BSCB discusses Cannabis; Approves CSAH 35 contract

The Big Stone County Board met for a regular meeting on Tuesday, March 18, at the Big Stone County Courthouse in Ortonville. 

Board members approved the meeting agenda and the minutes from their meeting on March 4. They also authorized the payment of bills. 

During committee reports, board members discussed information from recent meetings. 

Commissioner Jeff Klages shared highlights from a PrimeWest meeting. He reported that Minnesota introduced County-Administered Rural Medical Assistance (CARMA) legislation into both the Senate and House of Representatives with bipartisan support. He also noted that PrimeWest saw a slight increase in enrollment last month. 

Commissioner Klages also provided notes from a Pomme de Terre River Association meeting. He highlighted that the organization received funding for one of its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts before the 2024 Farm Bill expired, but the remainder of the contracts remain on hold until the state produces a new Farm Bill.

Commissioner Chad Zimmel highlighted information from a Big Stone Area Growth (BSAG) meeting. He reported that BSAG recently worked with three businesses to help with start-up needs. Zimmel also shared that BSAG began working with Energy Smart on grant funding for energy improvements for businesses but noted that executive orders and the federal funding freeze impacted Energy Smart’s contract and stalled the process. He reported that two businesses involved with the energy improvement grant efforts could move forward due to their inspections already being completed but that the grants for the other businesses will remain on hold. 

Commissioner Zimmel also shared notes from a Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council meeting. He highlighted the organization approved additional funding for four programs totaling about $350,000, with part of that funding coming from a $500,000 Career Pathways grant written in partnership with South Central Workforce Council and evenly split between the organizations. Zimmel also reported that the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council established and scheduled a job fair with 20 employers to assist the 175 workers recently laid off from the Case-New Holland plant in Benson. 

Board members received updates and addressed action items following committee reports. 

Ortonville City Councilman Dillon Dwyer brought forth concerns from the Ortonville City Council regarding Big Stone County’s cannabis ordinance and proposed joint powers agreement and gauged the County Board’s willingness to amend their ordinance and joint powers agreement. He noted the City of Ortonville’s concern centers on Section 2, Subdivision 6 of the ordinance, which limits the number of retail businesses in Big Stone County to only one retailer. 

“Our biggest worry being the largest city in the county is that, if we agree to this, it creates this situation where there is kind of an arms race in the sense that the first person to do it gets to be the one that potentially benefits,” Dwyer highlighted. “We don’t want it to be like where someone in Beardsley jumps through all the hoops, opens up a retail business, and has success, and then we have to sit and watch them reap the benefits, and we can’t start our own if somebody wanted to go through the process and try. We are fine with everything else in the ordinance and joint powers agreement. We were just wondering if you were open to amending that number. We just don’t want to sit and watch somebody else succeed because they did it faster. I don’t know if anybody is kicking down the door to try and do this, but there will be a lot of hoops to jump through. It’s going to be hard enough to do, so why do we want to limit the opportunity for businesses to come into our communities?” 

Environmental Services Director Darren Wilke noted that if one cannabis retailer did open in Big Stone County, the County Board could always amend its ordinance at that time. 

Commissioner Zimmel also highlighted that the joint powers agreement has a 30-day out clause, and the City of Ortonville could accept the agreement now and then get out down the road if a situation did occur where a retailer opens up in another community. 

County Attorney Rebecca Trapp advised the County Board not to change its ordinance at this time. “We appreciate you coming and asking these questions,” Trapp stated. “The city was asked to the table and didn’t show. We presented this to everyone to come to the table to help us make decisions, what was approved was a result of that.” 

Family Services Director Laura Laub presented the results of the PrimeWest Audit for Managed Care Services. She shared that PrimeWest reviewed 70 cases for 38 specific requirements. Laub noted that Big Stone County received a corrective action plan for two items but highlighted that the department was aware of both items going into the audit. 

Board members approved a 2025 contract with the Presbyterian Family Foundation for Guardianship and Conservatorship services. Family Services Director Laub reported that the only change to the contract is a mileage increase from $0.67/mile to $0.70/mile. 

Board members approved a contract with Apex Engineering to complete the municipal design for CSAH 35 (Highland Highway) for an amount not to exceed $20,000. Big Stone County Engineer Jorden Roggenbuck shared that the original quote for the work was $100,000, but the Highway Department decided to develop part of the plan set, completing the survey, plan, and profile. 

“It’s great to see you and your team take the initiative to complete $80,000 worth of the work,” Commissioner Paul Radermacher stated. 

Board members approved a revised final payment to Central Specialties for SAP 006-601-008 (CSAH 1). “During final closeout, we noticed the final payment request sent from Central Specialties did not match our close-out quantities,” Engineer Roggenbuck stated. “The final payment request we approved was slightly less than the negotiated and settled amounts. The old final payment did not include compensation for the reclaimer hitting old unforeseen railroad ties on the roadbed.” The total of the additional amount paid to Central Specialties is $1,010.94. 

Prior Township’s Cannabis Joint Powers Agreement received approval. 

Randy Stuckey received approval for hire as a seasonal worker at Toqua Park. 

Board members approved hiring for a seasonal worker position for the Environmental Services Department. The department will utilize some reserved Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) and Buffer funds for the position. “We want to expose this position to a lot of different work areas to see their strengths and interests,” Environmental Services Director Wilke stated. 

The Big Stone County Board meets again for a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 1, at 8:30 a.m. at the Big Stone County Courthouse in Ortonville.