Otter Tail, Wilkin Counties discuss establishing community health board

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

County commissioners, on March 11, approved a new position, Otter Tail County Finance Director. This action followed a recommendation from the county Finance, Property and License Management Committee.

The county commissioners agreed that adding a Finance Director will ensure that the county is meeting public entity business standards. The new director, when named, will be involved with accounting procedures, policies and investing, to name a few.

Commissioners added that this position is required to exercise considerable judgment, perform complex analysis and provide complete and accurate information to the county board while supporting the vision and goals of Otter Tail County.

The entire county budget for 2025 is approximately $145 million.

Included in the budget for 2025 are county taxpayer funds for the following:

• Health and wellness (public health, human services, veterans’ services and county extension), economic growth and community (highways, land and resource management, parks and trails and solid waste)

• Safety and justice (emergency management, probation and law enforcement)

• Internal services (administration, human resources, facilities operations, information technology and geographic information systems)

Otter Tail, Wilkin 

health merger

Otter Tail County is committed to ensuring the continued oversight and regulation of food pool, and lodging establishments within its jurisdiction. As part of ongoing efforts to maintain high public health and safety standards, a newly-formed Community Health Board will include Otter Tail and Wilkin counties.

“We will work collaboratively with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the current delegated agency, Partnership4Health, to ensure a seamless transition and continued compliance with all regulatory standards,” said Otter Tail County Public Health Director Jody Lien to county commissioners on March 11.

The newly-formed Community Health Board programs will take effect Jan. 1, 2026. There will be interim programs the rest of 2025 to assure implementation of public health services, with compliance of state public health requirements.

Lien said all necessary documentation is being sent to the MDH in order to obtain official recognition for the new Health Board consisting of Otter Tail and Wilkin counties.

County may assist

Bongards in Perham

The county board of commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, April 8, starting at 9:30 a.m., to consider a plan of finance for the issuance by Otter Tail County of one or more series of tax-exempt or taxable revenue bonds. Proceeds would be loaned by the county to Bongards Creameries in Perham.

This would, if approved by the county board, finance the capital costs of acquisition and construction of solid waste and wastewater treatment facilities. The plan would include rehabilitation or construction of ponds and the improvement of dryers to be located at the Bongards cheese plant and waste treatment ponds in Perham.

Ash recycling

plans addressed

The Perham Resource Recovery Facility includes ownership by Otter Tail, Becker, Todd, Wadena and Clay counties. The facility is operated by the Prairie Lakes Municipal Solid Waste Authority (PLMSWA).

PLMSWA’s objective is to recycle ash instead of landfilling in alignment with the objective for protecting water resources. Otter Tail County manages ash and recently purchased a 10-acre site for more recycling. The next step in ash management is to develop the 10-acre parcel.

A grant application for approximately $1.2 million has been drafted. The project would include site improvements to the new 10-acre parcel including roads, stormwater pond and a fabric ash storage building. 

“This is one phase of development,” said Otter Tail County Solid Waste Director Chris McConn to county commissioners on March 11. “Additional equipment will be needed to fully develop the ash recycling program.” 

Highway 75 part

of detour plan

The State of Minnesota is about to perform reconstruction and overlay along Highway 10 in eastern Otter Tail County. The work will run from 620th Avenue to an area east of Oink Joint Road in Wadena. 

This will require a detour to carry Highway 10 traffic on County-State Aid Highway 75 in eastern Otter Tail County during the construction. Included will be several months of work in 2025 and 2026, according to Otter Tail County Engineer Krysten Foster.

Road reconstruction

near Parkers Prairie

The county board, after discussions with County Engineer Krysten Foster, approved a contract amendment with Houston Engineering to proceed with an environmental assessment worksheet for Highway 6 reconstruction at Nelson Lake near Parkers Prairie.

  Rerouting the offtake ditch in a different direction, raising the grade of the road more than a couple of feet and providing wide shoulders to accommodate farm equipment is an investment estimated to cost $7.8 million. That’s due, in large part, to poor soils under the existing roadbed.

Another county project is a design engineering services agreement with Stonebrooke Engineering for the Highway 24 project in Erhard. Highway 24 through Erhard, west to east, was originally included in the 2024 project scope.

This work within the city was delayed from last year’s contract to allow more time for sidewalk design details. Another factor is coordination with the city and Minnesota DOT for the upcoming Highway 59 project running north to south through Erhard.