County News

The Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority is receiving a $1.1 million COVID-19 Emergency Solutions Grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Office of Economic Opportunity. This grant will fully fund operations and staffing from January 2021 through January 2022 at both the Rochester Community Warming Center and The Creek, a short-term shelter in Rochester for people experiencing homelessness. 

Read Commissioner Stephanie Podulke's comments from the January 5, 2021 board meeting

Effective Monday, January 4, 2021, the Government Center Rotunda doors (Door C) will only be unlocked for meetings after 5 p.m. when public meetings are scheduled or expected to occur after business hours. Specifically, Rotunda doors will be open 15 minutes prior to a scheduled meeting and locked 15 minutes after the meeting’s scheduled start time.

After launching a new logo earlier this year, Olmsted County has now unveiled a redesigned website with a new URL that’s easier to remember – www.olmstedcounty.gov.

Earlier this year, Olmsted County received $19.1 million in funds as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Other jurisdictions in the county had approximately $290,000 in unused CARES Act funds that were turned over to the county to be spent on COVID-19-related initiatives. Over the past several months, Olmsted County has used these funds to adapt to providing services in a COVID-19 environment and help individuals and families in our communities facing hardships due to the pandemic.

On December 15, 2020, the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners approved a temporary COVID-19 property tax hardship abatement policy for commercial/industrial property owners. The policy is intended to provide some relief to business owners having difficulty paying their 2020 property taxes due to COVID-19 impacts on their businesses. This will defer payment of some of the taxes and abate some of the penalties and interest to help those businesses recover.

Olmsted County’s 2021 budget was approved by the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners on December 15, 2020.

The Olmsted County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution today stating that conversion therapy is a discredited practice that is unethical and harmful. The board also indicated support of a statewide ban on the controversial practice.

Olmsted County is excited to share the plans for proposed improvements to county road (CR) 101 (45th St. SE) from the junction of St. Bridget Rd SE to the junction of County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 1 (Simpson Rd SE).

Collaboration, innovation, and protecting environmental resources are integral to delivering on Olmsted County’s mission of providing the foundation of a vibrant community. An example of that spirit in action is a new partnership with Cenergy Power (Cenergy) and People’s Energy Cooperative (PEC).

After an extensive search, Vice President of Strategy and Service Development for Nexus Family Healing Margaret Vimont has announced that Nicole Mucheck has been named executive director of the new Southeast Regional Crisis Center (SERCC) in Rochester, Minnesota, opening in the spring of 2021.

It has been more than nine months since leaders in Olmsted County started meeting and discussing plans about COVID-19 response in our community. Much has happened since then, but the one thing that has remained constant is the collaborative planning and implementation amongst community partners including Olmsted County Public Health, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center, the City of Rochester, and others. The arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine in our community is another example of the amazing collaboration happening in Olmsted County. 

Looking to get more involved in your community? The Olmsted County Board of Commissioners is currently accepting applications for the Olmsted County Human Rights Commission. 

Once numbering in the tens of millions before being hunted to near extinction, the American plains bison is making a promising recovery. In Minnesota, this recovery is supported by a long-standing partnership between the Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Zoological Garden (MZG), which actively manage Minnesota’s Bison Conservation Herd. This year, Olmsted County joined the partnership by establishing a bison population at the county park’s Zollman Zoo.

At yesterday’s Olmsted County Board of Commissioners meeting, the Olmsted County 2020 Census Complete Count Committee (CCC) presented the results of the local community engagement and awareness campaign. 
 

Olmsted County is giving property owners another two weeks to pay their property taxes before receiving any late payment penalties. The deadline by which to pay your full property tax payment for 2020 is now December 31, 2020. 

The Olmsted County Board of Commissioners voted today to temporarily suspend entrance fees at Olmsted County parks from December 4, 2020 until April 30, 2021. This means that visitors can enjoy any Olmsted County park – including Chester Woods – free of charge during this timeframe. The county board made this decision to help benefit the mental and physical well-being of residents in Olmsted County. 

The Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) Awards Committee has selected Olmsted County Commissioner Sheila Kiscaden as a recipient of its 2020 AMC Outstanding Service Award.

Today the Olmsted County Parks department shared its master plan for Lake Zumbro Park, the new name of the park formerly known as White Bridge Pier and White Bridge Fishing Access.