Funding to non-profit entities approved

• Nobles County

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WORTHINGTON — Nobles County Commissioners approved more than $40,000 in appropriations to several non-profit entities on Tuesday to fulfill previously approved obligations. The approvals were granted less than a month after board members voted to notify agencies of budget cuts that may impact the amount of money they receive in the future.

Agencies receiving appropriations during Tuesday’s meeting include the Civil Air Patrol, which will receive its entire 2009 appropriation request of $1,200; and the Nobles County Fair Association, which requested its remaining appropriation of $17,500. The fair board had received $10,000 from the county earlier this year.

Other payments approved Tuesday were the second half of the 2009 appropriations to the Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council at $625; the Nobles County Art Center at $4,420; and the Nobles County Historical Society at $16,500.

In other action, the board:

• Approved the replacement of the chiller unit in the air conditioning system at the Nobles County Government Center. The replacement was needed because the existing system is working at approximately 40 percent of capacity, according to Nobles County Administrator Mel Ruppert. The cost of the new chiller is $20,962.39, and Ruppert said the bill will be covered through the county’s building fund.

• Received information from Commissioner Marv Zylstra regarding a vote taken by the Minnesota legislature this spring that would have had a drastic impact to county emergency service operations. The bill was narrowly defeated, but Zylstra said several of the area legislators had voted in favor of the action, which would have diverted revenue collected from certain fines to be transferred to the state to defray costs of the driver training program.

  Zylstra said with the nine counties of the region now working more closely together because of budget concerns, they need to be more effective in communicating with legislators regarding the needs of counties.

  “We need to really put the pressure on our legislators,” said Zylstra. “We need to be more at the table. It’s getting tougher and tougher (for counties).”

• Took no action on a request for extension of the incentive package offered to county employees for early retirement.

• Approved the relocation of a tile line from Judicial Ditch 11B in Wilmont to allow T&C Trucking to expand its existing facility. The current tile line runs diagonal through the property and would have run underneath the new addition.

• Authorized the use of a credit card for the Nobles County Public Works department. Public Works director Stephen Schnieder said the card will be used for the purchase of postage and other items that are more easily obtained with a credit card. The card will have a $1,500 credit limit.

• Received an update on the one-day tire collection, which will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, at the Nobles County Public Works facility, 960 Diagonal Road, Worthington.

  Environmental Services director Wayne Smith said this is the sixth annual collection, and allows people to clean out their groves, buildings and yards. There is a fee for disposal.

• Approved a resolution updating the county’s solid waste plan. The update was necessary because of the recent re-permitting of the landfill in Nobles County.

Tags: state and region, news