Redwood County approves K-9 donation, personnel moves, liquor/tobacco licenses and recommends LPRW appointments

At its Nov. 18 meeting the Redwood County Board approved several administrative and public-safety actions.

Public safety and contracts: The Board accepted a $100 donation from Russell Baumann to the Sheriff’s Office to support the K-9 program (roll-call vote recorded as unanimous) and voted to increase the Sentence to Service hourly work rate to $15.00 per hour. The Board also approved the 2026 Morris Electronics service contract in the amount of $14,808 and voted to terminate a rental agreement with Anacon Leasing/A & B Business, Inc., at the end of the current term.

Appointments and licenses: The Board resolved to recommend the appointment of Jerry Lonneman and Joseph Weber to re‑serve four‑year terms on the Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water System (LPRW) Board of Commissioners and to appoint Scott Wassink to replace Rod Spronk; the resolution cites Minnesota Statutes §116A et seq. The Board approved 2026 liquor license applications for Vic’s Wild West Grill and Grandview Valley Winery Inc., and approved 2026 tobacco license applications for SAI (Morgan), Expressway (Sanborn), and Farmer’s Cooperative Association (Milroy). The Board set a public hearing on Dec. 16, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. for adoption of an amended cannabis ordinance.

Personnel: The Board approved hiring Mandy Rathman as a full-time dispatcher on the 2025 LELS non-licensed salary schedule (Dispatcher/Step 1) at $23.19 per hour effective Dec. 8, 2025, and acknowledged the retirement of Deputy Investigator Joel Bill effective Feb. 27, 2026.

Why it matters: These actions affect county public-safety operations, staffing levels, and representation on a regional water system board. The LPRW appointments determine county representation on a multi-jurisdiction water authority and were adopted pursuant to statutory authority.

Next steps: The county will notify the LPRW and proceed with licensing and personnel onboarding; the cannabis ordinance amendment will be considered at the Dec. 16 public hearing.