By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

County commissioners, in late July, passed resolutions in support of programs in both Rothsay and Pelican Rapids.

The five-person county board authorized county government participation in the City of Rothsay Single-Family Tax Rebate Program as requested by the City of Rothsay. This will support housing goals within their community and allow two housing projects currently under construction. Qualification for the tax abatement program is effective from June 1, 2026, through April 30, 2029.

Unanimously approved by the county board, for Pelican Rapids, was the authorization of Stocks Asbestos Removal to abate asbestos from the Bridge Center building. This is part of the Pelican Rapids Family Resource Center project, with a total estimate of $23,421 as presented by County Community Development Director Amy Baldwin. This abatement work is grant funded.

A motion by County Commissioner Sean Sullivan of Fergus Falls and seconded by Commissioner Dan Bucholz of Perham was unanimously carried to reschedule the Sept. 22, 2026, Board of Commissioners meeting to Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.

In late July the county board also authorized county officials’ signatures on a Fiscal Agent Agreement between Todd County Soil and Water Conservation

District as Fiscal Agent for the Long Prairie River Watershed Collaborative and those members of the Long Prairie River Watershed Collaborative.

Four major watersheds and four minor watersheds are situated in Otter Tail County, a county that’s larger in size than the state of Rhode Island.

A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir or any point along a stream channel. The word watershed is sometimes used interchangeably with drainage basin or catchment.