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Tax increase blamed on lower Medicare payments

SLEEPY EYE — Lower Medicare reimbursement for ambulance services had a lot to do with a 9.1% 2025 city tax levy hike unanimously approved by the Sleepy Eye City Council Tuesday. Sleepy Eye City Manager Bob Elston said Medicare now pays about 38% of what it costs the City of Sleepy Eye to send an ambulance out. “Given that and the number of ambulance runs the last couple years with 70% of our patients on Medicare, our (2025) budget has $105,950 in tax dollars for the ambulance,” Elston said. Elston said the 2025 budget includes a 3% city employee wage hike effective Dec. 22, and ...

For the love of trains

ST. JAMES — Several train layouts operating simultaneously catch your attention when you walk into the Roundhouse Inc. model railroad. A small scale layout depicts downtown St. James, grain elevators and the rail yard. Other layouts depict a city in the 1950s with a lighted fire station, ...

Hewitt looking to expand in Nicollet

NICOLLET - Troy Hewitt and Kent Evans, two of the owners of Hewitt Manufacturing, discussed their expansion plans with the Nicollet City Council at their Monday night meeting. Hewitt Manufacturing is currently located at 709 Old Highway 14 Road and 9th Street in Nicollet. Hewitt said their business continues to grow and they are engineering new products. For example, they made a special dock project for the City of Wayzata, handicap ramps for homes, and fish armor boxes used for live scopes or fishing poles. “We are getting into new things that we haven’t done before and our ...

MnDOT removes Highway 4 detour Monday

SLEEPY EYE — After eight months of detours on on Highway 14, CR 8 and CR 24, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) removed the Highway 4 detour south of Sleepy Eye Monday. The $18.9 million project included replacing 3 bridges including the Cottonwood River bridge and two ...

Courtland approves $586,000 bond for Collin Drive utility project

COURTLAND -- Paul Donna from D. A. Davidson & Company was present at the Courtland City Council meeting on Thursday to consider a bond resolution that would issue $586,000 in bonds to fund the Collin Drive street and utilities project. “What you are pledging to the buyers of the bond is ...

After 20 years Ralph Bents retires from Courtland City Council

COURTLAND - Long time City Council Member Ralph Bents will attend his last meeting this evening as a member of the council. He served over 20 years as a council member and as a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Before moving to Courtland, Bents worked at Associated Milk Producers ...