The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday afternoon and heard an update on the McIntosh School Building, an opioid settlement impact report, and preliminary goals and objectives for the 2027 budget, among other topics.
MCINTOSH SCHOOL BUILDING UPDATE
Planning and Zoning Director Jacob Snyder provided an update to the county board on the status of the old McIntosh School Building. A portion of the building collapsed in May, likely due to strong wind gusts. County officials have inspected the site and are determining the next steps for demolishing the building, including efforts to recycle the clean brick for crushing and use on roads at the county landfill site. “We have struggled in the past with basing up roads to certain complexes that are landfills,” said Snyder. “If you go out to our landfill, it’s a lot bigger than people think. We don’t just have them out in the garbage that you see off Highway Two. There are many different complexes out there. With that, when we get rain, we’re struggling to get our equipment around the site.”
The next step for Snyder is to issue a request for proposals to determine who will perform the demolition work and what their costs will be. The major issue that Snyder is dealing with is the uncertainty of whether any other portions of the building will collapse before work can begin. “We did hire Widseth to do some structural analysis of the McIntosh school, but we really need to act on this a little bit faster than we typically do,” Snyder explained. “It collapsed. We’re one disaster away from more issues. And so we’re trying to get that RFP out, so we can get some numbers on the table and then we can make some real decisions here. So that’s the next step.”
OPIOID SETTLEMENT IMPACT REPORT
Polk County Health Director Sarah Reese presented the Opioid Settlement Report to the county board. The presentation included a full report on the funds that were received and how they were distributed. In total, $363,748 in investments were made in 2025, supporting seven projects and benefitting hundreds of people in the community. The county is planning to invest $500,000 in settlement funds in 2026 across 12 projects.
As part of the report, the health department created a video highlighting the funded projects and the people who have been helped through these programs. “It has been incredible,” said Reese. “We have partners across areas of prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction, and when you hear each story one by one, it is moving and thoughtful and brings hope. But when you see that all together, you see the collective action, and that is really about our community caring for and supporting people when they’re ready, and supporting families at some of their most difficult times.”
Reese also gave an update on the Active Transportation Plan Survey. The survey, a partnership between the health and highway departments, asks residents how they travel and move around the county. The results of the survey will help determine what transportation projects should be considered in the future. The survey is available online through Friday, June 26, but the health department will seek additional feedback at the Polk County Fair in July.
2027 BUDGET PRELIMINARY GOALS
County Administrator Chuck Whiting identified some preliminary goals and objectives for the 2027 budget. Some of the topics include labor contract negotiations, health insurance, follow-through on the BS&A financial software upgrade, levy determinations, cybersecurity, new commissioner orientations, and capital projects like the public works building and a new exterior sign for the Government Center. Commissioners briefly discussed a few items, which was the goal Whiting was looking for with presenting this list to the board. “That was my list of things that I know are coming and putting it out there was for these commissioners to discuss and think,” said Whiting. “So one, they’re not surprised when they start seeing these things, but to see what might be coming. These are just issues that are coming up, and we’ll be pretty much talking about it until the end of December.”
The board also approved a resolution amending the 2026 wage grid for the county administrator, department heads, and non-union personnel that was discussed and reviewed at the June 2 county board meeting.
The next Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, at 8:00 a.m. in the county boardroom at the Polk County Government Center in Crookston.
