BLUE EARTH– Faribault County Veterans Services Officer Jenna Schmidtke, attended the Faribault County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday and gave a report on the Leadership Summit she had attended in Washington D.C.

“It was my first time attending and I learned a lot,” Schmidtke said. “We were able to review our legislative agenda concerning the veterans.”

Schmidtke shared the group was able to meet with people who could affect change.

“We had the chance to address concerns we had and offer our ideas for improvement,” she commented. “To their credit, the people we visited with were very receptive to what we had to say.”

One of the concerns the group addressed was about VA healthcare and the delays veterans can experience and the extended wait times veterans have to deal with before they receive the health care they need.

“I feel strongly that this was a milestone for opening the door to improving things for our veterans,” Schmidtke noted.

Schmidtke mentioned the group also addressed the need for more funding for mental health issues.

“Overall, I learned we are fortunate to live in Minnesota,” Schmidtke concluded. “Our state is a strong advocate for veterans.”

Planning and Zoning administrator Sara Hauskins attended the meeting and reported the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) had completed their annual feedlot review for Faribault County.

“Faribault County has 266 current feedlots and 44 inspections were conducted in 2023,” Hauskins explained. “MPCA requires a seven percent inspection rate each year and in 2023 Faribault County had a 16.54 inspection rate. MPCA also reviewed 11 minimum requirements and found that Faribault County was 100 percent in compliance.

The board also:

— Approved the requests of Drainage Department employees Merissa Lore, Dustin Anderson and Luke Schonborn to attend the Minnesota Association of Drainage Inspectors Annual Business Meeting and Main Conference.

— Voted to approve the request of Marsha Leschefske of the County Attorney’s office to attend the Karpel Solutions National User Group Meeting.