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NEW ULM -- Brown County Commissioners unanimously accepted a $59,456.45 voting equipment grant award agreement Tuesday.
A $49,818.82 local match is required for the grant award of $45,000 for tabulator and assisted voting devices and $14,456.45 for electronic rosters. The grant requires a 50 percent match for all election equipment and a 25 percent match for electronic rosters.
The Brown County Auditor/Treasurer's Office would propose election equipment that would be purchased with the grant funds at the Feb. 27 board meeting. The Election Committee has reviewed the purchases that will be presented for consideration.
Commissioners also unanimously approved:
• Findings of fact and order regarding the petition of David and Ruth Englin, and Cecilia Zwaschka, Sections 36 and 25, Mulligan Township to outlet into County Ditch 28. A $2,600 outlet fee will be billed to petitioners along with all the costs incurred with the proceedings. Benefits have been adjusted so that the parcels will be responsible for their percentage of future repairs and maintenance. A 30-day appeal period begins after the order is signed and filed in the County Auditor-Treasurer's Office.
• Findings of fact and order regarding the petition on behalf of the David Schwartz Rev. Trust, Joseph and Cindy Steffl, Joseph and Judy Schwartz etal., Section 2, 3 and 10 in Leavenworth Township, to outlet into CD 48. Petitioners will be responsible for a $25 outlet fee per acre to be billed to them along with all costs incurred with the proceedings.
Landowners remain responsible for any repairs/maintenance to CD 30 until the private tiling is complete. At that time, viewers will review benefits that will be assigned to the parcels and the effect it will have on the total benefits to CD 30 and 48.
• Awarding a seal coat oil bid to low bidder Flint Hills Resources, $414/ton; $202,860. Other bids were $444.10/ton from Jebro Inc. and $438.94 ton from MEIGS Paving Asphalts & Emulsions.
• Supporting the Minnesota Library Association 2018 legislative platform requesting increased funding, a regional library formula change and other library improvements. The resolution will be sent to Sen. Gary Dahms and Rep. Paul Torkelson.
• Approving MEI Total Elevator Solutions to install a traveling cable in the courthouse elevator for $2,266 so that video signals can be processed through the cable to software servers. The county is installing a new video and door security system in the next few months. Part of the project is to install a video camera in the courthouse elevator.
• A Memorandum of agreement (MOA) designating the county water planner as the authorized representative to be the primary contact in all matters concerning the MOA.
• A $28,520 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan proposal from Stonebrooke Engineering. The Brown County Highway Department must prepare an ADA Transition Plan this year or jeopardize federal funds for highway projects.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and ADA of 1990 directed highway departments to build pedestrian curb ramps at intersections with sidewalk as projects were completed. Brown County has been installing pedestrian ramps as roadway surfaces have been rehabilitated.
Most Brown County intersections have curb ramps. But standards have changed since many of them were installed and many are considered non-compliant now.
A thorough field review of curb ramps and public outreach are required to complete a plan.
Upcoming projects with the amount of federal funds included:
• $750,000; 2018 TH4/CSAH 29 roundabout.
• $1,596,000 2021 CSAH surface rehabilitation between New Ulm and Hanska.
• $1,500,000 2022 Bridge 2110 on CSAH 8 over the Minnesota River.
• A single-lot split application by Timothy Peterson on property owned by Mae L. Tande Testamentary Trust, 3.38 acres, Section 32, West Albin Township. Parcel being platted is an existing building site being split off from tilled ground.
• 2017 Brown County Probation Dept. statistics as presented. Probation Director Les Schultz said more kids are going into detention for longer stays. Most Brown County youth go to Prairie Lakes facility in Willmar, Schultz said.
Probation out-of-home placement costs were $347,404 in 2017, the highest figure since they reached $379,536 in 2014. Three 2017 placements spent a total of 479 days at the Leo Hoffmann Center that costs nearly $300 a day, Schultz added. One juvenile spent a year at the facility, which cost more than $100,000.
There were 247 controlled substance charges in 2017, 223 by adults, which was up from previous years.
Schultz said Brown County's Teen Court program, the first in Minnesota, is in its 25th year in 2018.
"The country of Trinidad contacted Judge (John) Rodenberg a few years ago and patterned its teen court program after ours," Schultz said.
Assistant Probation Director Evonn Westcott said many of the best teen court jurors are prior teen court participants because they know what questions to ask parents and juvenile offenders.
Teen jurors can participate in a volunteer program to learn civic and community responsibility, plus have a positive experience with the juvenile justice system. Last year, 55 Brown County youth volunteered as teen court jurors.
Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.