During the September meeting, the Orrock Town Board discussed a road in the township which continually floods during large rain events. 

To combat this issue, the board approved town handyman Darryl Waletzko to dredge the nearby pond and enlarge it. They also heard a presentation by their road engineer on widening the road in a reconstruction project, creating a drainage area in nearby yards to slow the drainage into the pond, and therefore slow the erosion, while still giving the water a place to go.

Without the overlay, the road will eventually need to be reclaimed, which is a costly experience and involves allowing the road to deteriorate for several years.

Supervisor Gary Goldsmith moved to approve other overlay projects, and to reconstruct that road in 2026. However, the motion failed with three supervisors against. A different motion passed to take care of the project in 2025. A neighborhood meeting will be held at a later date to gather public input on the project.

Open Forum

Three individuals spoke during open forum regarding election security. 

The individuals identified themselves as a Sherburne Citizen Action Group. They encouraged the board to consider a Post-Election Review (PER). This is a process where a random race is hand-counted to make sure the numbers match what the ballot machine counted. Big Lake City performed a PER before and intends to do so again, according to the speakers. The speakers mentioned a study showing 60% of voters are concerned about election security, and shared their own concerns about hackers influencing the data.

Planning & Zoning

The Sherburne County Solid Waste and Planning and Zoning Departments gave their annual update. They outlined the services they currently provide, including solid waste management.

A recent study has shown the county has outgrown the current waste management system, with the amount of trash going to the landfill doubling since 2012, and the county is looking into building a larger facility. They also conducted a study with local schools to understand what kind of trash is being produced, and are implementing new programs at Becker Schools, including one where food scraps are fed to livestock at local farms rather than being thrown away.

The county is also looking to create satellite battery collection sites where residents can drop off old batteries.

Planning and Zoning noted that they are currently working on a county-wide cannabis ordinance. This has been a difficult process since the state has not yet released their rules regarding cannabis sales, but the state is requiring that the county ordinance be in place in January. So county staff is essentially “shooting in the dark” as one staff member said, trying to create an ordinance that will work.

County Commissioner Gregg Felber elaborated on the cannabis policy project, noting that the county did not want to go forward with creating a policy without knowing what state ordinance will look like, but there was no choice. 

New ED Coordinator

The new Economic Development Coordinator for Sherbunre County, Brian Fleming, introduced himself to the board. He spoke about a few projects he’s hoping to oversee, including providing assistance to those interested in providing childcare services, as the county is underserved in this area. He also spoke about plans for the Sherco Plant in Becker briefly.

In Other Business, the Board:

• Approved an increase in rate for legal services;

• Approved a road patch on 167th St.;

• Approved allowing Hope Lutheran to put up a sign to direct churchgoers down the correct road;

• Was asked to give their opinion on a new facility for the maintenance and storage of solar panels for use on farm land.