ELLSWORTH — The Pierce County Board approved an Oak Grove parcel going up for sale after an 11-5 vote at the June 23 meeting (Gulbranson, Knutson, Groen, Kosin and Barringer voted against the motion).

The property was at one point marked for use as a possible park. The two parcels, adding up to nearly 8 acres, were acquired in 2003.

“The thought was to do an overlook or walking trail,” Land Management Director Andy Pichotta said at the May meeting. “But the real estate market crashed and the land bordering the county’s parcel is now land locked.”

When the developer at the time went into bankruptcy, the county did not gain the access to the land that they expected.

The vote was for the general idea to put the property back on the tax roll. The Finance Committee will now handle the specifics of a potential sale, before returning to the county board for a final decision on any offer made.

“I’m having second thoughts on this. I was approached by somebody that was involved with this in the prior vote from I think it was a few years ago, and they brought up some good arguments,” Supervisor Neil Gulbranson said. “I think a lot of these questions will be answered as far as possible access, what those people out there thought about what they were going to do with this… I was told it was probably one of the prettiest spots in the county. They can see clear to Minnesota.”

Supervisor Jerry Kosin also asked that the county hold onto the land for the time being.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone. We’ll probably never get it back,” Kosin said. “Maybe something could happen down the way that we could get access to it.”

Supervisor Michael Kahlow agreed with Kosin, but mentioned voting in favor of the resolution because it allows the board to hear offers for the property before coming to a final sale decision.

Second court

The board also unanimously approved a resolution that supports legislation to establish a second circuit court in the county.

Court Commissioner Phil Helgeson said between an uptick in trials in Pierce County and a judge that is in the court room for all hours of the day besides the lunch hour, the court has brought in other judges to help maintain swift trials.

Helgeson said the court is seeking the addition of a second judge as well as the hiring of one to two additional staff after going through a time study. Pierce County currently has one judge for 43,000 residents, with Helgeson saying the recommendation is one judge per 19,000 residents.

“This isn’t something that’s happening tomorrow, we just want the support, and maybe in two or three years we’d be getting a judge,” Helgeson said. “It would serve Pierce County residents well to be able to get access to the court system.”

Other business

• Heard 2027 budget guidelines that include a 0% operating expenses increase and a budget maximized to what the state will allow.
• Approved changing the county’s purchasing policy to align with changes made by the state legislature. The policy changed from a minimum of $25,000 to $50,000 in public works costs that must be afforded to the lowest responsible bidder. Public work with an estimated cost between $10,000-50,000 now requires three or more bidders from a state approved list. Work less than $10,000 (increased from $2,500) can be purchased without a bidding process.
• Appointed Megan Pazdernik (replacing Jason Akey) and Dale Hines (replacing Heidi Lindquist) to the Ethics Board from September 2026 through August 2029.
• Approved a subdivision of land ordinance that was recently mandated by the state. The ordinance includes plat review process changes, including providing subdividers the opportunity to meet for non-binding pre-submission review.

Public Comment

Phil Verges, who lives on a farm near Spring Valley, spoke about the healthcare impacts of H.R. 1.

“I greatly appreciate the work Pierce County Human Services does in administering its programs to our communities. These programs are a lifeline to so many families struggling with the high cost of food, housing and healthcare,” Verges said. “With the passage of H.R. 1, cuts to these programs, most of which will happen after the election, will have devastating effects on the folks most needy and vulnerable.”

Verges said a c-section childbirth cost his family a few hundred dollars out of pocket with an employer healthcare plan 30 years ago. Today, Verges said that the same process would cost $5,000 out of pocket, and significantly more if there were complications.

“The steady and overbearing increases to our healthcare costs are unsustainable. People’s backs are against the wall,” Verges said. “All these things are made worse because of the cuts from H.R. 1.”

Verges said the politicians in Washington D.C. need to hear from the local voices before it is too late.

Taylor Stevens-Nudd also spoke about healthcare, including mental health. Stevens-Nudd said six mental health care agencies in Pierce County said there was at least a six week wait.

“As more residents lose Medicaid and affordable care access coverage, crisis calls are expected to increase, adding overtime, mileage and backup costs that are going to weigh on our county,” Stevens-Nudd said. “In the last three years in Pierce County alone, we have received almost 1,500 calls to the 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline number. It may not be your experience with mental health, but it could be your mother, father, sister, brother, neighbor, child that needs the support that is lacking here in Pierce County.”

Rita Raverty, a family physician in River Falls, said families are giving up their health insurance because of unbearable costs.

“We are experiencing a crisis in hospital staffing that is leading to boarding in our ER for hours or days waiting for a staff bed,” Raverty said. “This is not just a big city problem.”

Raverty said there are plenty of beds available in the Twin Cities metro area, but staffing cuts are preventing people from getting necessary care and delaying treatments.