Looking to get, and stay, ahead of the Garvin substation game, Lyon County Planning & Zoning Administrator John Biren requested the Lyon County Ditch Authority to authorize document preparation for a Redetermination of Benefits (ROB) for County Ditches 24 and 29 in Garvin.
Current CD 24 benefits were set in 1916 in the amount of $13,310; current benefits for CD 29 in the amount of $47,984 sewer set in 1920. A Redetermination of Benefits has not been done since those years, and Biren said the benefits for both do not reflect modernday dollars.
With the anticipation of work on power lines and the substations, current benefits do not allow for the collection of adequate funds.
“We would like to get the Redetermination of Benefits at least started on, because I feel like we’re gong to need it to reroute some of that (CD 29) tile,” said Biren. “The City of Garvin relies on that tile as their storm sewer. They were part of the petitioners for that project — to help with that drainage.”
Biren said it’s important the County continues to make sure that tiling works adequately; Biren said it’s in some disrepair at this point in time.”
CD 24 outlets in a different area, east of state Highway 14; that system impacts the proposed area of the substation.
“We know that plant is very likely to happen … if we want to do some incidental repair work as a part of the rerouting, we don’t have a lot of ability to collect money on that system,” said Biren.
Work on the tile systems would likely be done in 2026.
“I’d like to get the ball rolling on this,” Biren said. “Theres a lot of moving parts on an ROB.”
Commissioner Rick Anderson made the motion to authorize Biren to get the process moving with attorneys Kale Van Bruggen and Rinke Noonan to prepare RBO documents on both systems.
In other business Tuesday … • The board threw its support — and a pledge of $124,000 — behind a proposed affordable family housing project in Marshall. The money is from the County’s Statewide Affordable Housing Aid (SASHA) account, $100,000 of which was recently pledged to the housing project in Balaton. The project would serve families with incomes at or below 50% of the Area Medium Income and some units for those at or below 30%. The project would offer 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom apartments, a fitness area and outdoor spaces for families and pets. The initial ask from Tapestry Companies was $224,000.
• The board approved the Sheriff’s Office’s bid for a 2025 Boat and Water Safety Grant to be used for boating safety promotion and enforcement. Funds are received on a reimbursement-type basis after the expense had been incurred by the County.
• The board approved a CUP for Todd Meulebroeck’s planned feedlot expansion east of Balaton.
• The board agreed to authorize ISG to develop a repair report for County Ditch 12.
• Commissioners approved a list of forfeited land for classification at 10 a.m. on Aug. 5, 2025. The list includes more than 20 parcels of land, including 16 in Tracy and three in Balaton. According to Minnesota Statute, parcels of land becoming the property of the state in trust under law declaring the forfeiture of lands to the state for taxes must be classified by the board as conservation or nonconservation.
• The board awarded a contract for bituminous paving to Duininck, Inc. for $2,385,297.71. The bid, like the other three bids received, was under the engineer’s estimate of $2,701,149.02. Duininck’s was the lowest of the four bids.
