Newly-appointed county assessor Brady Rauenhorst shakes hands with commissioner Bill Groskreutz.

There was quite a large audience on hand at the Jan. 2 Faribault County Board of Commissioners meeting when Brady Rauenhorst was appointed and sworn in as the new county assessor.

Rauenhorst succeeds Gertrude Paschke who retired at the end of 2023.

“I have been working in the assessor’s office since September of 2016,” Rauenhorst said after the meeting. “The last two years I have been receiving training to be the assessor.”

Prior to being appointed as the assessor, Rauenhorst was a property appraiser.

The large audience who watched Rauenhorst take the oath of office for the county assessor’s job was made up of 20 boys and girls representing three local school districts, including Blue Earth Area, Maple River and United South Central.

They were at the meeting as Boys and Girls County representatives. The commissioners spent time with the students before the meeting began, explaining the duties of the County Board and how it functions.

“Much of what we do is dictated by the State,” commissioner Bill Groskreutz commented. “There are statutes we have to follow.”

The meeting was actually opened by county coordinator Brian Hov who oversaw the election of a new chairman for the board.

Groskreutz was elected chairman for 2024 and commissioner John Roper was voted in as the vice chairman.

Also on the agenda was the renewal of the 2024 contract for services between Faribault County and Faribault County Soil and Water District.

Faribault County SWCD co-program administrator Nathan Carr was at the meeting along with Planning and Zoning administrator Sara Hauskins to answer any questions the board members might have regarding the contract.

“This contract covers local water management, the wetland conservation act, shoreland issues and feedlot assistance,” Carr told the commissioners. “It also covers the septic program, other professional services and charges, and project matching funds.”

Hauskins touched on the money spent on county feedlots.

“The county pays $25,000 for feedlot funding,” Hauskins said. “The county also pays the contracts of the Septic Program staff.”

Martin & Faribault County Solid Waste coordinator Andy Geiger was at the meeting to seek renewal of the licenses for recycling and solid waste haulers.

“We have six businesses wanting to renew their license to haul recyclables,” Geiger mentioned. “They are B & B Sanitation, Dulas Disposal, LLC, Hometown Sanitation, LJP Waste Solutions, Thompson Sanitation and Waste Management.”

The board approved renewing the licenses for those haulers.

“Those six haulers plus Hansen Sanitation, Inc. and the city of Minnesota Lake have applied to have their solid waste hauling licenses renewed,” Geiger added.

The board also took action to renew their contract with Abdo Financial Solutions.

“Our service contract with Abdo expired last year on Dec. 29,” Hov informed the board. “With the current staffing deficit in the auditor/treasurer’s office, it is recommended to extend services through the first quarter of this year.”

County auditor/treasurer Amy Sathoff stepped into the meeting to offer a further explanation.

“They (Abdo) spent most of their time last year in the auditor’s office,” she noted. “Now, they will be focusing more of their efforts in the treasurer’s office.”

It was also brought up that the contract can be canceled at anytime.

Hov also told the board that Faribault County had received the draft audit findings and that two of the findings related to policies which need to be rectified.

“One finding had to do with the capital asset policy and the other finding dealt with budget policy,” Hov said.

“I am sure this was at the request of the State Auditor,” Groskreutz commented.

According to Sathoff, the budget policy needs more of an explanation of how the budget is created along with a proposed timeline to follow.

“I would like to see the budget process begin in June or July,” Sathoff added.

The board approved a policy development proposal created by Abdo Financial Services at a cost of $4,680.

In other business, the commissioners also:

• Set the per diems for lay committee members at $40 per half day and $80 per full day (same as 2023). The mileage rate was set at the IRS guideline of 67 cents per mile.

• Approved the bid of the Faribault County Register to be the county’s official newspaper for 2024.

• Voted to update the Faribault County Personnel Policy to include the new Sick & Safe Time policy.

• Passed a resolution to keep the gopher bounty for 2024 the same as it was for 2023 which was $2 for pocket gophers and 50 cents for striped and gray gophers.

• Made committee assignments for 2024.