Amanda Rink, Editor
The Wright County Board of Supervisors met Monday morning to address drainage invoices, hear a revenue report from the county Recorder, and hear a presentation from the Wright County Charitable Foundation.
The meeting opened with the Supervisors acting as Drainage Trustees, where they approved payment for an ongoing drainage project to Drainage District 36, Lateral C.
As reported in previous articles, repairs by Hennigar Construction were estimated at $48,700 – just under the legal requirement to hire an engineer. Costs escalated to $83,912.50 by December 2024. The total is now projected at $96,187.50, with an additional $24,400 estimated for hydroseeding ditch banks in the spring.
At a January 13 landowners’ meeting, Supervisor Kluss provided the landowners with a detailed timeline of the project. He acknowledged the procedural missteps. Landowners voted against hiring an engineer for the project. Kluss emphasized that he had not received complaints about the work done and expressed confidence in its quality. The Board of Supervisors, acting as Drainage Trustees, approved payment of $83,912.50 for the project.
Following the drainage discussion, the Supervisors resumed their regular agenda, approving minutes and claims and addressing:
-Wright County Recorder Denise Baker shared her office’s quarterly revenue update, totaling $96,590.45 of non-county funds. Baker noted that revenue remains down because of the real estate market.
-The board approved the appointment of Kent Kirstein as Grant Township Trustee for a four-year term, replacing outgoing trustee Gary Martin.
-Amanda Meyer, Auditor, and Joan Shillinglaw, AP Clerk, were both authorized to manage and make changes to the County Visa credit cards.
-Awarded Katie McCormick with a 20-year certificate for her work as a Wright County Sheriff’s Jailer.
Charitable Foundation Annual Update
Duane Asbe, president of the Wright County Charitable Foundation, presented the organization’s annual report. The foundation, which was established in 2004, manages 39 funds totaling $8,892,343.18. In 2024, the foundation awarded $379,075.78 in grants to support our community projects. Asbe detailed the role of community foundations as nonprofit entities that manage endowments to benefit local projects.
Asbe emphasized the importance of local input across all age groups in determining grant distributions. Supervisors were asked to continue providing financial support to maximize the foundation’s community impact.
