Rock County Commissioners meet April 21
Rock County Board of Commissioners April 21, 2026
Herreid Board Room - Rock County Courthouse 9:00 A.M.
Vice-Chair Thompson called the meeting to order with Commissioners Overgaard and Reisch present; Commissioner Williamson was absent. Also in attendance were Administrator Kyle Oldre, Deputy Administrator Susan Skattum, County Attorney Jeff Haubrich, and Star-Herald Reporter Nicole Ronchetti.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those in attendance.
Motion by Reisch, seconded by Overgaard, to approve the April 21, 2026, County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote.
Motion by Overgaard, seconded by Thompson, to approve the April 7, 2026, County Board minutes, declared carried on a voice vote.
Motion by Reisch, seconded by Thompson, to approve the consent agenda, declared carried on a voice vote
1. Appoint Commissioner Overgaard to Opioid Allocation Committee
Eric Hartman, Land Management Office Director, presented (3) Conditional Use Permits; a public hearing was held on April 13, 2026, and no public comments were offered. The Planning & Zoning Commission recommends approval of the following:
1. Central Specialties - Placement and operation of a temporary hot mix asphalt plant located in Henning Construction pit in the NW 1/4 of Section 13 of Vienna Township.
Motion by Reisch, seconded by Overgaard to approve with conditions identified on the permit, declared carried on a voice vote.
2. Central Specialties - Placement and operation of a temporary hot mix asphalt plant located in the E 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Section 23 of Denver Township.
Motion by Overgaard, seconded by Reisch, to approve with conditions identified on the permit, declared carried on a voice vote.
3. Reker Construction and Agg, LLC - Mining, stockpiling and processing of aggregate granular materials located in the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 26 of Clinton Township.
Motion by Overgaard, seconded by Reisch, to approve with conditions identified on the permit, declared carried on a voice vote.
Ryan Holtz, Rural Water Systems Manager, requested approved for a loan application to the Minnesota Rural Water Association for $250,000 for the construction of a new storage building as Rural Water has outgrown the existing 40-year building. Terms of the loan application include the applicant name is Rock County, for the amount of $250,000 for a period of 10-years at a rate of 4.25%. Holtz stated that Rural Water will be making the last payment of $31,000 on MPFA-06-0055-R-FY07, a 20-year bond and stated that payment amount would be applied to the new loan re-payment schedule. Motion by Reisch, seconded by Overgaard, to authorize Rural Water to proceed with the loan application with the identified terms, declared carried on a voice vote.
Ashley Kurtz, Auditor/Treasurer, presented the claims and Per Diems of $900.00; Motion by Overgaard, seconded by Reisch, to approve, declared carried on a voice vote. An itemized listing of all warrants over $2,000 and an aggregate total for warrants under $2,000 are published on the County website at the following address: www.co.rock.mn.us/department_directory/auditor_treasurer
Total Commissioner Warrants paid by Fund:
General Revenue Fund 52,660.77
Public Works Fund 68,943.75
Library Fund 6,268.51
Capital Projects Fund 15,239.70
Land Management Fund 2,064.91
The County Board was in receipt of the Fund Balance report as of April 17; the Auditor/Treasurer indicated there was nothing significant to report. Motion by Overgaard, seconded by Reisch, to approve the Fund Balance report, declared carried on a voice vote.
Motion by Overgaard, seconded by Thompson, to acknowledge receipt of Auditor Warrants paid on 04/10/2026 and 04/17/2026, declared carried on a voice vote.
Motion by Thompson, seconded by Reisch, to approve the re-issuance of lost warrant #15247 payable to Outlook Books for the amount of $329.11, declared carried on a voice vote.
The Auditor/Treasurer along with the Land Records Office Director requested approval of following tax abatement:
•01-0111-000 - Adam and Martha Lee; valuation correction resulting in a tax decrease of $260.00
•07-0164-000 - Dale and Cynthia Reverts; correction to homestead interest resulting in a tax decrease of $696.00
•07-0165-100 - Dale and Cynthia Reverts; correction to homestead interest resulting in a tax decrease of $1,156.00
Motion by Overgaard, seconded by Reisch, to approve the tax abatements as presented, declared carried on a voice vote. The Auditor/Treasurer indicated new tax statements would be issued with the corrections.
Mark Sehr, Engineer informed the County Board that the lease program for tractors with implement dealers has expired and presented the following lease options for (2) tractors:
•John Deere offers a five-year lease program at $18,249.19 per year for a JD614M and $18,276.14 for a JD 6R145; both tractors have an average of 300 hrs and have purchase options after the lease expiration.
•Case IH offers a five-year lease program at 18,477.90 per for a Case IH Maxxum 2819 and $17,603.86 for a Case IH Maxxum 3277; both tractors have an average of 300 hrs and have purchase options after the lease expiration.
The Engineer stated all lease agreements have full warranties and recommended the lease option from John Deere; motion by Overgaard, seconded by Reisch to approve the 5-year lease agreement with John Deere for (2) tractors with an annual payment of $36,525.33, declared carried on a voice vote.
The Engineer gave a brief update regarding construction projects: repair work has begun on County Road 20; MnDOT continues to monitor all traffic issues on detour routes.
Calla Jarvie, Library Director presented an update regarding a Public Library Association Conference that was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the conference was a national conference with over 6,000 attendees. Conference highlights were How to Teach Tech to Adults, materials regarding setting boundaries with the public, book displays, leadership and accessibility requirements with marketing materials. Jarvie stated that she was awarded a Praireland Scholarship of $1,000 which covered the conference expenses and overall, it was a great conference and appreciated the opportunity to attend.
The Administrator informed the County Board that he submitted a mini-grant application to the Lyon County Riverboard Foundation and that there are total of 94 applications and that there will be 50 award winners. Award winners are selected by lottery drawing with the maximum award being $3,000. The mini-grant award ceremony is scheduled for April 30 at 7:00 p.m. and applicants must be present to be eligible to win. The mini-grant project was for $3,000 to assist with site preparation for the Kanaranzi Park project.
In addition to the mini-grant award, Sioux Valley Energy and local 4-H Club has expressed an interest in assisting with the install of the new equipment at the Kanaranzi Park.
The Administrator reported on the following building projects:
•Courthouse – renovation is near completion, the architect has set a May 15 deadline with all contractors; roof repair remains incomplete; HVAC project is scheduled to begin May 15
•Armory – due to the fact that the contract is not able to comply with completing the project, the architect is recommending to terminate the contract. Currently, Rock County is withholding a $170,000 payment, and will pay the sub-contractors only.
The Administrator stated that he attended the following activities/meetings:
•AMC Legislative update – there is a potential for a bonding bill; discussion regarding potential surplus verses the 2025 deficit; modernization of the Department of Human Services tech programs; the state may fund ARMER radio updates; pension changes for dispatcher and probation agents; changes to Paid Family Medical Leave.
•Negotiations with LELS Union for Dispatch, Deputy and Sergeants; Dispatchers have tentatively agreed to their new contract, Deputy negotiation status is going to mediation status and LELS have determined that the Sergeants will be combined with the Deputy union as their job title does not warrant a differentiation of job duties.
•Bureau of Mediation (BMS) for the Deputy union contract is scheduled for May 1
•Attended a Fire Chiefs meeting
•FEMA pay to the BRRRA remain outstanding as long as the Department Homeland Security remains shutdown
•Interviews are scheduled for the Equipment Operator and Engineering Technician positions at the Highway Department.
Commissioner Reisch stated that he attended the following meetings/events: Southwest Minnesota Opportunity Council.
Commissioner Overgaard stated that he attended the following meetings/events: Land Use, Planning & Zoning, Vienna Township, Southwest Health & Human Services Public Health Opioid Settlement; 17 applications were received with (10) recipients receiving an award. Luverne School District was awarded $5,000 for Tall Cop Say Stop training.
Commissioner Thompson stated that she attended the following meetings/events: no meetings.
With no further business coming before the County Board, the meeting was adjourned by order of the Vice Chair.
(06-11)
