Sherburne County - Economic Development Authority October 2026

The Sherburne County Economic Development Authority’s October 1, 2026 meeting included approval of the prior meeting’s minutes and the agenda. Kexus Energy presented on its service area, business rebates, renewable energy, and economic-development support. It reported a three-year investment in the LocationOne property-listing platform, expected to go live by December 1, to help market available sites. Kexus also encouraged use of shovel-ready grants and discussed large-load proposals, including data centers; representatives said serving very large loads could require millions of dollars and lengthy studies, with project-specific infrastructure costs paid by the customer. No utility contract award or county spending vote was taken.

The board discussed a proposed $5,000 appropriation to the Central Region Small Business Development Center, but favored developing an agreement with defined deliverables before considering it at the November meeting; no appropriation was approved. Members also reviewed draft updates to the EDA strategic plan, including data-center education, business attraction, workforce and housing goals, and policy monitoring. Updates included a proposed 5-megawatt solar farm proceeding to planning review, a completed sale of seven EDA acres for a business expansion, and downtown reconstruction in the design phase for work next summer. These were status reports rather than procurement approvals.