Cottonwood County Commissioner Donna Gravley reported that the Revolve Lab has pulled its Conditional Use Permit application and they will not be moving forward with the site east of Windom.
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Mountain Lake Police reported 8 calls from September 19th to September 21st. Officers aided with 2 Ambulance Calls, gave two verbal warnings for a Seat Belt Violation and a Hands-Free Violation. Officers assisted the County with an OFP/HRO arrest of a 45-year-old male from Bingham Lake and cited a 31-year-old of Fairmont for Driving After Revocation. An officer conducted a Civil Stand-by and Assisted Windom Police Department with a Suspicious Activity Call.
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The Windom City Council met on Tuesday in a special meeting for the Preliminary Tax Levy Resolution and to set budget workshop dates. The Council approved the Preliminary Tax Levy at 4.81% with the following key factors considered
- Inflationary price increases on supplies, trending at 2.9% and construction costs over 5%
- Equipment price increases trending at CPI or higher
- Second year of labor agreement cost of living increase equal to 5%
- Health Insurance costs up 7.9%
- Workers Comp, Property, Liability and Auto Insurance costs projected to be up 3 – 10%
- No increase in State Aid. Local Government Aid went up by $228,000 last year
- Small Cities Transportation Aid Funds distributed for 2025 of approximately $87,000
Budget workshop dates were set for October 8th at 6pm, October 28th at 6pm and October 29th at 7pm. All three meetings will be at the Windom Community Center Meeting Room.
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At the Windom Area Schools most recent Board meeting, the Board approved the preliminary 2025 levy. The MN Department of Education stated they predict the levy will increase by 12.1% due to an increase in property values in Cottonwood County and also due to the new voluntary Pre-K seats that were awarded to the district. The district’s Business Manager Peggy Pfeffer stated certifying a set dollar amount freezes the ceiling as changes are made before the final levy is set in December.
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Although the Disaster Recovery Center in Windom-Cottonwood County closes on Friday, the 27th. A new one will open in Fulda on Thursday September 26th. The FEMA/State Disaster Recovery Center in Fulda is to help residents kickstart their recovery after the severe storms and flooding of June 16 – July 4, 2024. Specialists from FEMA, the state of Minnesota and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be at the centers to help survivors apply for federal disaster assistance, upload documents, get their questions answered in person, access other types of help that may be available and learn ways to make their property more disaster resistant. The Disaster Recovery Center in Murray County will be at the Fulda Senior Center located at 107 N Layfayette Ave in Fulda. Mon through Friday 9am to 6:30pm and Saturday 9am to 4pm and closed on Sundays. The deadline to apply with FEMA has been extended to October 27, 2024. For even more information about the disaster recovery operation in Minnesota visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4797.