February 5 Minutes

HOUSTON COUNTY
PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD
OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Date: Tuesday, February 5, 2019 9:30 a.m.
Place: Room 219, Courthouse, Caledonia,
MN
Members Present: Eric Johnson, Teresa
Walter and Fred Arnold, Jack Miller
Others Present: Administrator Babinski;
Bruce Kuehmichel, Yvonne Krogstad, Bob
Burns
Board Workgroup Session
Call to order.
Administrator Babinski and Commissioner Arnold led a review and discussion on a
proposed Appraisal Form for the County Administrator. Commissioner Arnold asked the
others to provide feedback on the form and
input for the Administrator’s initial 6-month
evaluation. The Board will schedule a closed
session after either the Board Workgroup
Session on 19 Feb or the Board Meeting on
26 Feb depending on the Board’s preparations for the Appraisal.
Administrator Babinski shared feedback
from a multi-county survey that most Counties do not have allowances for separate (reduced) Commissioner Salaries, but there are
few examples where the option exists. The
prevailing consensus of the board is to follow
State Auditor guidance of maintaining one
fixed salary, but asked Administrator Babinski to continue preparing a draft resolution for
future consideration by the board.
Administrator Babinski provided the
Board with an overview of the discussions
he and the staff have had with Enterprise
Fleet Management specialists. Babinski explained the pros and cons of using a corporate fleet management solution and mixture
of owned and leased vehicles to provide the
staff with safer, more efficient vehicles and
reduce the county’s budget for vehicle purchase, maintenance and mileage reimbursement. Administrator Babinski has invited the
representative down to address the board
and is working with the staff to define fleet
requirements.
Administrator Babinski provided a review of his and the department’s priorities
and major projects for the year. Collectively,
the Comprehensive Land Use Plan update,
Facilities (Highway Department building,
Historic Jail Building use, Grant for Historic Courthouse repairs), and continued staff
consolidation and integration top the list.
The Highway department has approximately $9M worth of projects planned this year,
including 7 roadway resurfacing projects, 5
bridge replacements, and preparatory work
for 2020’s projects.
This being a workgroup session, with
no action taken, the meeting concluded at
11:30.
The next advertised meeting being a regular board meeting, Tuesday, February 12,
2019.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
HOUSTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA
By: Teresa Walter
Chairperson
Attest: Jeffrey Babinski
County Administrator
Published in
The Caledonia Argus
March 6, 2019
912006