Combustor Ash is Saving Money

When Municipal Solid Waste (Trash) is burned, it leaves combustor ash.  The ash falls to bottom of the combustion chamber and is removed.  The ash is taken to the Kalmar Landfill.  Olmsted recently completed a pilot project to use the ash when constructing a road bed.  The pilot project was successful.  This summer the Minnesota Highway Department will work with Olmsted County to use 400 tons of ash to rebuild County Road 154.  This is cost saving for the county; the ash replaces gravel and when we use the ash it precludes having to expand the landfill.

 

More Solar

I have supported adding solar panels to roofs of county buildings.  Solar panels for the roof of scale house and maintenance building at the Kalmar Landfill have recently been installed.  These solar panels add to the electrical production from other rooftops and the 1 MW solar field that was installed several years ago.  The solar array in the county generates clean, renewable energy, reduces utility costs, and adds to the county’s climate sustainability and energy goals.

 

Take the County Parks and Trails Survey

You can be a part of helping Olmsted County improve the Parks and Trails and help the long-range planning for better Parks.  Here is the link to the survey:

https://www.olmstedcounty.gov/government/county-news-events/county-news/Olmsted-County-Parks-and-Trails-launches-survey-and-invites-input-on-future-of-county-parks

 

Community Survey

Olmsted County recently completed a survey of the community.  This is a randomized survey so not every resident received the survey questions.  The survey is done once every three years.  In this year’s survey, 6,000 households were randomly selected.  The respondents were reflective of the demographics of the county; they tended to be older, white, and homeowners.  The respondents were also reflective of who is more likely to take surveys due to time constraints.  Here is the link to the survey results:

https://www.olmstedcounty.gov/government/county-news-events/olmsted-county-2025-resident-survey-results?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

 

Community Input for Olmsted County Parks and Trails

Olmsted County Parks and Trails is hosting a series of open houses to get community input on the future of county parks and trails.  The information that is gathered will be used to update and shape a master plan for the parks and improve the experiences residents have in the county parks and on the trails.  More information and a schedule of the open houses can be found here:

https://www.olmstedcounty.gov/government/county-news-events/county-news/Parks-and-Trails-open-houses?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

 

License Tab Fees to Increase

Olmsted County will increase license tab fee from $10 to $20 starting in 2026.  The tab fees go exclusively to county road and bridge expenses.  Expenses for road and bridge maintenance has increased tremendously over the past few years.  A bituminous (black top) road is about $400,000 per mile to overlay.  Olmsted used to repair about 10 miles of blacktop road every year.  For the past few years, Olmsted has only been able to do 4 miles; as a result, the county is falling behind in keeping our roads safe and in good driving condition.  The increase in tab fees will raise $1.2 million for roads and bridges.