Greetings from Le Sueur County

As we kick off a new year, the Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners held their first meeting of the year on January 6, which is also known as the Statutory meeting where certain business must be addressed, namely the election of a new board chair and vice chair. Commissioner Danny O’Keefe was elected chair with Commissioner John King being elected vice chair. The Board also appointed and reappointed several individuals to the Planning Commission, Board of Adjustments, Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Parks Board, Library Board and Extension Committee.

The Board also opened bids for the annual legal newspaper, with the Le Sueur County News being awarded the low bid. Additionally, the Board adopted Board Operating Procedures which guides Board decision making, and the County Finance Policy that guides financial decision making. These policies are available for the public to view on our website under the County Administration page.

The Board also set the date of June 16 for the Board of Appeal and Equalization, which is the official meeting where property owners can formally dispute their property valuations that will be used for 2027 property taxes.  

In other Board related news, the annual contract with Aging Services for Communities to provide rides for senior citizens was approved, and the Board met for their annual drainage meeting where 2025 projects were reviewed, along with discussing policies and priorities for 2026.

Later in the month, the Board agreed to advertise for bids for the following 2026 road projects: paving County Road 2 between County Roads 15 and 11; paving County Road 7 between County Roads 12 and 2; replacement of a bridge on County Road 117; paving County Road 46 in City of Cleveland; and county-wide seal coats. Other road projects in the planning phase for 2026 include work on County Road 60 in New Prague and County Road 47 in Cleveland.

During the last meeting of the month, the Board discussed and agreed to pursue a grant with the Federal Economic Development Authority and to request funds that would pay for identifying and developing engineering plans for flood storage projects in the Cannon River watershed to mitigate flooding in the Waterville community.

Lastly, the Board discussed the controversial subject of shotgun versus rifle usage for the 2026 deer season. With the State law recently changing, rifles will be allowed to be used in all Minnesota counties, unless County Boards decide to adopt an ordinance to stay shotgun only. The Board decided to develop and issue a draft ordinance and hold a public hearing to hear public comments on whether the County should adopt an ordinance to stay shotgun only. The public is encouraged to attend the public hearing the evening of March 19 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Justice Center located at 435 E Derrynane Street in Le Center to express their opinion. The Board is unlikely to act on the ordinance during the public hearing, with a subsequent decision on whether to approve an ordinance coming during a subsequent regular Board meeting.