Board of Commissioners Approved Budget Certification 2026 for the Housing and Redevelopment Authority

The Stevens County Board of Commissioners approved the budget certification for 2026 for the Housing and Redevelopment Authority at their regular meeting on Tuesday. The unanimous approval came after HRA Director Jessica Kirwin asked for a one-time 14 percent increase in the levy, saying it had been a “busy year for housing.” Kirwin told the Board she hopes to hear in December about funding approval for the Prairie Vista Apartments, with plans for the multi-unit housing complex to be built on the site of the old Morris Elementary School.

She also noted that rental assistance has seen huge increases in the past year, and a property purchased in Chokio with hopes to be turned into usable housing has faced weather challenges this summer.

Kirwin said it was hard to do budgeting with so much uncertainty about federal funding. Federal HUD dollars typically fund up to 90 percent of projects like Prairie Vista, with 10 percent of costs picked up by local entities. But if HUD funding is cut back to providing 71 percent of the project, that means the County would need to pick up 29 percent of the cost. Kirwin said she was “not sure what we would do” in that situation, which prompted Commissioner Donny Wohlers to suggest that some cuts or delays would need to be made to projects. But Commissioner Bob Kopitzke countered that such actions would just send people to seek help from Human Services.

Kirwin announced that the HRA was approved to move forward with a $1,042,500 Capital Improvement Projects Grant for upgrades to Grand View Apartments, including canopy entrance protection, flooring and tile showers updates, and updating the electrical and fire systems, as well as converting from gas to electric stoves.

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The Stevens County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session at 8 a.m. Tuesday on the second floor of the Stevens County Courthouse. On the agenda: County Administrator Rebecca Young will discuss DAC Solar/Minnesota Solar on Public Buildings Grant, and County Engineer Todd Larson will discuss Page Lake Access.