2024 has been an eventful year. Big infrastructure projects have continued or gotten underway, local governments have faced tough decisions and a spotlight was shone on Journal Country more than once. For the first time in a few years, the weather did not make the top ten list as a milder winter and fewer than normal storms bothered the area. So consequently, considering the long-term implications of this one and how many times it made the news, the Marshall County Courthouse project must be considered the top story of 2024, as it was last year.
In August of 2023, county voters gave the thumbs up to renovations of the existing courthouse plus the building of a new law enforcement center. Voters approved a $5 million bond, and the overall project is slated to cost around $9.6 million with $4.6 million coming from reserve funds, grants and donations.
The county hired the firm Comstock to act as construction manager and engineers from the firm ISG would handle the design work. The project picked up steam this fall. In September, the board approved bids from multiple companies for various aspects of the project, including foundation work, concrete, and footings with that part of the project coming in at around $1.9 million.
Ahead of the start of the project, county offices moved to various locations including the old Schumaker furniture store on highway 10 and the Marshall County Community Building. In early October, the Marshall County Commission, other county employees and officials from ISG and Comstock gathered for the project’s official groundbreaking.
Work is now under way at the site with future steps being planned. In November, bids for the second phase of the project came in higher than anticipated. The board talked about changing some of the materials used and pursuing a grant for the camera and door lock security system outside of the Courthouse project scope.
Later that month, the commission moved to accept bids for bid package two from the lowest bidders totaling $6,873,901 with some modifications to the project to help reduce costs. The county hopes to make modifications to bring the total price of bid package one and bid package two to just over $9.0 million plus the architect fees and the furniture, fixtures and equipment.
2 Full General Election Ballot
When Marshall County voters went to the polls on Nov. 5 (or voted early), they faced a full ballot with multiple contested races plus several ballot questions.
Locally, there were two contested races for Marshall County Commissioner positions. In District 3, incumbent Jason Bender, a Republican, ran against Gerry Person, a Democrat. Bender had previously been appointed to the position after the passing of Commissioner Kevin Jones.
There were three candidates for the District 4 position. Incumbent Leron Knebel, a Democrat, was challenged by Andrea Kilker, a Republican, and Jared Holland, an Independent. Bender and Kilker would go on to win their respective seats.
The race for District 1 State Representative included a whopping six candidates. The incumbents were not on the ballot as Tamara St John, had lost in the Republican primary, and Joe Donnell did not seek re-election. On the Democratic side, Steven McCleerey and Mark Sumption ran. Representing the Libertarian Party were Josh Dennert and Tamara Lesnar. The Republicans won the two seats.
In all state races and for president, Marshall County voters went red, choosing Republican candidates.
There were four Constitutional Amendments on the ballot. Only one was given the nod by county voters as they very narrowly said yes to F to adopt Medicaid work requirements. Amendments regarding abortion rights, references to government officials, and establishing open primaries all failed.
The two initiated measures failed- one that would repeal the grocery/consumables tax and one legalizing recreational marijuana. A referred law regarding carbon pipeline regulations was rejected by county voters.
3 A Tough Budget For City Of Britton
Earlier this year, it became clear that the City of Britton would face significant budget challenges for the upcoming fiscal year, as an analysis revealed a projected $214,000 shortfall due to reduced revenues and sustained spending levels. Mayor Clyde Fredrickson emphasized the necessity of implementing budget cuts to address the financial gap while planning for the future.
To manage the shortfall, the city council reviewed a range of potential cuts. Among the areas identified for reductions were discretionary spending in parks and recreation and community contributions. Additionally, alternative funding sources, such as the Revolving Loan Fund and the Municipal Gross Receipts Tax, provided some relief to the strained budget.
Ultimately, the budget was balanced through a combination of cuts across various services. At the city pool, significant reductions included shortened hours, no weekend operations, limited staff, and increased rates for swimming lessons. The library faced staff reductions and cuts to its services. Administrative costs were also reduced by budgeting for fewer special meetings and decreasing the contingency fund.
Annual contributions to local organizations also saw changes. While the city maintained its $21,000 contribution to Glacial Lakes Area Development and a donation to the Prayer Rock Museum (funded from the previous fiscal year’s reserves), other groups were not as fortunate. The Britton Baseball and Softball Program and the Britton Chamber, for instance, did not receive their usual funding.
The second reading of the budget amendment took place during the council’s December meeting and was subsequently adopted, marking the conclusion of a challenging budgeting process for the City of Britton.
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