The Polk County Board of Commissioners met for a regular meeting on Tuesday morning at the Polk County Government Center.
HIGHWAY-RICHARD SANDERS
The board was then approached by County Engineer Richard Sanders with a resolution to advance $400,000 of town bridge funds for town bridge and box culvert replacements in the summer. He reported that Polk County’s current Township Bridge Account had no money left, and in order to set a letting date, Funding Letters needed to be approved by State Aid for each project. He reported the county receives town bridge funds every year, but that wouldn’t be enough funding to do more than one Township Bridge replacement. “Typically, the county gets about $170,000 of town bridge funds every year, and right now, about $170,000 would only cover one structure. We have about five or six township bridge requests to have bridges replaced, so by advancing this $400,000. It gives the ability to do more than one replacement this summer,” Richard Sanders explained. “So, we’re hoping to get at least four, if not five, done by allowing this $400,000 advancement.” The board approved the motion unanimously.
PUBLIC HEALTH-SARAH REESE
Public Health Director Sarah Reese then approached the board with a request to recommend more Opioid Settlement Advisory Council Members. The additional members she recommended included Nicole Brandt, Jennifer Berhow, and Kelsey Helgeson. The board approved the recommendations unanimously.
ADMINISTRATION-CHUCK WHITING
The board was then approached by County Administrator Chuck Whiting, who came forward with a resolution to designate the county’s website as the official site for the publication of invitations to bid on Polk County’s transportation projects. The board approved the motion unanimously.
Designating Delegates to the Association of Minnesota Counties & Payment of Dues
Whiting then proposed a resolution to designate the county’s dues to the State and National Association of County Commissioners for 2023 and designate individuals to attend the Association of Minnesota Counties meetings. Whiting stated the board designates all of its members as delegates to serve on various committees for the Association. The board approved the motion unanimously.
2023 Mileage, Meals, and Lodging Reimbursement Rates
Whiting’s final item included the board setting reimbursement rates for meals and mileage costs incurred by county department employees for travel expenses that were set by the IRS. “Generally, our policy is that we follow IRS guidelines for mileage, meals, and lodging reimbursement. Those generally get updated by the IRS this time of year and are usually ready by the first meeting of the calendar year,” Chuck Whiting explained. “We have the board adopt it, and they can vary from it if they want, but our general policy is just to adopt the IRS rates.” This year, he reported that the IRS’s mileage rate for reimbursing employees for travel using their personal vehicles had increased to $.655 per mile, which was three cents per mile over 2022. The board also changed their meal reimbursement rates in 2016 to federal meal reimbursement rates for in and out-of-state meals. He explained there were four areas in Minnesota with location-specific per diem rates specified by the federal government, but the general Minnesota per diems were $98 per night lodging and $59 per day meals. The board approved all three of the IRS’s recommended amounts unanimously.
The Board of Commissioners will next meet on Tuesday, January 17, at the Polk County Government Center.
