Nelson County extends tractor bid, sets roadside mowing rules and schedules superintendent interviews

Nelson County Commissioners on Aug. 15 extended the opening for a tractor bid to Aug. 25 to allow two consecutive weeks of legal publication and approved new roadside mowing requirements that set enforcement fees if landowners do not comply.

The commission voted to delay the tractor bid opening after Curt Loe, interim Highway Superintendent, notified members the original notice missed the statutory publication deadline. Commissioner Cameron Swenson moved to extend the bid-opening to Friday, Aug. 25, at 8:00 a.m.; Commissioner Mike Haugland seconded the motion, and on a roll-call vote all members voted yes.

Commissioners adopted roadside mowing standards after public commentators raised concerns about grass height and loose gravel near road shoulders. Commissioner Aaron Mork moved to approve and advertise mowing and bale-removal requirements, which set a maximum stubble height of six inches with a seven-foot cut, require mowing be completed before Oct. 1, and authorize the county to mow at a minimum charge of $400 and at a rate of $400 per half mile when landowners fail to comply; Commissioner Mike Haugland seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

The board discussed other Highway Department business, including potential striping of County Road 4 east of the Michigan turn toward the Grand Forks County line and seeking bids to spray-foam the McVille shop; no final decisions on striping or spray-foaming were made. The commission reviewed four applications for the vacant Highway Superintendent post and directed Nelson County Auditor Nathan Parks to schedule interviews on Aug. 25 and prepare a list of interview questions.

The meeting record shows the commission treated the tractor bid publication extension as a remedial action to comply with the Century Code publication requirement rather than rejecting or reissuing the solicitation.