Rock County Commissioners met Aug. 18
Rock County Board of Commissioners Aug. 18, 2026
Herreid Board Room - Rock County Courthouse 9:00 A.M.
Chair Williamson called the meeting to order with Commissioners Peterson, Thompson and Reisch present; Commissioner Gary Overgaard was absent; also in attendance were Administrator Oldre, Deputy Administrator Skattum, County Attorney Jeff Haubrich, Star Herald Report Nicole Ronchetti and county residents Carol Morgan, Deon Carriere and Keith Elbers.
The Chair extended a welcome new County Commissioner of District 3 Rick Peterson.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those in attendance.
Motion by Reisch, seconded by Thompson, to approve the August 18, 2026 County Board agenda, declared carried on a voice vote.
Motion by Reisch, seconded by Thompson, to approve the August 04, 2026 County Board minutes, declared carried on a voice vote.
Motion by Thompson, seconded by Reisch, to approve the consent agenda, declared carried on a voice vote.
1. Counties Providing Technologies, Inc (CPTI) – 3-year contract renewal with
3% annual increase
Ashley Kurtz, Auditor/Treasurer, presented the claims; motion by Reisch, seconded by Williamson, 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 50,006.20
Public Works Fund 116,291.76
Library Fund 2,624.73
Land Management Fund 6,060.89
The County Board was in receipt of the Fund Balance report; upon a review, motion by Thompson, seconded by Peterson, to approve, declared carried on a voice vote.
The County Board was in receipt of Auditor’s warrant listing of August 07 and August 14; motion by Reisch, seconded by Thompson to acknowledge receipt, declared carried on a voice vote.
Kurtz presented a follow up to the August 11 Primary Election stating that voter turn out was at 26.73%, similar to previous primaries. Kurtz also the breakdown of voter turnout by voting methods: early voting, absentee, mail ballot and in person per precincts within the county. The County Board thanked Kurtz for a successful election process.
The County Board was in receipt of (2) tax abatement requests from Lewis & Clark due to recent exemption status from the Department of Minnesota Revenue. In summary the abatement requests are on the following parcels:
03-5001-000 - 3yr Tax Abatement - $29,246
06-5005-000 - 3yr Tax Abatement - $48,094
Kurtz stated that repayment amount will come each taxing district, the county, Clinton and Luverne Townships and 2184 Independent School District. Motion by Reisch, seconded by Thompson, to approve the Lewis & Clark tax abatements as presented, declared carried on a voice vote.
Calla Jarvie, Library Director requested out-of-state travel authorization to attend Rural and Small Libraries Conference in Montgomery, AL on September 16-17; conference registration and travel and lodging expenses are grant funded. Motion by Thompson, seconded by Reisch, to approve the out-of-state travel, declared carried on a voice vote.
Ryan Holtz, Rural Water Systems Manager requested out-of-state travel authorization to attend National Rural Water Conference in Pheonix, Ariz., on September 14-16; conference registration and travel and lodging are grant funded. Motion by Reisch, seconded by Thompson to approve, declared carried on a voice vote.
Holtz gave a brief update regarding the water tower project stating that steel construction will begin in the next couple of weeks; the anticipated completion of the project will be in September of 2027.
Alan Saakyan, county resident, discussed options on how to resume the live stream and video recordings of County Board meetings. Saakyan demonstrated video equipment that would be required with an estimated cost of $1,100 for the equipment. The live stream and recordings would utilize a YouTube account, the procedure that was previously established. Saakyan stated that his status changed and would not allow him the time resource to commit to the project. After discussion the County Board stated they would continue to research Saakyan’s request.
Mark Sehr, Engineer, requested to bid let (3) box culvert projects: SAP 067-599-190, SAP 067-607-021 and SAP 067-611-013 with a bid let date of August 31 at 11:00 A.M. Motion by Thompson, seconded by Reisch, to approve, declared carried on a voice vote.
Sehr informed the County Board that a bridge replacement project (Bridge 67504) located at 0.6 on CSAH 6 over the Beaver Creek will begin August 18 and will take approximately 14-16 weeks.
The County Board discussed attendance at the AMC Fall Policy Conference scheduled for September 16-18 at Bemidji, Minn.; presented as information only.
The Administrator gave a brief update regarding building projects at the Armory, Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center; no action was taken.
By Order of the Chair Rick Peterson was appointed as a delegate to the Southwest Health and Human Services Board.
The county board was informed that US Small Business Administration (SBA) announced availability of low-interest federal disaster loans for eligible small businesses and private nonprofit organizations impacted by the drought beginning April 1; Rock County is an eligible county, and the application deadline is 03/29/2027.
The Administrator led a discussion regarding a meeting with the City of Luverne to discuss health insurance to include rates, benefit structures, employer contributions, etc. and to explore options of combining resources to determine if there are any advantages. Rock County is in receipt of Agent of Record (AOR) request from Mari Wagner, Insurance Specialist for National Insurance Services, who is currently serving as the broker for the City of Luverne. It was determined to table action of the AOR request until the next meeting.
The County Board was informed that the location of the October 20 and November 3 County Board meeting location will be at the Conference Room at the Land Management Office/Armory building at 309 S. Freeman Ave; Luverne, MN 56156.
The Administrator requested to schedule a Budget Retreat to review details of the proposed 2027 budget which is projected to be at a 7.46% increase. It was determined to schedule the Budget Retreat on September 8 following the regular county board meeting.
Administrator Kyle Oldre submitted his letter of resignation with an effective date of 02/28/2027. Motion by Reisch, seconded by Thompson to accept with regret, declared carried on a voice vote. The Administrator assured the county it is his priority to ensure a seamless transition for administration.
Commissioner Reisch stated that he attended the following meetings/events: Canvassing Board, Southwest Minnesota Opportunity Council.
Commissioner Thompson stated that she attended the following meetings/events: Luverne Initiatives For Tomorrow.
Commissioner Williamson stated that he attended the following meetings/events: Rural Water, Canvassing Board, Soil & Water Conservation District, Power On.
With no further business coming before the county board, the meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair.
(10-15)
