The expected shortfall in the Freeborn County budget was debated Monday among candidates for commissioner seats.

Commissioner District 5 candidates Linda Tuttle and Mike Lee squared off at a forum the League of Women Voters held at Riverland Community College. They were followed by Commissioner District 1 incumbent Glen Mathiason and challenger Neal Gjersvik.

Because of reduced revenue at the state level, cuts will have to be made in the county budget, too. Tuttle said she would look line item by line item to determine what should be cut and said she would especially look at cutting administrative costs.

Lee said he would encourage county government to perform energy conservation to find savings, much like the Albert Lea School District has done.

Lee said he would work well with the city officials and state legislators for bringing industry to Freeborn County. He wants to get the Job Opportunity Building Zone program extended.

Tuttle said she would work with city officials and with the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency to bring industry to Freeborn County. She said everyone needs to work together to portray a positive attitude and environment. She said every person and business affects many others.

Tuttle said private landowners shouldn’t block public waters but officials also should have the right information on the land and landowner. Tuttle said she felt the watershed district should have had a purchase agreement in hand before drawing up plans.

Lee said all water is public water and people should have access to go down the Shell Rock River. He said he favors using eminent domain if needed to get access to the river.

Broadcasting of county board meetings has been one of Lee’s issues for a long time, he said.

He said he wants to get the meetings on Albert Lea’s government-access channel on the cable TV system, but then he also wants to make the airing available to all Freeborn County residents by other means, such as the Internet or radio.

Tuttle said there is no reason the county board should not be able to broadcast the meetings. She agreed with Lee.

Lee and Tuttle agreed that placing chemicals in lakes has been more of an Albert Lea issue, considering the debate over treating Fountain Lake last summer.

Lee said the Shell Rock River Watershed District should work on cleaning the lakes, not treating lakes. Tuttle agreed and said she wants to research whether the treatment chemicals are effective.

Lee works with the disabled at Elm Homes and is a former worker at the Farmland Foods plant that burned in July 2001. Tuttle is a former county recorder who now owns Albert Lea Abstract & Title Co. in downtown Albert Lea.

Gjersvik and Mathiason are both farmers. Gjersvik has been the chairman of the Freeborn County Township Association. Mathiason has been a county commissioner for eight years. Both touted their listening skills.

Budget cuts were a major issue Monday.

Mathiason said Freeborn County department heads meet with Administrator John Kluever and with the county commissioners. He said he will first ask the department heads to find cuts and said if that doesn’t meet the needed cuts he would go through the various programs to find savings.

Gjersvik said he has met with Kluever and the county financial officer. He said he respects Kluever’s skills and would rely on his recommendations.

Mathiason said combining the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office and the Albert Lea Police Department has been discussed before and said he thinks it could work. He said it would save on having a city police chief and said he thinks by statute there must be a county sheriff.

Gjersvik said he has talked with the sheriff and deputies about the challenges they face. He said it would be difficult to combine the two departments completely but said it is easier to save money by sharing services and working together.

Gjersvik said he feels the county government should pay its fair share for residents in the unincorporated areas using the Albert Lea Transfer Station. That way those residents don’t have to pay the extra fees.

Mathiason said Albert Lea runs the transfer station for its residents and if people who don’t live in Albert Lea use it they should pay the extra charges.

Small businesses in the country faces challenges to grow because of rules in the zoning ordinance, Gjersvik said. He said small businesses leave because of the barriers to rural growth. He said he wants to remove those barriers and work more closely with ALEDA than the county presently does.

The county needs to have a supporting role when it comes to economic development and let Albert Lea and ALEDA be the forerunner, Mathiason said. He said the county can assist with tax-increment-financing districts, abatements and road improvements when needed. He added the county has made some changes so there are fewer hoops for new businesses to jump through.

Mathiason said snowplows are replaced every seven to 10 years but added it might be time to rethink that cycle.

Gjersvik said County Engineer Sue Miller does a super job. He said the snowplows are replaced on a cycle for safety factors and for maintenance reasons that save money in the long run.

Both candidates agreed that broadcasting county board meetings is a good idea.

Gjersvik said he needs to look into the issue of public access of the Shell Rock River. He said he favors negotiation for an easement. He said he doesn’t think people can block headwaters but first wants to look at the situation.

Mathiason said the landowner at the headwaters of the Shell Rock River claims to own the dam. He said he doesn’t agree but would prefer to avoid a messy lawsuit. He said through negotiations he has sought alternatives that meet goals without hard feelings.

Mathiason noted that chemicals are used to treat Morin Lake in Alden. He said chemicals work in the short term but filter strips along waterways and other conservation measures work better in the long term.

Gjersvik said he wants to find out whether the copper sulfate used to treat waters with excessive algae blooms is good or bad. He said it is important to keep the community looking good and it is important for the watershed district to continue conservation measures.

Minnesota House District 27A incument Robin Brown and challenger Erik Larsen also debated Monday. The Tribune published a story Tuesday about that debate.

The League of Women Voters will present another forum at 7 p.m. Friday at Riverland Community College. It features candidates for Albert Lea mayor and Albert Lea City Council. It is slated to include candidates for Freeborn County Commissioner District 3, too.