Board of Commissioners - 27 Oct 2026

The Stearns County Board of Commissioners meeting, held October 27, 2026 (the meeting metadata is dated October 28 UTC), addressed several contracting and spending matters. The board approved a public works contract to replace 11 traffic signals along CSAH 75 after receiving three bids; the low bid was $6,177,700, about $800,000 above the county’s estimate. Public works reported finding an additional $153,000 in federal funds and said $1,824,700 in state aid would be needed. Commissioners approved accepting the bid, citing the signals’ condition and the project’s safety needs. The board also approved a consent-agenda contract for aquatic invasive species inspection work, valued at $272,000 over two years and funded through aquatic invasive species fee revenues.

Four police-services contract items involving municipalities and school districts were referred to administration and the budget committee for an expedited review of service costs and compensation; services are to continue while the review proceeds. Commissioners cited a reported $27,000 in annual payments for three school-district arrangements compared with costs exceeding $105,000, and discussed the county’s $60-per-hour rate for some police services. A Waste Management/Elk River waste-disposal item was pulled for fuller discussion at a future meeting; no decision on it was recorded. The board also received a presentation on 2027 legislative priorities and statewide funding issues, including potential effects on county transportation and human-services budgets.