Kittson County Board of Commissioners/Proceedings August 18, 2026

Kittson County Board of Commissioners

Date: August 18, 2026

Time: 9:00 AM

Attendance: Commissioners: Gillie, Younggren, Johnson, Swenson and Jones.

1. Call to Order 

The meeting was called to order by Chair Younggren.

2. Pledge of Allegiance 

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

3. Approval of Agenda

Motion: To approve the agenda.

Motion by: Commissioner Swenson

Second by: Commissioner Johnson

Motion carried.

4. Public Comment

Chair Younggren asked for public comment. Hearing none.

5. Kittson County Museum Director Cindy Adams

Adams updated the Board regarding operations and current projects.  Adams requested $79,782.00 for the Museum’s 2027 budget.  This is a 4% increase.  The Board thanked Adams for her forty plus years of service to the Museum.

6. Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force Commander Sgt Schrange

Sergeant Schrange, presented an overview of the regional drug and violent crime task force.

Highlights included:

• The task force is funded through an annual grant of approximately $200,000.

• Grant funding covers training, equipment, insurance, and salary reimbursements for participating agencies.

• Member agencies are not required to contribute local funding to participate.

• The task force provides investigative support, intelligence sharing, confidential informant management, and participation in programs such as Tip411.

Sergeant Shraga presented a proposal to establish a part-time investigator position for Kittson County within the task force. The proposal would: Reduce salary reimbursements to current participating agencies by approximately $9,300 annually to fund the new position.  It would provide Kittson County with a trained investigator dedicated to drug enforcement and related criminal investigations and improve information sharing and investigative coordination throughout the region.

Board members discussed the benefits of increased narcotics enforcement and indicated the proposal would continue to be evaluated with the Sheriff’s Office before returning for future consideration.

7. Approval of Board Minutes

Motion: To approve August 4, 2026 minutes.

Motion by: Commissioner Gillie

Second by: Commissioner Jones

Motion carried.

8. Approval of Bills, Meals and Per Diems

Motion: To approve the bills and meals.

Motion by: Commissioner Gillie

Second by: Commissioner Jones

Motion carried.

• Commissioner’s $119,072.67

• Auditor’s

 July 29, 2026 $3,341.91

 August 7, 2026 $341,094.05

 August 12, 2026 $59,848.52

o Meal Reimbursements $193.91

9. Kittson County Highway Engineer Arthur Kukowski and Assistant Engineer Keith Klegstad

a. Kukowski presented for approval a utility permit for OtterTail Power.

Motion: To approve the permit.

Motion by: Commissioner Johnson

Second by: Commissioner Jones

Motion carried.

b. Kukowski asked for permission to advertise for project SAP 035-599-122 (North Red River Bridge).

Motion: To approve advertising.

Motion by: Commissioner Jones

Second by: Commissioner Swenson

Motion carried.

c. Kukowski asked for permission to advertise for project SAP 035-599-123 (St Vincent Bridge).

Motion: To approve advertising.

Motion by: Commissioner Swenson

Second by: Commissioner Gillie

Motion carried.

10. Kittson County CFO Shirley Swenson

       a. Swenson presented for consideration an extension of the Farm Service Agency lease.

The approved agreement:

• Extends the existing lease.

• Establishes a rental rate of $22.00 per square foot.

• Increases annual lease revenue to $100,084.

Motion: To approve accept the lease extension.

Motion by: Commissioner Gillie

Second by: Commissioner Johnson

Motion carried.

11. Kittson County Administrator Aimee Sugden

a. Sugden presented for approval of an MOU with LELS for Part-Time Deputies. The agreement extends current arrangements through the end of the calendar year 2026.

Motion: To approve the MOU as recommended by the Personnel Committee.

Motion by: Commissioner Gillie

Second by: Commissioner Johnson

Motion carried.

b. Sugden gave an update on the progress of the 2027 budget.

12. Other Business

None.

13. Committee Reports

Commissioner Gillie~County Canvassing, Alluma, Dancing Sky.

Commissioner Younggren~Markit, Budget.

Commissioner Jones~Markit

Commissioner Johnson~County Canvassing

Commissioner Swenson~Markit, Budget

16. Correspondence

None.

17. Upcoming Meetings

Regular Board Tuesday, September 1 @ 9:00 am

18. Adjournment

Motion: To adjourn.  

Motion by: Commissioner Jones

Second by: Commissioner Johnson

Motion carried.

Loren Younggren, Chair                  _________________________________

Kittson County Board of Commissioners

Shirley Swenson, Chief Financial Officer              _________________________________

Kittson County