Daly gives final report to County Board
Commissioners also vote for a new HR generalist on a 4-1 vote

Faribault County Public Works Department director and county engineer Mark Daly, above, left, gave the Faribault County Board his final report, as he officially is retiring as of the end of the year, Dec. 29.
It was not only the last meeting of the year for the Faribault County Board of Commissioners, it was also the last County Board meeting for two long-time county employees who are retiring at the end of the year.
Mark Daly, who has been the county engineer/Public Works director since the spring of 2015, and Gertrude Paschke, who has spent the last seven and a half years as the county assessor, are both retiring at the end of 2023.
The commissioners thanked Daly and Paschke for their service and wished them well in the future.
However, Daly still had one final report to present to the board before his duties came to an end.
“I am leaving you with a proposed five-year construction plan for Faribault County,” Daly said. “Nothing really changed for the proposed 2024 projects. One of the changes you will find is for County Road 16 to be resurfaced from the city of Blue Earth to the intersection of County Road 17. That is now on the schedule for 2028. It is the heaviest traveled road in the county and is getting beat up.”
Daly also presented resolutions, which the board passed, for accepting grant money for box culverts and bridges, and for replacing, rehabilitating or removing deficient bridges as soon as possible, when funds are available.
“The bridge replacement spans a five-year period,” Daly explained. “This is part of the process that needs to be done now so we can apply for financial aid to assist the county in the work which needs to be done.”
The board also approved the purchase of a new R12 survey instrument at a net cost of $45,178 with the money already having been allocated in the budget.
Paschke attended the meeting to take care of some ‘housekeeping’ duties before the end of the year which involved correcting two clerical errors on the classification of property.
Economic Development Authority Specialist Jennifer Howard was at the meeting to get the county’s annual contract with CEDA (Community and Economic Development Associates) renewed.
“The county has contracted with CEDA since 2018 to provide economic development services,” Howard commented. “We are seeking approval to renew our contract, which is a four day per week contract, for 2024.”
The board approved the proposed contract which included a five percent increase over the previous year which makes the annual cost of the contract $84,638.
Mark Goldberg, of David Drown Associates, was at the meeting to report on the Classification and Compensation study that was conducted at the request of the county.
“I am not here to do staffing,” Goldberg stated. “I am just here to present you with the information.”
Following the report, the board passed a motion to adopt the 2024 pay structure, which would not take effect until April, and also requires the approval of the employees’ union.
On a 4-1 vote, with commissioner Tom Loveall voting no, the board authorized the hiring of a Human Resources (HR) generalist.
County coordinator Brian Hov explained the Central Service department currently has two core staff members consisting of an HR director (not yet hired) and a central services assistant.
“Due to the increasing demands with compliance and regulations, and coupled with a challenging job market, many counties and private entities are adding HR positions to keep up with the workload,” Hov said. “This helps provide a sustainable work/life balance and increases operational redundancy and resiliency.”
“I am concerned we are just expanding the government by hiring an HR generalist,” Loveall stated.
The board also took action to set the county recorder’s 2024 salary at $89,003 and the county attorney’s salary at $170,019.
In other business, the board:
• Voted to approve a gambling permit for Heartland-Faribault County Pheasants Forever to operate bingo and a raffle on Feb. 24, 2024, at the Golden Bubble.
• Approved a gambling permit for Ride 2 Remember to operate a raffle on April 7, 2024.
• Approved the hiring of Kim Poole as senior auditor clerk.
• Authorized the county auditor to advance funds to ditch accounts with negative balances.