PINE COUNTY TOWNSHIP OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION MEETING, SATURDAY OCTOBER 31, 2026
The fall meeting of the Pine County Township Officers Association was held on Saturday , October 31, 2026, at the Hinckley Community Center, in Hinckley, MN . The meeting was called to order by Chair Katy Overtoom at 9:00am. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chair Katy Overtoom. The invocation was provided by Katy Overtoom.
Roll Call was taken with more than 10 townships present, establishing a quorum.
We had several speakers:
Kelly Schroeder, County Administrator/Interim Auditor: With the election going on the county office is open for early voting on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday November 1, 2026, from 9 to 3, due to state law. Thank your township clerk for all the hard work they do for the election. There is one candidate still being considered for County Auditor. He is scheduled to come in after the election to meet with the staff and department heads to make sure this is a good fit.
Josh Mohr, Candidate for County Commissioner: Current Pine County Board of Commissioners Chair. We have appointed Mark LeBrun as an Interim Deputy County Administrator. We have set our preliminary budget at a 6% increase. A major part of the budget this year are state and federal mandates that are unfunded. Josh also spoke on the campaign practices happening during this election. If you have questions about his voting record, please ask him.
Roger Nelson, Candidate for County Commissioner: We have a levy increase of 6%, because of a 1.1% growth increase in our county, a 1 % cost of living, and we are cutting $500,000 from our budget, we are using $500,000 from fund balances. When you add up all those things we are still short by 3.9% of our 6% there. That is specifically directed toward the increases in our health and human services department. Attributed to new mandates that have been put on us from both the state and the federal level. It is important to note that these are mandates that we have no control over.
Abbie Raudebaugh, Candidate for County Commission: District 1: Also, a Pine City Township Supervisor. Listed reason she should be elected and offered to listen to issues from townships that are not hers. The state average for levy increases is 8.5%. Versus our county proposed levy of 6%.
Denise Weise, Candidate for County Commission: District 2: against Josh Mohr. Gave reasons she should be elected. Would like to get tax forfeited land back on the tax rolls to generate revenue. We are looking at a projected population decrease. Pine County has a higher-than-average age 65 population. We need to figure out how to get young people in. How to get tax revenue in and keep our school population up. Pine County needs growth.
Jon Dorau, Candidate for County Commission: Running for District 5, from Sandstone. Gave reasons he should be elected. Stated that he will come to the Pine County Township Officers meetings if elected.
James Kunze Candidate for County Commissioner: Running for District 5, from Sandstone. Gave reasons he should be elected. Land is an asset. Tax forfeited property is an asset.
Stephan Hallen County Commissioner: County Commissioner for 20 years, and celebrating his 40th PCTOA meeting. The County Board has concluded that we are in the middle of everywhere. People move here for the beauty and the access to the metro area and Duluth. In the 20 years he served, he has only worked with two County Administrators and two County Attorneys. We have been lucky to have good ones and they have stayed. Paying off the County Courthouse in 2031 will free up 2 million dollars. Public land is a great asset in Pine County. Great advice: there are 2 sides to every story. Listen to them both. It’s been a good run/ Thank You! He received a standing ovation.
Reese Fredrickson, County Attorney: The County Attorney’s office has some convictions to report on. Kimberly Nordstrom got 25 months for trying to steal $140,000. She had obtained a loan at 55% interest. Richard Rivera 66 months for drunk driving over 100 miles per hour. John Thomas 367 months in prison for murder. Pine county prosecutes the murders themselves. Christopher Martin 7 months for dealing fentanyl. Josh Dediker 26 months for violating a no contact order. Jaime Williams 50 months dealing with methamphetamine. Roger R. was a 60-months criminal with firearms and ammo. Nicholas Cole 24 months, goes off paper did not register as a sex offender and moved into a home with children. There were many more.
Jeff Nelson, County Sheriff: Thank you for your support during his time as sheriff. He has 65 days left as sheriff. He will always ask for more staff. This is his last meeting as Sheriff. He received a standing ovation.
Scott Grice, Candidate for County Sheriff: Currently Chief Deputy Sheriff. Gave reasons he should be elected. And listed his accomplishments. Violent crime clearance rate has gone from about 34 percent to 64 percent. We have a good relationship with the DEA.
Aaron Borchardt, Candidate for County Sheriff: With the local Fire Department. Gave reasons he should be elected. And listed his accomplishments.
Natalie Koerver, Executive Director East Central Regional Development Commission: We are willing to attend township meetings and discuss where she can assist. We work in energy efficiency grants; we have grants up to $20,000.00 to update public buildings that have energy efficiency issues and need to be updated. That is with no local matching funds requirement. Transit: Jefferson line has approval for stops in Cambridge and Mora. Locations of the stops will be shared on the website in the next month or so. Go to the ECRDC website ecrdc.org for upcoming classes and workshops.
Barb Fischer Hospital Board: If you are a member of the Hospital District there is a position on the ballots for the Hospital District. Please be sure to vote for your Hospital District. There is also an at large position on the ballot. This is a write in position. If you are interested in being a Hospital District member, fill in your name and ask your friends to write you in as well. Health Partners is acquiring Essentia, the Hospital District has a contract with Essentia, and they are working to make sure the contract holds through the acquisition. The Hospital District will be contacting an attorney to help with this. Sandstone received $275,000 from the big, beautiful bill for EMTs. Essentia will let us know how that is being used. The Hospital District is sponsoring a CPR class at the Hinckley Fire Department on January 23, 2027, if you are a hospital district member it is paid for.
Tammy Carlson, Pine City Township Clerk, MAT District 7 Director: This year Tammy was elected as the MAT President and serves on the MATIT board of trustees, which is also your insurance trust. The Legislative and Research Committee may be moved to the Annual Conference with hopes of having higher attendance. The Annual Conference will be December 10-12, 2026, in Nisswa, MN and attendance is highly recommended. There is a vendor session with the fire marshal’s office, you can apply for grants for studies by the fire marshal. Training in DATA Centers and how they affect your communities. and CTAS training. Entertainment and dinner and the annual meeting where a vote will be taken for the legislative priorities for 2027. Next year the Annual Conference will be held at Mystic Lake Casino. ARPA closed out, make sure you have all of that closed out, the deadline is December 31, 2026. If you do not you will need to pay back all those funds. When making those reports you will need to use the IRS portal. They have multi step authentication, and you need to update your password every 12 months. The passwords take time to activate and get confirmed. It could take up to 4 weeks to get your password confirmed. Applications for LRIP are due November 25, 2026, and they offer 50 million for eligible local road projects. MAT continues to post grants, legal and election guidance, training opportunities, and operational updates at MNtownship.org . If you can’t find what you need, please call the office. The MAT attorneys can give you guidance but not legal advice. Every other Tuesday is Township Tuesday, and they cover the latest legislative updates. Get your yearend reporting in on time. You can lose funding if you don’t get your reports in on time. If you are late or struggling talk to them and get help. Township Day at the Capital is March 1, 2027. There is a free lunch.
Spring Short Course is March 15 – April 6, 2027. In Carlton MN or at the Casino.
Treasurers Report:
Balance 2545.40 Savings
Motion was made to approve the Treasurers report by Nadine from Sturgeon Lake and seconded by Tammy Carlson Pine City Township. The motion carried.
Katy moved to adjourn the meeting, and the meeting was adjourned at 11:00am
Minutes by Glen Williamson, Secretary/Treasurer