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Commissioners to consider contract with NU treatment plant

To treat landfill leachate

NEW ULM — Brown County commissioners will consider a contract on Tuesday with the New Ulm Waste Water Treatment Plan (WWTP) to treat leachate produced by the Brown County Landfill.

The landfill produces about 1,300,000 gallons of leachate per year, which is not normally a problem. The landfill utilized part of the existing spray field because a new cell was constructed. The remaining spray field cannot handle the balance of the leachate due to over-loading the soil with water and constituents.

The contract runs until Dec. 31, 2018 (with automatic renewals each year after), and specifies that the county is limited to hauling every other day for the first 30 days. The county is also limited to hauling 5,500 gallons per day, meaning if an average of 5,000 gallons hauled is 60 days worth of hauling. If 500,000 gallons needs to be hauled due to a wet year, the number of available days rises to 100 days.

A disposal fee to send leachate to the plan is $.05 per gallon. The total disposal fee will be $20,000; estimating about 400,000 gallons to be hauled to New Ulm.

Commissioners will also consider:

• Approval and signing a Joint Powers Agreement for the Brown-Lyon-Redwood-Renville Drug Task Force. The agreement includes the four county boards and sheriff, the cities of New Ulm, Redwood Falls, and Marshall City Councils and Police Chiefs and Lower Sioux Police through its tribal council and police chief.

• Establishing a Primary Election Canvass for 10 a.m., Friday, Aug. 17; and the General Election Canvass for 8:15 a.m., Nov. 13 for the Elections Canvassing Board. The dates have been coordinated with the court administrator and New Ulm mayor.

• An Area II Minnesota River Basin projects update and $12,971 annual membership levy, which has been the same since 2013.

• A Redwood-Cottonwood Rivers Control Area (RCRCA) update and $10,050 annual membership levy, unchanged since 2014.

• The Brown Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention (AISP) program update.

• Daycare/preschool consultation agreements with Martin Luther College Early Childhood Learning Center, Kid’s Xcel Center and Treehouse Preschool.

• Participation in the Bridging Brown County (Network Brown Brown County) Leadership Program and Adult Health Supervisor Kayla Jore’s participation. Tuition is $350 and is budgeted this year.

• A health insurance bid from Medica reflecting a combined 15.4 percent decrease from 2018 rates. The 500/1000 plan has been dropped. The low-deductible 300/600 plan remains an option for eligible employees. The 6650/13300 w/HSA plan is added as an optional high-deductible plan for eligible employees. The 2700/5400 w/HSA continues as the base plan.

Bids were received from Medica, BCBS, BCBS/South Central Coop, Health Partners, Allina/Aetna, Preferred One and United Healthcare. The Medica bid is the low bid and provides coverage comparable to the current 2018 health insurance benefit.

The board meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the courthouse commissioner’s room.

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