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First District Commissioner Brad Edwin will lead the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners for a second year in a row after a vote Tuesday at the start of the board’s regular meeting.

Edwin was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2020 and was reelected in both 2022 and 2024.

He was the only one nominated for the position.

Second District Commissioner Dawn Kaasa nominated Fourth District Commissioner Chris Shoff to serve as vice chairman, while Edwin nominated 5th District Commissioner Nicole Eckstrom.

Shoff ultimately withdrew his nomination, and Eckstrom was elected to the role.

Eckstrom was first elected to the board in 2022 and recently ran unopposed in 2024. This is her first time to serve as vice chairwoman.

The commissioners also welcomed new Third District Commissioner Lukas Severson, who was elected to replace retiring Commissioner John Forman.

The board also approved other action typically passed at the start of the year, including banks that the county will do business with and change funds/petty cash funds for various departments.

The board set the crop damage rate for 2025 for standing crops that may be damaged due to repair, improvement or construction projects involving the county’s drainage ditches. The rate will be $798 per acre for corn and $529 per acre for beans.

The crop damage rate for 2025 for crop damages due to repair, improvement or construction projects involving county drainage ditches for land not planted will be $525 per acre.

In other action, the board:

• Approved sending a letter to the Minnesota Department of Revenue for a 90-day extension to fill the vacant assessor position. The current 90-day vacancy for the assessor position expires on Jan. 14.

• Approved the county’s five-year bridge priority replacement plan.

County Engineer Phil Wacholz said 31 bridges are due for replacement. Of that number 12 are eligible for funding through the state.

In 2024, the county replaced four bridges but had four new bridges added to the list due to deteriorating conditions found during inspections. One township bridge is approved for state funding in 2025 with the potential for one additional township bridge.

Having the plan in place will allow the county to receive money from the state if a bridge is approved for funding.

• Approved a contract with Dave Claussen as ditch inspector.

• Set the bounty on beaver trapping to $60 per adult beaver tail turned into the county’s drainage inspectors.

• Appointed the Albert Lea Tribune as the official Freeborn County newspaper for 2024 for purposes required by law to be published, including the delinquent tax list.

• Accepted a $500 donation from Round Prairie Lutheran Church Women to the Crime Victims Crisis Center.

• Approved a service agreement with the county and Brian Told to provide psychiatric services for clients in the Freeborn County Mental Health Center.

• Approved a contract with Workforce Development Inc. to provide employment and training services and family stabilization services to county residents enrolled in the Minnesota Family Investment Program and Diversionary Work Program. The service is provided by a state grant.

• Approved an agreement with the state of Minnesota for background checks for employees doing work on behalf of the Freeborn County Crime Victims Crisis Center. All of these employees must undergo a fingerprint background check.