The Sherburne County Board  last week passed a resolution to authorize the acquisition of property for the Co. Rd. 44 reconstruction project by eminent domain, if needed.

Director of Public Works Andrew Witter said filing for eminent domain is the only way to ensure the county meets its project timeline and funding sunset dates.

Witter said staff has been diligent during the project design process to make sure there were as few properties affected as possible.

“We consider property impacts as one of the major items through our design process, along with safety, mobility and a number of other aspects,” he said.

When they first started to design the corridor and what it needed to look like for the community, there were upwards of 80 properties that would be affected.

“Through refining those design efforts, minimizing those design efforts, trying to make sure that we still maintained the requirements for the corridor that are necessary,” said Witter, “we were able to bring that down in the area of about 40 to 44 properties that are impacted.”

Through negotiations with property owners, that number has been reduced to 10, and six of those are mortgage releases.

Witter said it is not the county’s intention to use eminent domain for the few parcels still in question.

“We will continue to have conversations and work towards an agreeable solution with the remaining property owners,” he said.

All estimated property acquisition funds have been accounted for in the Public Works budget and designated project account.

Cannabis Grant

The board approved a grant agreement amendment with the MN Dept. of Health for cannabis and substance use prevention. The grant is being amended to extend the end date and add two additional years of funding to continue to create prevention and education programs focusing on cannabis and substance-use prevention. The additional amount of $205,916 is to be used by June 30, 2028.

Paid Leave Agreement

The board approved a Memoranda of Understanding with MNPEA Corrections Officers/Master Control Operators Unit, MNPEA Transport/Court Security Unit and Teamsters Corrections Supervisory Unit regarding Minnesota Paid Leave.

The new Minnesota paid leave law that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026 provides employers the option to allow employees to elect to supplement MPL benefits with accrued leave (if available).