RECOVERY AWARENESS MONTH - During the Sept. 1 meeting of the Waseca County Board of Commissioners, the month of September was proclaimed "Recovery Awareness Month." Members of the recovery community were present to support the cause. Lighting on the county courthouse will be purple all month in recognition of the proclamation. Pictured here are (back row, from left) Commissioners Doug Christopherson and De Malterer, Tyler Bolster, Quen Bena, Christopher Wright, commissioners Brian Harguth, Brad Milbrath and Brad Krause (front, from left) Alexander Henderson, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Megan Radel and Heather Clark, holding her daughters Vienna and Zella. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently
County continues work toward 2027 budget
Thu, 09/10/2026 - 8:15am
The press toward a preliminary 2027 county budget and levy continued during the Sept. 1 meeting of the Waseca County board of commissioners. During an 8 a.m work session, representatives of agencies which receive more than $10,000 a year in "allocations" provided summaries of the services their agencies provide and the services or advances made possible by funds awarded to them from the county.
As reported in an August article in the Pioneer, the county recently paid about $145,000 as the first half of its annual allocations for 2026, with about the same amount to be paid again in December. The Sept. 1 session was an opportunity for agencies to state and defend their requests for the 2027 budget year.
Making their case were spokespersons from the Waseca Art Center, the Waseca County Free Fair, FarmAmerica, and the Waseca County Historical Society.
Also examined during the work session were the Soil and Water Conservation District budget and the human resources and administration budget. During the conversation, county administrator Michael Johnson let commissioners know health insurance rates for the county will increase by 9.9 percent, or roughly $260,000, in 2027.
Official business transacted on Sept. 1 included awarding a nearly $340,000 contract for re-roofing the Waseca County Maintenance Garage to Commercial Midwest Roofing, Inc., of Kasson. The contract calls for the new roofing to be in place by Dec. 1.
Commissioners also approved the $45,200 purchase of a New Holland Boomer 40 tractor from Smith's Mill Implement. The purchase had originally been anticipated in 2027, but repairs for a recent breakdown experienced on the current tractor were expected to cost about $15,000. Rather than spend that amount to repair the 1995 tractor, county facilities department leader Brian Tomford recommended purchasing the new tractor, which was already on his 2027 budget. Funds to pay for the purchase are expected to come from recent sales of “landlocked” properties not suitable for development as parks.
After 20 minutes or more of discussion whether or not to place $75,000 into a fund designated for county trails, commissioners tabled the topic to their Oct. 6 meeting. The question was whether to have the $75,000 in a fund designated for trails,with the chief intent of setting money aside for a possible purchase of land, or to leave the money in the general fund and remove it when needed.
Because the county expects that, if it’s possible to reach an agreement to purchase the railroad right of way which passes through New Richland toward Waseca, and then continues north out of Waseca toward Waterville, doing so may take a decade or more, commissioners had a lengthy discussion about whether setting the money aside was necessary, especially when doing so would remove money from the general fund and thus give an appearance of increased expenditures.
During the Sept. 1 meeting, commissioners heard a report from the southwest district of the Minnesota Department of Transportation regarding construction plans through 2036. The district covers 13 counties with Waseca being the easternmost, Sibley the northernmost, and continuing to the state’s western border. The report showed only one construction project within Waseca County for 2027, that being some sidewalk work along Highway 30 in New Richland.
An article elsewhere in this edition shares further information about an official proclamation made during the Sept. 1 meeting. September was designated as Recovery Awareness Month in the county, which parallels simultaneous national attention to the same topic.
Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Megan Radel, who now works with WeCovery out of Owatonna, asked commissioners to issue the proclamation and, in recognition of it, to light the Waseca County Courthouse in purple throughout September.
In a brief speech, Radel stated, “Recovery is happening right here in Waseca County every single day. People are becoming better parents, better employees, better neighbors and stronger members of our community.
“Lighting the courthouse purple may seem like a small gesture, but to those in recovery it says, ‘We believe in you. We see you. Your life matters.’”