Brown County meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Brown County boards take up feedlot variance, tower and gravel mine permits; no outcomes posted yet

Brown County's Board of Commissioners, Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission each met over the past two weeks on agendas covering highway equipment purchases, a feedlot setback variance, a 340-foot communication tower, a gravel mine and a proposed moratorium on data centers. Minutes for all three meetings have not been published, so the records available show what was scheduled for consideration, not what was decided. No vote tallies or dollar amounts appear in the records reviewed.

Commissioners: equipment, right-of-way and a road safety plan (Oct. 6)

The Board of Commissioners met Oct. 6 with an agenda that included approval of prior meeting minutes and general government claims, drainage ditch repair and a payment request, and several Highway Department purchases: conference room Teams equipment, a tandem plow bi-directional moldboard, a tandem plow truck pre-order and a loader. The agenda also listed right-of-way acquisition for the 220th St LRIP project, a County Road Safety Plan presentation, a contract with 1981 Strategies LLC, and committee reports. The record does not include amounts for any of the purchases or the terms of the proposed contract.

Feedlot setback variance in Mulligan Township (Oct. 13)

The Board of Adjustment held a public hearing on application APP-V-0083, a request to reduce the required distance between a feedlot and a road from 300 feet to 235 feet for a new barn in Mulligan Township. The record does not state the outcome of the hearing.

Tower, gravel mine and subdivision plats at Planning Commission (Oct. 13)

The Planning Commission held public hearings on two interim use permits: a 340-foot communication tower (APP-I-0032) and a gravel mine in the Agricultural Protection Zoning District (APP-I-0033). The commission also reviewed the Final Plat of Shellum 2nd Subdivision (APP-P-0184) and the Preliminary Plat of Marks 2nd Subdivision (APP-P-0185), and discussed an Interim Ordinance to Establish a Data Center Moratorium. The record does not state what action, if any, the commission took on any of the items.

Coming up: commissioners meet Oct. 20

The Board of Commissioners meets Oct. 20. The agenda lists scheduling a public hearing for an Interim Moratorium of Data Centers Ordinance, a City of Springfield Carbon Reduction Project EV Truck Purchase Agreement, Resolution No. 2026-27 for Snowmobile Trail Limited Use Permit #0801-0006, a Springfield Shop Cold Storage Addition for Highway Department Building Repairs, and the Planning Commission's recommendations for Interim Use Permits APP-I-0032 and APP-I-0033. County claims, budget reports and infrastructure repairs are also listed.

The Oct. 20 agenda is the point at which the tower and gravel mine applications heard by the Planning Commission on Oct. 13 are listed to come back before the board, in the form of the commission's recommendations.

What readers should know about the record

Agendas list items a body intends to take up; they do not establish that an item was approved, denied, tabled or even discussed. For the Oct. 6, Oct. 13 Board of Adjustment and Oct. 13 Planning Commission meetings, only agenda-level information was available. Outcomes, vote counts and any dollar figures tied to the equipment purchases, the right-of-way acquisition or the 1981 Strategies LLC contract are not established by the supplied records and are not reported here. The official minutes, once published, are the authoritative account.

Coming up

• **Oct. 20 — Board of Commissioners.** Data center moratorium hearing scheduling, EV truck purchase agreement, snowmobile trail permit resolution, cold storage addition, and Planning Commission recommendations on the tower and gravel mine permits.

Brown County boards weigh landfill, land-use, and tax-forfeited land items

Brown County officials have a full slate of land-use, financial, and administrative items on the agenda this week, but no decisions have been published yet. Recent meetings of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, Board of Adjustment, Planning Commission, and Board of Commissioners were all held as agenda-only sessions, with minutes not yet available. The most consequential items involve a landfill permit modification, a variance for a large shed, and a potential sale of tax-forfeited lands.

Solid Waste Advisory Committee (Aug. 10)

The committee discussed a landfill permit modification that would allow leachate recirculation. The proposal was open for public comment until Aug. 17, 2026. The committee also received updates on the Design and Response Plan (DRP), which the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency approved on Dec. 31, 2025, for three years. Spring recycling collection and agricultural plastic recycling were also on the agenda.

Board of Adjustment (Aug. 11)

The board held a public hearing on a variance application from Steven Haala to reduce the required road setback from 125 feet to 91 feet from the center of a county road. The variance would allow construction of a 60x120 foot shed addition in the A-1 Agricultural Protection Zoning District. The property is Lot 1, Block 1 of Moll's 4th Subdivision, Home Township, Brown County.

Planning Commission (Aug. 11)

The commission held a public hearing on the preliminary plat of Schaefer's 4th Subdivision (APP-P-0181) and reviewed two other plats: the final plat of Berkner 5th Subdivision (APP-P-0182) and the preliminary plat of Hel Trust Subdivision (APP-P-0183). A zoning report was also presented. Recommendations from this meeting were scheduled to go to the County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 18.

Board of Commissioners (Aug. 18)

The board's regular meeting included approval of consent agenda items (claims, proceedings, policy updates) and several new business items. Resolutions on the agenda included Resolution No. 2026-20 (Deputy Registrar Revenue Sharing Fund), Resolution No. 2026-21 (Appointment of Deputy Registrar), and Resolution No. 2026-22 (Forgivable Loan Agreement). The board also considered planning commission recommendations on the three plats, the MCIT 2026 Dividend Distribution, and a closed session for social services claims payments.

Coming up

The Brown County Board of Commissioners meets Aug. 25 at 9:00 AM. The agenda includes Resolution No. 2026-24 to sell tax-forfeited lands, a mower purchase for Lake Hanska, a purchase of service agreement for Harvest Counseling, a licensing report, and an appointment to the Statewide Affordable Housing Aid Commissioner position. The consent agenda includes 2026 tax-forfeited properties.

Brown County roundup: Watershed plan, subdivision plats on agendas; Board of Adjustment weighs shed setback variance

Board of Commissioners — July 7

The Brown County Board of Commissioners met July 7 with an agenda covering claims, daycare consultation agreements, and a resolution on a Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (Resolution No. 2026-19). The agenda also included a Public Health Q2 update and a Highway Department monthly update report.

Minutes from this meeting have not yet been published, so outcomes — including whether the watershed plan resolution and the 2026-2027 Daycare Consult Agreements were approved — are not yet confirmed in the record.

Planning Commission — July 14

The Planning Commission met July 14 to review two subdivision plats:

• A **final plat** for Mohr's 2nd Subdivision (APP-P-0180).
• A **preliminary plat** for Berkner 5th Subdivision (APP-P-0182).

The agenda called for any recommendations to be forwarded to the County Board of Commissioners at their July 21, 2026 meeting. The commission also reviewed a zoning report and routine administrative items. The next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for August 11, 2026.

Minutes have not yet been published; the commission's recommendations on either plat are not yet confirmed.

Board of Adjustment — July 14

The Board of Adjustment held a public hearing July 14 on a variance request in Milford Township.

• **APP-V-0080:** Dennis Gustafson requested a reduction of a side property line setback from 10 feet to 8.6 feet to allow construction of a 10x32 foot shed addition.

The board's agenda called for determining whether the setback reduction could be permitted. Minutes have not yet been published, so the outcome of the variance request is not yet confirmed.

Coming up

Board of Commissioners — July 21, 2026. The board's upcoming agenda includes several operational and budget items:

• Badge printer purchase.
• Drainage ditch tree, brush, and weed control spraying and payment request.
• Heat exchanger replacement.
• LEC Dispatch Center heat pump replacement.
• Courthouse ADA restroom equipment replacement.
• Planning Commission plat recommendations (Mohr's 2nd and Berkner 5th subdivisions).
• Q2 2026 budget report.
• A legal services contract with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP.

The consent agenda is expected to include prior meeting approvals and general government claims.

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*Note: All three recent meetings listed above are reflected by agenda documents only; official minutes have not yet been published. The items described reflect what was scheduled for consideration, not confirmed outcomes. Readers seeking verified decisions should watch for the published minutes on the Brown County website.*