton, the Murray County Board of Commissioners approved an $80,000 EDA loan to the Murray County Cattlemen’s Association, two Murray County Home Initiative tax abatements, ditch bill payments totaling $23,244, rehired seasonal museum assistants, an HR/Deputy Administrator job description and fairgrounds maintenance contracts.
The Murray County Board of Commissioners on April 22 approved a series of routine and programmatic measures, including an $80,000 loan to the Murray County Cattlemen’s Association, two Home Initiative tax abatements for new homes in Slayton and Garvin, and personnel and maintenance items.
The Board approved the $80,000 loan from the county’s EDA Revolving Loan Fund to the Murray County Cattlemen’s Association to help finance construction and furnishing of a new building on the Murray County Fairgrounds. The loan terms are 4% interest for 10 years with a six-month deferral of principal and interest and the first payment due November 2026; there is no prepayment penalty. The motion to approve the loan was moved by Commissioner Mark Carlson and seconded by Commissioner Roger Zins, and passed.
During the 9 a.m. public hearing segment, the Board approved tax abatements through the Murray County Home Initiative for two homeowners planning new primary residences. The Rohrer family (Robert and Kristin Rohrer) requested an abatement for a new home at 6 Cheryl Avenue in Slayton with an estimated value of about $750,000; the public hearing opened and closed at 9:00 a.m. with no attendees and the Board approved the abatement on a motion by Commissioner Jackie Meier, seconded by Commissioner Mark Carlson. The Board separately approved a tax abatement for Eric and Stella Miller for a new home at 18 Royal Oaks in Garvin, with an estimated value of about $900,000; that hearing opened and closed at 9:02 a.m. with no attendees and the motion passed.
As part of the consent agenda, the Board approved payment of Murray County Drainage Authority bills and related legal redetermination invoices totaling $23,244.00. The invoices included engineering and redetermination-of-benefit charges for multiple county ditches and judicial ditches.
The Board also approved fairgrounds maintenance work: reapplying calcium chloride on gravel roads and the parking lot, contracting with SW Dust Treatment Inc. for an amount not to exceed $5,500 to be paid from account 01-110-115-6260. Parks/Fairgrounds Director Justin Hoffmann reported the racetrack concession stand water heater had been leaking and the Board approved replacing it with a plastic marathon-style water heater. The fairgrounds maintenance motions passed without recorded opposition.
On personnel matters, the Board approved rehiring Lisa Siverson as a seasonal museum assistant (effective April 28, 2025; grade 1S, step 2; $15.00/hour) and Nancy Moberg as a seasonal museum assistant (effective May 24, 2025; grade 1S, step 5; $16.50/hour), contingent on satisfactory criminal background checks and pre-employment drug tests. The Board also approved the Human Resources Director/Deputy Administrator position description developed with consultant Tessia Melvin of David Drown & Associates; the position will remain at pay grade 15 with a pay range of $37.41–$48.63 and will be advertised that week.
The Board recessed its regular meeting at 8:49 a.m. and reconvened at 8:59 a.m. The meeting was adjourned at 9:03 a.m., after which the Board proceeded to a work session.
Actions noted in the meeting minutes were approved by voice motions recorded in the minutes; the minutes list movers and seconders for each motion but do not record roll-call tallies in the text.
