Steele County meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Steele County Board weighs $1.67M road contract, quarry review, and property sale

The Steele County Board met twice in the past week—once for a regular meeting and once for a work session—and held a separate budget work session. While no formal decisions have been published yet (minutes are pending), the agendas included a $1.67 million road resurfacing contract, a quarry permit review, and the start of 2027 budget discussions. The board also has a busy meeting scheduled for Aug. 25, including a proposal to sell the former County Highway Shop.

Aug. 11 board meeting

The board considered awarding the CSAH 43 resurfacing project (SAP 074-643-012) to Crane Creek Asphalt for $1,671,220.46. It also reviewed a conditional use permit (CUP #302) for the Martin Marietta quarry in Owatonna, which carries 27 conditions. Other items included approving a bid advertisement for the detention center re-roof and routine consent items such as minutes, bills, journal entries, and a personnel report.

Aug 11 work session

The same day, the board held a work session to discuss public health concepts, review draft contracts for coroner/medical examiner services, and receive an update on county deaths and trends. No decisions were scheduled.

Aug 13 budget work session

The board met again on Aug. 13 for a work session focused solely on the 2027 county budget. This was a discussion and planning session, not a final decision-making meeting.

Upcoming: Aug 25 meetings

Two meetings are scheduled for Aug. 25. The work session will include a presentation from SitelogIQ on public health concepts and a review of coroner/medical examiner contract drafts. The regular board meeting will take up several action items:

• Review proposals for the sale of the former County Highway Shop at 828 Hoffman Drive.
• Approve a $200,560 purchase of wetland banking credits for SAP 074-628-004.
• Adopt Resolution 2026-42 for the sale of an excess highway easement at 803 School Street for $3,650.
• Authorize soliciting food service contract proposals for the Detention Center.
• Approve a mutual aid agreement with the MNDOC facility in Faribault.

Coming up

• **Steele County Board Work Session** – Aug. 25, 2026, 9:00 a.m. (agenda: SitelogIQ presentation, coroner contract drafts)
• **Steele County Board Meeting** – Aug. 25, 2026, 9:30 a.m. (agenda: Highway Shop sale, wetland credits, easement sale, food service contract, mutual aid agreement)

All meetings are open to the public. Minutes from the Aug. 11 and Aug. 13 meetings have not yet been published; the board's official website will have the final records.

Steele County Board to weigh $1.67M road resurfacing contract, quarry permit review

The Steele County Board will consider awarding a $1,671,220.46 contract for the CSAH 43 resurfacing project at its Aug. 11 meeting, the largest item on the county's upcoming agenda. The board also will review a conditional use permit for the Martin Marietta quarry and hold a budget work session later in the week. No decisions from recent meetings have been published yet, as minutes are pending.

Recent meetings

July 28 work session — The board received a presentation from SitelogIQ on facility master planning. No formal action was taken; the session was for discussion.

July 28 board meeting — The agenda included several infrastructure and administrative items, though minutes have not yet been published. The board was scheduled to vote on:

• Awarding the 2026 Pavement Markings Contract (CP 074-026-002) to Sir Lines-A-Lot, LLC for $262,308.15.
• A cooperative design and construction agreement with Waseca County for Bridge 88497 on CSAH 2.
• A Steele County waste delivery contract template for 2027–2029.
• A fence project for the new Mixed Solid Waste (MSW) landfill cell.
• Transfer of two Emergency Management Trailers to the Owatonna Fire Department.

Aug. 3 Planning Commission — The commission held public hearings on a proposed addition to Section 1524 regarding bonds, and on two Conditional Use Permits: CUP #447 (WHKS / Steele County) for placing fill in a floodplain, and a review of CUP #302 (Martin Marietta, Owatonna Quarry). The commission also reviewed building permits.

Upcoming meetings

Aug. 11 work session — The board will discuss public health concepts, review draft contracts for coroner/medical examiner services, and receive an update on Steele County deaths and trends. No formal decisions are scheduled.

Aug. 11 board meeting — In addition to the CSAH 43 resurfacing contract, the board will consider:

• Approving the advertisement for bids for a detention center re-roof project.
• Accepting a review of CUP #302 (Martin Marietta – Owatonna Quarry) with 27 conditions.
• Approving the July 28 board minutes and work session minutes, as well as bills, journal entries, and a personnel report.

Aug. 13 work session — The board will hold a 2027 budget work session. This is a discussion and planning session, not a final decision-making meeting.

Coming up

Residents may want to attend the Aug. 11 board meeting at 9 a.m. to hear the road resurfacing contract and quarry permit discussion, or the Aug. 13 budget work session to learn about county spending plans for 2027. Check the county website for agendas and meeting locations.

Steele County Board Considers Property Sale and Parking Lot Payment; Minutes Pending

Steele County officials recently held a series of meetings covering the 2027 budget, coroner services, and potential property sales. However, minutes for these sessions have not yet been published, meaning no official decisions or votes can be confirmed at this time. The most consequential items on the agendas included the potential sale of a former county property and a final payment for parking lot work totaling $63,487.46. Without the official minutes, this roundup reflects only the items listed on the agendas and does not confirm any final actions taken by the board.

July 13: 2027 Budget Work Session

On July 13, the Steele County Board held a work session dedicated to discussing the 2027 budget. According to the provided agenda, no specific proposals, dollar amounts, or votes were listed for this session. The meeting was classified as an agenda-only item, with minutes not yet published. This means the public will need to wait for the official minutes to see what specific budget priorities or challenges were discussed by the board.

July 14: Coroner Services and Annex Feasibility

The following day, July 14, the board convened for another work session. The agenda listed two primary discussion items: Steele County Coroner Services and a review of proposals for an annex building feasibility study. As with the budget session, no formal votes were expected on these items, and minutes have not yet been released to confirm the details of the discussions. Work sessions are typically used for board members to gather information and ask questions before making formal decisions at a later date.

July 14: County Board Meeting

Later on July 14, the board held a regular meeting with several notable items on the agenda. Because minutes are not yet available, it is unclear which items were approved or how board members voted, but the agenda included the following:

• Authorization to solicit proposals for the sale of the former County Highway shop at 828 Hoffman Drv.
• Final payment of $63,487.46 to JJD Companies, LLC for the Courthouse and Administration Parking Lot.
• Approval of an Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Tools Policy.
• Approval of an Email Retention Policy.
• Resolution 2026-37, which would accept Kwik Trip gift card donations from Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and Troy Steece.

The board was also slated to review new policies regarding email retention and artificial intelligence tools during this meeting. The agenda indicated the board would vote on the sale of the former county property and approve the final payment for the parking lot work, but without the minutes, these outcomes cannot be verified.

Coming Up

There are no upcoming meetings listed for Steele County over the next 14 days.