March 25, 2018
Minnesota

EDF updates Faribault County Board

Robert Brewer - Register Staff Writer | Faribault County Register | March 25, 2018 | www.faribaultcountyregister.com

Jake Salisbury and P.J. Saliterman of EDF Renewable Energy updated the Faribault County Board of Commissioners on the Oza Tanka Wind Project at last Tuesday’s board meeting.

In discussing the economic benefits of the wind turbine project, Salisbury informed the board of the $800,000 annual production tax that the project will distribute each year to Faribault County. Of that sum, 20 percent will go to the townships that host the wind turbine sites.

According to Salisbury, an average of $10 million in turbine construction distribution is paid back to local communities over the lifespan of the roughly nine to 12 month construction.

The EDF representative also cited landowner payments will help stimulate the local agricultural economy.

“The substantial amount that we pay out to host a turbine or be a part of the project will be revenue that an ag based community will be able to thrive off of,” Salisbury stated.

Meanwhile, the decommissioning of wind towers was also a topic of discussion. Salisbury indicated EDF will provide updated financial information every five years in an effort to display their decommissioning capabilities.

“Those are all the rules that we have to hold ourselves accountable for,” said Salisbury.

Prairie Lakes Transit director Jeremy Monahan’s request for an advance in the amount of $29,467.86 for the purchase of a new transit bus was accepted by the board.

The County Board approved the hiring of Skylee Bell and Nicholas Casias as part-time jail dispatchers

A motion was passed to advertise for the 2018 county wide crack sealing project.

I-90 construction plans from Fairmont to rest areas in Blue Earth were discussed, but no action was taken on the matter.

County assessor Gertrude Paschke’s credit card request was authorized by the board. The issued card will carry a limit of $2,500 and its usage must be within the guidelines of the Faribault County Credit Card Policy.

Liquor licenses for Minn-Iowa Golf Club, Riverside Town and Country Club and Derby Inn were granted by the board. Derby Inn was also issued an off-sale license.

A closed session meeting was held to discuss possible litigation and settlement for an AISG security contract for law enforcement at the courthouse. According to county auditor and treasurer John Thompson, no further details were available to the public.