Minnesota House District 22A representative Bjorn Olson attended the Faribault County Commissioners meeting last Tuesday, Nov. 7. Among the issues he discussed with the County Board were road construction in Faribault County and taxes. Olson represents seven townships located in Faribault County.

Minnesota House District 22A representative Bjorn Olson came to the Faribault County Board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 7, to provide the commissioners with an update on the most recent legislative session and to hear any concerns the commissioners might have regarding Faribault County.

“It’s great to be here,” Olson said. “You know, the closer one gets to more local government, the more common sense one sees. It seems we lose a lot of common sense the higher up we get in the legislative process.”

Olson told the board the legislature managed to spend all of last year’s surplus and then raise taxes on the people of Minnesota by another $10 billion.

“I didn’t vote for it,” Olson commented. “Here in Faribault County we might see some benefit with more money for roads.”

When Olson asked for any concerns from the commissioners, board chairman Bruce Anderson brought up the condition of State Highway 22 from Wells to Kiester.

“It has to be one of the worst roads around,” Anderson said. “The stretch from Wells to the Golden Bubble isn’t set to be worked on until 2029 and the road from County Road 16 to Kiester isn’t scheduled for work until 2031. That’s not soon enough.”

Olson replied he would reach out to the Minnesota Department of Transportation District Office to see what they say on the subject.

“I know they are trying to spread a set amount of money over so many miles of road,” he added. “But, I also know they do adjust their schedule at times.”

Olson encouraged the board to contact him if any issues arise that need his attention.

Department of Corrections supervisor Sarah Eischens and Faribault County Sentence to Serve crew leader Jason Casias were both at the meeting to give their quarterly report on the Sentence to Serve program.

“It is an abbreviated report this quarter since Jason didn’t begin as the crew leader until August,” Eischens explained. “Jason has transitioned smoothly from his position in the Sheriff’s Department into the Sentence to Serve job and things have been going well.”

Casias reported the crews have been staying busy.

“We have had to clean up a lot of roadside dumping,” Casias said. “We have found everything in ditches from washers and dryers to tires.”

“Are there any particular roads that are the worst?” commissioner Tom Loveall inquired.

“West of Winnebago on 190th Street is one bad place and near Walters we found mattresses in a road ditch,” Casias replied. “We also had a problem at the Frost recycling site where somebody dumped shingles and siding.”

Commissioner Bill Groskreutz asked if cameras at the recycling sites would help.

“We do have funds in an account which could be used for cameras,” he added.

The board decided to discuss the camera situation at a later time.

“How does winter affect your operation?” commissioner Greg Young asked.

“One of the things we will do in the winter is go to the smaller cities that do not have a street department and scoop the snow away from their fire hydrants,” Casias answered. “We also look for other inside work at county buildings and other places which might need painting or other work.”

Planning and Zoning administrator Sara Hauskins was at the meeting to ask for approval of the County Feedlot Program Delegation Agreement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

“The agreement contains a number of minimum program requirements we have to meet as a county,” Hauskins explained. “It’s something we sign every two years.”

The program also contains a grant program of over $34,000 for the county.

The board approved the agreement.

Chief deputy sheriff Scott Adams also attended the meeting for the first public hearing on the implementation of body worn cameras by the Faribault County Sheriff’s Department.

“The body worn cameras are for the patrol deputies, the court security officer, School Resource Officer (SRO), jail staff and deputies in investigations,” Adams told the board. “The Sheriff’s Office purchased Axon Body Cameras.”

According to Adams, the data recorded from these cameras is stored on evidence.com, which is provided by the vendor.

“The data is classified, audited, stored, and filed as evidence,” Adams added. “Each recording is uploaded wirelessly and stored on a secure system which can be utilized by other agencies including law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor’s office for prosecuting cases.”

It was also noted that one requirement of body worn cameras is that agencies need to provide an opportunity for public comment, accepted by mail and email. The County Commissioners are also required to allow public comment at one of their regular meetings.

“The Faribault County Sheriff’s Office wants support from the community and would like an opportunity to discuss any concerns the public may have,” Adams stated. “The body worn cameras will benefit the department while performing law enforcement duties. The benefits as well as potential challenges that might arise need to be discussed, and input from the community is part of this process.”

A copy of the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office body worn camera policy is available on the Faribault County website at https://www.co.faribault.mn.us/sheriffs-office or by calling the Sheriff’s Office at 507-526-5148, or by stopping by in person at 320 Dr. H. Russ Street, in Blue Earth.

The second reading of the policy will be on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the next regular County Board meeting.

The board also:

• Approved the hiring of Matthew Zbaracki as a full-time dispatch/jailer.

• Passed a motion approving First Bank Blue Earth, Wells Fargo, the Frost State Bank, the State Bank of Easton and Peoples State Bank of Wells as depositories of public funds for Faribault County for a period of one year.