Rock County aggregate tax hits 10-year high in 2019

Seven aggregate and gravel pit operators paid $146,373 in taxes in 2019.
Rock County Auditor-Treasurer Ashley Kurtz released the amounts at the Feb. 18 commissioners meeting.
The self-reported amounts are the highest total collected since 2010 and are $7,378 higher than taxes collected in 2018.
Operators are taxed 15 cents per ton of removed material.
The collected tax was split as follows: county road and bridge fund, $59,098; special reserve fund, $20,858; townships, $59,098; and administrative fees, $7,319.
The townships amount of $59,098 is split by six townships based on where the aggregate originated.
Mound Township received the highest amount ($20,260), followed by the townships of Denver ($14,367), Luverne ($8,431), Vienna ($7,504), Battle Plain ($7,129) and Clinton ($1,404.)
The remaining townships of Beaver Creek, Kanaranzi, Magnolia, Martin, Rose Dell and Springwater each received $500 from the administrative fund to offset the gravel tax expenditure.
Northern Con-Agg paid the highest tax ($45,302) followed by Bremik Materials ($35,584), W&N Construction ($20,883), Buffalo Ridge Concrete ($17,659), Henning Construction ($14,676), Reker Construction ($9,249), and Central Specialties ($3,016).
 
In other business, commissioners also:
•appointed Kurt Wenzel and Dave DeBoer to the Board of Planning and Zoning and the Board of Adjustments.
The appointments replace Gawaine Dekievers and fill a longtime vacancy