Douglas County is now officially a rifle zone county for the hunting of white-tailed deer. At their April 7 board meeting, County Board Chair Shane Schmidt read the following, “At this time the board will provide an update for our residents, property owners and visitors who come to Douglas County to hunt white-tailed deer. As you recall, effective January 1, 2026, Minnesota law repealed the statewide shotgun-only zones for deer hunting… Douglas County will follow the state guidelines. That means hunters may use any legal firearm during the deer hunting season. We asked for and received a lot of input on this subject. We held a public forum on February 18. Nearly 100 people attended. The Douglas County Association of Townships also surveyed its member townships for input and shared those results with us. We thank everyone who provided valuable research and input on this important subject.”
In other action, the board:
Accepted three generous donations to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office:
- Golden K Kiwanis Club donation of $300 for the DARE program
- DeWayne Bisek donation of $250 for Honor Guard
- Saint Nicholas Catholic Church donation of $500 for general use.
Public Works
Commissioners accepted the low bid for grading work on County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 14. The low bid was from Central Specialties for $6.563,097.67.
The board approved final payment for work last summer on center line culverts on CSAH 14. Public Works Director Tim Erickson said Midwest Contracting did a very good job.
Commissioners denied a repair request from a landowner on County Ditch 21. Commissioner Tim Kalina said, “the property is never going to be cropland. It shouldn’t be on the rest of the ditch system.”
He then offered a motion to abandon the ditch, located in Millerville Township, at the end of the 2024 repair project and let landowners take care of it. Kalina added to his motion saying he would like legal review to ensure the board, as Drainage Authority, can take this action. The board approved the motion on a 4 to 1 vote with Commissioner Charlie Meyer voting no.
Social Services
Community Human Services Director Tabitha Kremmin asked the board to accept three donations for the upcoming Senior Expo. The Expo will be held June 17 at St. Mary’s School in Alexandria. It features law enforcement and experts on avoiding financial fraud.
Sponsorship donations for the Senior Expo:
- $300 Douglas County Veterans Service Office
- $300 St. Croix Hospice
- $300 Vista Prairie Windmill Ponds
Land and Resource Management
Douglas County Feedlot Coordinator Mark Koep presented the 2025 Feedlot Program Annual Report of Accomplishments. He said it showed, “we did all the work, and we did it correctly.”
Koep is responsible for permits, inspections and compliance. He shared his findings for the year and provided an update on feedlot numbers. He said there are currently 216 sites which is down 31 from the 2021/2022 report. The largest feedlot is located near Millerville with approximately 8,000 animals. He said dairy farm numbers continue to be down with Douglas County having 20 or fewer and turkey operations remain steady at three, one in Kensington and two barns in Nelson that were recently rebuilt.
Xcel Energy shared information with the board on its proposed Fargo to Alexandria transmission line project. Allison Ray told the board, “Douglas is the only county that responded to our letter offering to provide an update so thank you for taking time to learn about the project.”
She said the project will enhance regional electrical reliability and it will reduce grid congestion to help keep bills as low as possible for customers. The project adds a second circuit along the I-94 towers. Very few additional towers will be needed because the circuit is in the ‘open position’ on the existing towers. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 if all the permits are approved.
Commissioner Meyer asked if Douglas County residents will benefit from this, or if the Alexandria Substation is being used as a skip station. Ray said we all benefit because the upgrade is needed and the energy can go to and from the Dakotas to Alexandria. A second project will also hook into the Alexandria Substation. That is called the Big Stone South to Alexandria Transmission Line project. That project is a joint effort between Otter Tail Power and Missouri River Energy Services which owns the Alexandria Substation.
Items from the floor
Philip Kraft with Cardboard Cares shared safety concerns with board members over an item on the April 16 Pope Douglas Solid Waste board agenda. That item is a contract extension of the Ash, Fines, and Leachate hauling contract.
A resident on County Road 11 shared his concerns with traffic speeds on the road and what he called ATVs on the public roads without visible license plates.
The next board meeting is April 21 and will include county board members meeting with members of the Alexandria City Council. That meeting will take place at the Douglas County Administration Building at 821 Cedar Street.