FAIRMONT — Martin County commissioners on Tuesday heard from Vicki Paskey of Minnesota Valley Action Council who asked them to consider an annual summer youth internship administrative agreement.

The program between Martin County and MVAC provides summer work experience for youth living in Martin County. Cost to the county is $50,000.

The board approved the agreement, effective March 1 through Sept. 30, with compensation for workers set at $10.50 per hour.

Paskey, along with MVAC community services director Nancy Haag, thanked the board for its continued funding.

“We’re moving into our seventh year with this program,” she said. “We are making some updates to our websites and applications, some of those being that we wanted to have the interns more involved as far as selecting their internship sites and where they would like to work. We match them to the very best match for their college major so they wind up getting credit for their internship.”

Paskey said that through last year’s program, 10 of 17 interns received college credit for their internship.

Haag noted there are limits for the interns of 29 hours per week, due to the Affordable Care Act.

Paskey noted that pay rates for interns have been up for discussion, as MVAC has received suggestions from outside businesses to go up to $12 or $14 per hour, up from $10 per hour in 2017.

“We discussed it and felt that $10.50 would be a good rate,” she said. “We’ve never had complaints from our interns as far as their hourly rate. They learn a lot, and they teach a lot to the businesses they work in. Most of them do have to have second jobs, but they would have to anyway because they’re helping to pay for their college education.”

Turning to other business, commissioners heard from representatives of Fox Lake Conservation Club who presented the board with the deed to a 40-acre parcel of land for the county park system. The board accepted the deed.

In 2013, commissioners had approved a resolution accepting the donation of a 40-acre parcel of land in Cedar Township near Trimont. That parcel contained a 10-acre prairie remnant from the Fox Lake Conservation Club. The parcel was to be restored as a native prairie, and the native prairie to be designated as a county scientific and natural area.

In other action, the board:

o Approved the purchase of a new pickup truck for the Martin County Planning and Zoning Office. The vehicle, a 2018 Silverado 1500 4×4 work truck, will be purchased from Ranger Chevrolet in Hibbing for $27,580, to be expended from the Buffer Aid Grant funds.

o Approved the purchase of three tablet computers at a cost of $4,736 for the Planning and Zoning Office. The tablets will be utilized for email, conference sessions and filling out inspection checklists while out in the field. The cost will be expended from the Feedlot Grant funds.