EDC Minutes 08-05-2026

BUFFALO COUNTY MINUTES Committee of the Board : Economic Development Committee Date of the Meeting : Wednesday, August 5 , 202 6 Call to Order: M eeting called to order at 2: 0 0 p .m . Board Members Present: Mr. John Hadley, Mr. Nathan Nelson, Mr. Gary Stanton, and Mr. Michael Taylor . Others Present for All or Part of the Meeting : Mr . Lee Engfe r, Ms. Lisa Schmitt, Mr. Dave Carlson, Mr. Steve Wall, and Ms. Shauna Roberts . Verification of Open Meetings Law Compl iance: Ms. Schmitt veri fied that proper public notice was given at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Approve Minutes from Previous Meeting : Mr. Taylor made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 16 , 202 6 , meeting, seconded by M r. Stanton . Carried. Public Comment : Ms. Shauna Roberts with the U.S . Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster and Recovery spoke regarding financial assistance and low interest loans available for those affected by storms that occurred in April and provided information to share with residents and businesses in our county . Election of Economic Development Committee Chair and Vice-C hair: Mr. Engfer stated that these positions are restricted to being County Board supervisors only, so Mr. Hadley as a citizen member would not be eligible. Mr. Engfer opened the floor for nominations for chair. Mr. Stanton nominated Mr. Nelson as chair . Mr. Hadley nominated Mr. Stanton as chair . There were no further nominations and a ft er a paper ballot vote, Mr. Nelson was elected as committee chair. Mr. Nelson assumed the role of chair and called for nominations for vice-chair. Mr. Taylor nominated Mr. Stanton as vice-chair. There were no further nominations and a unanimous voice vote resulted in the appointment of Mr. Stanton as committee vice-chair. Update on Goals : Mr . Carlson gave an update on his goals. Plans in clude business visits and roundtables, inventorying available building lots, industrial park and business promotions, developing an e conomic development strategi c plan, and developin g an affordable housing strategy. The Ex plore B uffalo C ounty Facebook page continues to be updated and improved and is increasingly gaining followers . Flyway Trail Update : Mr . Hadley reported that a maintenance contract for the trail with the county is being create d . We are working with the railroad again to allow crossing of the tracks instead of the trail routing along the highway edge. Mr. Engfer stated that he has been meeting re garding the railroad crossing and t he plan has been m odified . T he Office of the Commis sion of Railroad gives the final signoff, but it is moving forward without opposition. Trash cans have been added in va rious places and mowing has been increased to stabilize grasses and reduce washouts . N ew Business (es) Update : None. Committee Chair person Report: Mr. Nelson provided Mr. Carlson with a brief personal background and introduction , as Mr. Nelson is new to this committee . Nothing else to report. County Administrator Report: Mr. Engfer asked for input on the economic development budget in the next few weeks. He will be speaking to a class at Winona State University to potentially find an intern to work on economic dev elopment for the county . Correspondence: None. Future Agenda Items : Discuss ion on printing of maps with locations of businesses and attractions. Next Meeting Date and Time: The next meeting date and time will be September 9, 2026, at 9:30 a.m . Adjournment : M r. Stanton made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 3:08 p.m . Respectfully S ubmitted, L isa Schmitt County Clerk