Members present: Seeboth, Berg, Lochner, and
Potter along with Administrator Enter and County
Attorney Hinnenthal.
M/Lochner, S/Berg, to accept the Minutes
of 11-23-10 and authorize publication of the
Synopsis of same, carried.
M/Lochner, S/Potter, to authorize the payment
General Government claims in the amount of
$64,036.08 (subject to a $761.50 repair attributed
to JD#9), carried.
M/Potter, S/Berg, to accept and order filed the
reports on county drainage ditch matters, carried,
with Lochner dissenting.
M/Lochner, S/Potter, to authorize six (6)
Drainage Ditch Repair requests, carried.
M/Potter, S/Lochner, to approve regular
employee status for Matt Steffen, MW II, and for
Cindy Marti, Assessment Technician, carried.
M/Lochner, S/Berg, to accept and file the
Highway Dept. Monthly Construction Projects
Update and Maintenance Projects Update,
carried.
M/Berg, S/Potter, to authorize the purchase
of the following computer equipment in the state
contract amounts: Two (2) Dell OptiPlex 780
Minitower Computers @ $864.23/each; two (2)
Dell 24" Flat Panel Monitors @ $240.00/each; and
two (2) Dell AX 510 Stereo Soundbar speakers
@ $31.32/each; plus sales tax in the amount of
$156.13, for a total amount of $2,427.23, with
funding provided by Water Plan funds through the
Natural Resources Block Grant, carried.
M/Lochner, S/Berg, to approve the use of
SCORE funds for the publication of an educational
recycling/green newspaper insert on recycling,
new recycling coordination, waste and other
environmental topics that affect the citizens of
Brown County, carried.
The County Board further reviewed the 2011
Committee Memberships and by consensus,
agreed to consider the final draft listing at the next
County Board meeting.
Correspondence C-1 thru C-7 were accepted
and filed.
Seeboth reported on the Help Me Grow
committee and on Child Care information.
M/Berg, S/Potter, to approve the following
Family Services Dept. legislative proposals for the
legislator visits in the December Board meetings
as relates for the 2011 legislative session:
Welfare Fraud Issues - Medical Assistance,
Cash Assistance, EBT Cards, Food Support
Eligibility, Restructuring of the Welfare Fraud Unit;
Collections Issues; and Budget Issues, carried.
Calendars were coordinated for the next two
week period.
At 5:30 PM, Chairman Seeboth recessed the
Regular meeting to reconvene at 6:00 PM this
date in the District Courtroom.
At 6:00 PM, Chairman Seeboth reconvened
the Regular Meeting to conduct the 2011
Proposed Budget and Levy Public Hearing in
the 3rd floor District Courtroom of the Brown
County Courthouse located in New Ulm, MN.
Commissioners Seeboth, Berg, Lochner, and
Potter were in attendance, along with County
Administrator Enter, County Attorney Hinnenthal,
Auditor/Treasurer Helget, and Administrative/
Personnel Assistant Koch. Also in attendance
were fifteen (15) Brown County department
heads and staff; four (4) members of the general
public; and media representative Fritz Busch of
the Journal.
Chairman Seeboth convened the 2011
Proposed Budget and Levy Public Hearing.
Informational handouts were distributed to those
in attendance prior to the meeting.
At 6:01 PM, Administrator Enter presented
Brown County's proposed budget for 2011,
reviewing the handouts as provided. The
proposed 2011 Brown County levy noted was
$11,427,170 which reflected a 5.0% increase from
the 2010 levy in the amount of $10,883,019. The
Brown County Summary Budget Statement noted
adopted 2010 and proposed 2011 revenues by
fund and department, with the 2011 Brown County
Budget Revenues projected at $26,486,283. The
adopted 2010 and proposed 2011 expenditures
by fund and department were also presented in
chart and graph form, with the proposed 2011
Expenditures budgeted at $26,486,283 which
represented a 6.8% decrease from 2010. The
proposed 2011 Expenditures by category as a
percentage of total budget were noted as follows:
18.3%-General Government; 6.2%-Public
Health Nursing; 34.0%-Human Services; 20.7%-
Road and Bridge; 0.6%-Conservation/Natural
Resources; 1.6%-Culture/Recreation; and
18.6%-Public Safety.
Administrator Enter addressed additional
budget information as follows: Projected
Brown County Employer Costs for employee
compensation/benefits for 2011 totaling
$13,918,951 or 52.6% of the total proposed
budget; Comparison of estimated market values
for total agriculture properties and total nonagriculture
properties. Administrator Enter
also noted that preparation of the budget is a
lengthy process and departments continually
look for ways to limit the need for property taxes
by seeking grants and reviewing departmental
activity.
At 6:15 PM, Chairman Seeboth called for
testimony from the public regarding the proposed
2011 Brown County Budget and levy. There was
no testimony from the general public received.
Chairman Seeboth expressed thanks to those
in attendance, and also thanked the department
heads and staff for their efforts in preparing
the draft 2011 budget and for controlling
expenditures in 2010. It was noted that the
County Board will consider adoption of the final
payable 2011 property tax levy and budget at
the regular County Board Meeting at 9:30 AM
on Tuesday 12-14-10 in Room 204 of the Brown
County Courthouse.
There being no further business, Chairman
Seeboth adjourned the Public Hearing and the
Regular Meeting at 6:17 PM.
The Official Minutes of the Regular Meeting
of December 1, 2010 are on file in the County
Administrator's Office and may be viewed
during normal business hours, M-F, 8AM-5PM.
Correspondence and requests for additional
iinformation may be directed to the County
Administrator's E-Mail Address: cntyadmn@
co.brown.mn.us Home Page Address: www.co.brown.mn.us