Board of Commissioners - 10 Nov 2026

The Stearns County Board of Commissioners meeting was held November 10, 2026. The board approved a consent agenda that included a purchase to replace a leased vehicle for child protection/community corrections. Commissioners also discussed approximately $450,000 in annual spending for 250 bus passes for people with significant disabilities; the county had previously used a sole-source arrangement and is now pursuing an RFP to identify other vendors. The pass program uses federal waiver funds and does not affect the county levy. The board approved the county attorney’s city-prosecution contracts, which use flat annual fees by community size—reported as $38,000 for Sauk Center, $17,000 for medium-sized cities, $5,000 for smaller cities, and $1,800 for the smallest. Commissioners requested further cost and workload detail for future review.

The board approved letters supporting certificates of need for the Morrison County and Elk River landfills, allowing the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to consider future disposal capacity. The Elk River request drew particular debate over estimates, including a proposed increase described as 115%; it passed on a recorded vote, while one commissioner opposed it. Staff said the figures are estimates and can change with hauling contracts and waste flows. The board also discussed, but did not record a final approval on, conservation-easement goals for the Mississippi-Sartell watershed plan: a 1,500-acre watershed-wide target, with at least 500 acres proposed for Stearns County if the broader target could not be adopted. No vendor award was made.