County sets final budget and levy at 5% increase over 2024

By Anna Jauhola
In the final meeting of 2024, the Kittson County Commission approved the 2025 budget and tax levy, including an increase in their salaries for the year.
When the commission approved the preliminary 2025 budget and levy in September, they shot high with a 10.5% increase over 2024.
“I think we’re pretty happy with where our budget sits,” said Administrator Aimee Sugden. “This is down close to 5%. And we’re only using reserve funds that are going to be coming back in.”
Since the Sept. 10 meeting, the budget committee trimmed the levy down to $6,159,517.33, an approximate 5% increase over 2024. Now, the overall preliminary budget for Kittson County is $16,462,268.33 in expenditures, with revenue of $9,682,168, and program aid of $620,583.
The reserve funds Sugden mentioned are being used to pay H2Overviewers $475,000 for their work on ditch redeterminations. Those ditch funds will be collected from benefitted landowners and repaid to the county general fund.
The commissioners thanked the committee and department heads for their work to trim the budget while figuring out how to move forward. They approved resolution 24-28 for the budget and levy.
The board, with two outgoing members, also approved resolution 24-27 to increase commissioners’ wages for 2025. Sugden said the board has not increased its wages for the last couple of years.
“What do you think Nathan? Should we give it to them?” said Leon Olson, outgoing District 4 commissioner.
With Olson’s motion, and outgoing District 1 Commissioner Nathan Kraulik’s second, each commissioner will receive an annual salary of $26,378.30 plus benefits, effective Jan. 1. The resolution further states per diems received for meetings remain at $60 for meetings other than regular meetings that are under four hours, and $90 for meetings over four hours.
In other business, the board:
• Approved purchasing a John Deere 1025R utility tractor with a rotary broom and snow blower for use at the courthouse. Custodian Victor Camacho has been using a similar tractor and attachments, but they were leased. That lease is up and the cost of the new equipment is $33,980 from True North Equipment in Kennedy. Sugden said there was $150,000 left in the courthouse budget to use for this equipment.
• Approved a quote from Valley Brake & Alignment in Grafton for the highway department to purchase a new lowboy trailer. The cost is $57,000, said Engineer Arthur Kukowski, and the
business offered to buy the old trailer for $18,000. This cuts the overall cost down to $39,000, which is $1,000 under the department’s budget for the trailer. Kukowski said the new trailer is larger and will better haul the trackhoe and larger equipment.
• Heard from Kukowski and Assistant Engineer Keith Klegstad that they are working on the salt and sand storage and use. Due to the extreme conditions that started this winter, Klegstad said they’ve had 50 tons more salt delivered last week, cutting into the 2025 allotment from the state bid. When they mix the salt with sand, which is a 50/50 mixture, that will cut down the stored salt to only 50 tons on hand, creating 325 tons of mixed sand/salt. “That’ll do one more time around the county,” Klegstad said. Plus, they are limited on how much they can store. They are looking at other options, but haven’t made any decisions.
• Also heard from Kukowski and Klegstad their appreciation for the extra hours motor grader and plow operators have put in to clear and sand roads during and after recent storms. He said the highway department has received several calls regarding the road conditions. “But the roads are better now. We’ve put a lot of work into that. I just wanted to tell you guys and thank our guys for their time and effort, on weekends, coming in an hour or two early every day for several weeks straight now,” Kukowski said. “We’re doing the best we can. Sometimes it’s not perfect conditions, but we are working on it.”
The commission’s next meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 9 a.m. The commission meets regularly on the first and third Tuesdays each month, at 9 a.m. in the upstairs meeting room at the courthouse in Hallock.