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County board OKs grant for farm care packages

NEW ULM — Brown County commissioners unanimously approved Brown County Public Health applying for and accepting a $2,000 Allina Health Charitable Contributions Grant for the Mental Health and Wellness Action Team Tuesday.

Led by Brown County Public Health Director Karen Moritz and Human and Mental Health Services Supervisor Julie Hogen, the Mental Health and Wellness Action Team plans to create care packages for farm families and partner with agricultural entities to distribute them. Grant funds will cover printing, outreach and other materials.

Packages will be distributed to farm cooperative organizations and go out after Jan. 1. They will provide resources so farmers know how and where to reach out if needed.

The Mental Health and Wellness Action Team is working on prevention and reducing the stigma of mental illness by implementing activities to increase resiliency in the community and creating awareness of mental illness.

Commissioners also unanimously approved:

• The appointment of New Ulm Police Sgt. Steve Depew as full-time chief deputy sheriff as of Jan. 7 at an hourly rate of $35.72 (annual salary $74,317), Grade XXI, Step 4. In addition, they approved 20 hours of on-call pay per pay period with vacation accrual time starting at the 5-year accrual level, on a motion by Tony Berg, seconded by Dennis Potter. Dave Borchert abstained.

• Setting a public hearing at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19, for Planning and Zoning Office recommended fee schedule changes.

• Setting a public hearing at 9:25 a.m. Dec. 19 for Brown County Zoning Ordinance revisions by the Planning Commission.

• Approving $7,402.79 in Emergency Management Office equipment purchases including a $255 Ethernet switch, $290 Internet access port, $107.50 tack holder, $259.95 projection screen, $1,299 wireless presentation system, $553 storage cabinet, $549.99 cell phone booster, $4,088.80 for new phones.

Commissioners allocated $8,000 in the 2018 budget for emergency management office upgrades.

• Authorized a $56,000 assessment to landowners on Judicial Ditch (JD) 10 B and BE due to insufficient funds in their account. Landowners will have 60 days to pay without interest. If amortized, the rate will be 4%.

On Nov. 6, the Drainage Authority authorized a clean-out on JD 10B&BE at a cost of $15,02.50. The fund already had a deficit balance at the time the cleaning was authorized, but funds are still being collected with the last half of the 2018 tax.

The drainage system has had assessments placed every year since 2012. Average expenditures for the system are about $25,000.

Brown County Auditor/Treasurer Jean Prochniak wrote in a request for action that it is her preference to have adequate funds to cover repairs for the total assessment duration if possible. When making the assessment, she includes two years of the average.

• A $19,999 2019 Ford Escape low bid from Chuck Spaeth Ford for a probation vehicle purchase. Other bids were $20,655 for a 2018 Jeep Renegade from Maday Motors and $24,092 for a 2019 GMC Terrain from Jensen Motors.

Supervision fee funds budgeted for a 2019 vehicle purchase were $19,500.

• Received a Nov. 1 letter from Minnesota Housing that read residents in Brown, Cottonwood, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville and Yellow Medicine Counties impacted by June and July 2018 flooding may be eligible for state loans of up to $15,000 via the Minnesota Housing Quick Start Disaster Recovery Program.

Residents must apply for and accept all insurance and SBA funds before applying for Quick Start. Apply for SBA funds by Dec. 13. Then contact county administrators to apply for Quick Start by Feb. 13, 2019.

For more information, visit www.mnhousing.gov

• Recognizing Public Health Advisory Committee members Phil Schenk and Bryan Sellner as faith and school board representatives, respectively for six years each; plus New Ulm Public School representative Abbey Frauenholtz.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.

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