Feb. 4—WILLMAR

— On the agenda for the

Kandiyohi County Board

‘s regular meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 6, is the annual performance evaluation review of County Administrator Kelsey Baker, as well as a public information hearing on the proposed Dooley’s Natural Gas pipeline.

The County Board meeting will be held in the boardroom of the Kandiyohi County Health and Human Services Building in Willmar.

Baker was hired as the county administrator in October 2022, and started in February 2023. She replaced longtime administrator Larry Kleindl.

There has been some controversy surrounding Baker’s tenure, including

disagreement among county commissioners

during her six-month review and her applying for the

city administrator job in West Fargo, North Dakota,

shortly thereafter.

The

proposed $13.9 million pipeline by Dooley’s

would carry renewable natural gas produced by the four large Riverview dairies in Swift, Chippewa and Kandiyohi counties. A small portion of the 28-mile pipeline would run from Meadow Star Dairy west of Willmar to the Kandiyohi-Chippewa County border.

As part of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission permitting process, a public information hearing in each of the impacted counties is required.

Also on the County Board agenda is a presentation from the Kandiyohi-Renville Statewide Health Improvement Partnership; authorization to advertise for bids for the New London water tower rehabilitation project; consideration of supporting the regional park designation for the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center; and discussion and consideration of approval of the 2024 drainage systems levy proposal.