Winona County boards set to weigh 2027 levy, farmland variance, and large event permit
Winona County residents have a busy stretch of local government activity to track. The County Board, Board of Adjustment, and Planning Commission all met or were scheduled to meet between July 14 and July 16, with agendas covering the 2027 preliminary levy, a proposed boundary change from the DNR, several contract awards, and public hearings on land-use permits. Minutes have not yet been published for any of these meetings, so outcomes are not yet available in the public record.
County Board: 2027 levy, contracts, and abatement policy
The Winona County Board of Commissioners agenda for July 14 included a preliminary levy resolution for 2027 and an allocation related to SEMMCHRA. The Board was also scheduled to hear a proposed boundary change presented by the DNR.
Several contract and bid awards were on the agenda:
- A 2027–2031 Recycling Collection Services Contract to Harter's Quick Clean Up.
- A bid award for two dump box and snowplow packages to Universal Truck Equipment Inc.
The Board also planned to consider approval of a Winona County Abatement Policy.
Because minutes are not yet published, it is not confirmed which items were approved, tabled, or amended.
Board of Adjustment: Variance for dwelling on prime farmland soils
The Board of Adjustment held or scheduled a public hearing on Docket BOA 07-16-26-01, a variance request from Mitchell McNally and James & Sheila McNally. The petition seeks a variance from Zoning Ordinance Chapter 10.4.7.6 to allow a single-family dwelling on Class I–III soils in the Agriculture/Resource Conservation district.
The property is in Homer Township, Parcel ID 06.000.4760, along McNally Ridge Rd. According to the staff report, the applicant seeks to build on a roughly 6-acre parcel carved from a 79-acre farm, with surrounding cropland retained.
Staff analysis found the variance meets all eight approval criteria and recommended approval subject to conditions, including obtaining a conditional use permit. No neighbor comments had been received as of the staff report. The legal notice was published in the Winona Post on July 1, 2026.
Outcomes are not yet available in the public record.
Planning Commission: Six permit petitions, including 499-person gathering
The Planning Commission agenda featured public hearings on six conditional and interim use permit petitions.
- **PC 07-16-26-01:** Nyhus Schaffer, on behalf of Chariots4Hope, seeks a permit for a one-day public gathering of up to 499 people in the Agricultural-Resource Conservation (A/RC) Zoning District.
- **PC 07-16-26-02:** James & Sheila McNalley and Mitchell McNally seek a permit for a new dwelling on less than required acreage in the A/RC district.
- **PC 07-16-26-03:** William & Jacqueline Underhill and Skip Wieser seek a permit for a new dwelling on less than required acreage and within the Shoreland Overlay District in the A/RC district.
- **PC 07-16-26-04:** Underhill and Wieser seek a permit for a new dwelling on less than required acreage in the A/RC district, listed as a second petition.
- **PC 07-16-26-05:** Underhill and Wieser seek another permit for a new dwelling on less than required acreage in the A/RC district, listed as a third petition.
- **PC 07-16-26-06:** Underhill and Wieser seek a permit for a new dwelling on less than required acreage and within the Shoreland Overlay District, listed as a second Shoreland petition.
The commission was also scheduled to consider altering its meeting start time and to receive updates from the Board of Adjustment and County Board.
Outcomes are not yet available in the public record.
Coming up
- **July 23, 2026 — Economic Development Authority Board:** The July 23 meeting has been canceled. The next regular EDA meeting is scheduled for August 27, 2026.
Residents seeking confirmed outcomes from the July 14–16 meetings should watch for published minutes from the County Board, Board of Adjustment, and Planning Commission.