Todd County voters may have the opportunity to decide the fate of the county's historic courthouse. County commissioners are considering placing the issue of preservation of the building on next year's ballot.

"I would love to see the building preserved. I don't want to see it deteriorate," said Commissioner Gerry Ruda at the board's July 7 meeting. The building belongs to the people of Todd County, and they need to make that decision, he said.

The building has been vacant since 2006, said County Administrator Nathan Burkett, and is beginning to show signs of many years of low maintenance and nonuse. The foundation is sliding and the roof is not structurally sound, he said. The commissioners would have to hire a consultant to determine the costs of preserving or demolishing the building, Burkett said.

Citizens need to have all the numbers so they know what they're voting on, said Board Chair Gary Kneisl. If the building is to be preserved, there needs to be a plan for its future use, said Commissioner Mark Blessing.

The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

This is just a designation, said County Attorney Chuck Rasmussen.

County drainage ditches

County taxpayers will pay a $32,344 engineering expense on two county drainage ditches, numbers 33 and 2. The expenses were for engineering work completed in 2006. However, the work at that time was not fully authorized by the board. Because of this, the expense cannot be assessed back to the landowners on the ditch systems.

The board also authorized a payment of $1,200 to Kenneth Theisen as reimbursement for trees that were removed from his property. This occurred during ditch work on County Ditch 25 in Germania Township.

Veterans' service officer

Peter Berscheit was unanimously re-appointed to a four year term as the County's veterans' service officer. He had been appointed in 2005. Berscheit is really good at what he does, Burkett said.

Official website

Commissioners will decide at their next board meeting if the Todd County website will also be designated as an official publication. The county spends about $11,000 annually to publish the official proceedings in the county newspapers, Burkett said.

The Staples World last January was awarded the bid to be the official county newspaper for 2009. This paper has a cooperative agreement with the other newspapers in the county. Together, the papers publish all the official minutes of the board, the delinquent tax lists and county financial statements.

If the Todd County website also becomes an official publication, it does not mean the county will not use the newspapers, Burkett said.

The county's website is a good source of information, said Commissioner David Kircher. It gives information quicker than through the newspapers, he said.

In August, Burkett will give a presentation on the website, which he said would include how often it is being used. The county's website is www.co.todd. mn.us.

Solid waste tax

Auditor/T reasurer Karen Busch said she would like more clarification on what kind of property should be taxed an annual solid waste fee of $40. Currently, all parcels with a structure valued at more than $1,000 are taxed, she said.

Commissioners agreed that they needed more time to review different options. The fee helps fund the operations of the county's transfer station.

Public works

proposed budget County Engineer Loren Fellbaum asked commissioners for a $690,000 increase in his budget for 2010. The money will be needed for roads and equipment purchases, he said.

Over the years the number of employees in this department have decreased by about fourteen, said Commissioner Blessing. However, with better road equipment, there is excellent maintenance of county roads, he said.

By budgeting for equipment purchases, there is reduced downtime and repairs, Fellbaum said. He told the board that the goals for his department were to provide a rapid storm response to clear roadways; to preserve road pavement condition; to maintain a safe highway corridor; and to administer construction programs.