BLUE EARTH– The Faribault County Board, at its meeting on Tuesday, took action to appoint Public Works director/county engineer April Wellman to a four year term.

Wellman had previously been appointed to a one-year term on May 1 of last year.

Wellman also provided the commissioners with a brief construction update.

“The rumble strips are finished,” Wellman told the board. “We will be awarding a number of bids at the May 6 board meeting including the overlays on County Road 17 and County Road 35. We will also have the bridge bids to consider.”

Wellman also reported that construction had begun on County State Aid Highways 58 and 64 in Kiester.

The board went into a closed session for a short period of time to discuss labor negotiations. When they resumed their regular meeting, Human Resources director Amanda Shoff told the public that negotiations had begun with the IUOE (International Union of Operating Engineers) in November of 2024 and that a tentative agreement had been reached in April of this year. The board approved the contract with commissioner Tom Loveall expressing his appreciation for the background information which was provided during the closed session.

The board also passed a motion to set the elected official (excluding commissioners) 2025 COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment) at three percent with retroactive backpay to Jan. 1 of this year.

In other news:

— The board passed a motion in support of the Minitex Library Services which facilitates access to a collection of more than 10 million resources from Minnesota’s public, academic, and special libraries for patrons and libraries in every corner of the state. This action had been requested by Traverse des Sioux board representative, John Roper.

— The board approved the training request of Tammy Olsen of the county assessor’s office to attend the Assessment Laws and Procedures seminar and the MAAP Spring Business Meeting.

— Approval was given for Karolyn Bendickson and Brady Rauenhorst of the county assessor’s office to attend the MAAO (Minnesota Association of Assessing Officers) Summer Seminar.

— The board granted the request of Amanda Lukes of the Sheriff’s Department to attend the Minnesota Crisis Intervention Team (MN CIT) Mental Health Awareness training.

— The board approved a solid waste hauler license for Erosion Control Plus, Inc.

— The board heard an update from Nate Carr, a co-program administrator for Faribault County’s Soil and Water District, on the Bass Lake Water Project.