BLUE EARTH– The Faribault County Board of Commissioners held their final meeting of the year on Tuesday.

The final item of business was passing the budget and tax levy for 2025 at the Truth in Taxation meeting.

A resolution calling for a total net levy of $15,901,136 was passed on a 4-1 vote with commissioner Tom Loveall voting against the resolution. The final levy amount represents a 4.464 percent increase over the previous levy and Loveall had wanted to reduce the increase to lower than four percent. The approved budget for 2025 was set at $36,201,248.

Earlier, at the regular County Board meeting, the commissioners approved the 2025 CEDA (Community and Economic Development Associates) contract which includes a five percent increase over the current contract and is not to exceed $88,869.

County engineer and public works director April Wellman presented two bids for the rural lighting project at the intersection of County Road 17 and County Road 16.

“The bids were very close and I recommend we go with the low bid from River City Electric Company of Mankato,” Wellman said. “The bid is for $58,687 which is much lower the engineer’s estimate of $160,207 which was put together by the previous engineer.”

The board approved the bid from River City Electric Company.

In other business, the board also:

— Approved the request of Luke Schonborn of the Faribault County Drainage Department to attend an OSHA Construction Training Course.

— Voted to approve Sheriff’s Department employee Daniel Killion’s request to attend a Mental Health Awareness for Dispatchers seminar.

— Approved the request of Bryan Schaper of the Public Works Department to take a Bituminous Street Inspector Recertification class online and to attend a Concrete Plant Tester Recertification program.

— Approved Public Works Department employee John Oswald to attend a Bituminous Plant Tester Recertification training class and a Bridge Construction Inspector Recertification training class. The board also approved Oswald taking a Concrete Field Inspector Recertification Course online.

— Gave approval to Public Works Department employee Taylor Doering to attend a Grading and Base Tester class and a Concrete Field Tester Certification course. Approval was also give to Doering to take an online class for her Bituminous Street Inspector Certification.