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The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to enter into a contract with former County Assessor Candice Lahann as interim assessor.

Board Chairman Brad Edwin said Lahann would be available mainly in the evenings and on weekends but could supervise and monitor what is going on with the office.

She will receive $125 an hour, and will not charge for travel time.

“I believe there’s still a lot of issues in that department, and I believe that she would be a great individual to bring back at this time to kind of move us forward,” Edwin said.

The county had been working with Houston County Assessor Luke Onstad for interim services but has not been able to find a permanent full-time replacement for the position.

The board also considered continuing work with Onstad, increasing his pay from $50 to $100 an hour in an interim role until the county secures a full-time person.

Interim County Administrator Darrell Pettis said the county has received a qualified applicant for the full-time position and will be reaching out for an interview.

Lahann resigned in October as Freeborn County’s assessor after about eight months in the position for an opportunity in Olmsted County. Before coming to Freeborn County, she had worked mainly in Mower and Olmsted counties.

In other action, the board:

• Did not take action on an agenda item regarding proposed construction for a wall between the Assessor’s Office and Auditor-Treasurer’s Office.

Pettis said it had been proposed to put up the wall due to what he described as some “issues and interruptions” between the two offices.

It would have been paid for with increased interest earnings. The cost was estimated at about $26,700.

Edwin said though the issue had been discussed previously, after giving it more thought he said he thought further consideration needed to be made. He discussed bringing it to the next board workshop.

• Voted to move the drainage inspectors back under the supervision of the auditor-treasurer.

• Extended the phased retirement position of Robin Evenson with the Veterans Services department through Dec. 31, at which time the board will review for possible extension.

• Approved a series of construction-related contracts. County Engineer Phil Wacholz said the county received favorable bidding, which will allow the county to expand its construction program to get more done this year.

— Accepted the low bid from Jensen Excavating and Trucking for about $211,000 for a project including the construction of a bridge in Oakland Township. Three bids were received for the project with the high bid at about $260,000.

— Accepted the low bid from ICON Constructors LLC for about $112,000 for replacing a box culvert on County Road 95 between Freeborn and Hartland. The county received seven bids for the project with the high bid at about $162,000.

— Authorized the contract for applying magnesium chloride in the county for 2025 to provide stabilization and dust control.

One bid was received for the project from Freeborn County Co-op Oil for about $128,000.

— Awarded the county’s 2025 road striping contract to Sir Lines-A-Lot for about $174,000.

The county received three bids for the project with the high bid at about $186,000.

The engineer’s estimate was about $213,000.

A new contractor has created extra competition, bringing prices more in line with past history.

— Awarded the contract for microsurfacing to Fahrner Asphalt Sealers LLC for about $928,000.

The county received two bids for the project, and the engineer’s estimate was about $1.16 million.

— Awarded the low bid with Subsurface Inc. for about $286,000 for cleaning and lining of a series of culverts in the county.

The county received three bids for the project with the high bid coming in at about $441,000. The engineer’s estimate was about $478,000.

— Accepted the low bid from Ulland Brothers Inc. for about $7.49 million for various paving projects in the county.

The county received three bids for the project with the high bid at about $10.9 million.

 

The engineer’s estimate was about $10.94 million.

— Approved a resolution for seasonal bid items, including sand, gravel and equipment rental.

— Accepted the low bid from Ulland Bros. for $12.73/ton for 5,000 tons of supply washed sand from the Glenville pit for ice control.