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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
FC 7th grade boys win consolation championship
Monday, March 11, 2013
Stupid is as stupid does
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Gopher Wrestling posts best finish ever page
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Volume 28 Issue 25
Sue’s Muse
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Root River Citizen Conversations page
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Canton l Chatfield l Fountain l Harmony l Lanesboro l Mabel l Ostrander l Peterson l Preston l Rushford l Rushford Village l Spring Valley l Whalan l Wykoff
Options for financing Preston’s 2014 street project By K aren R eisner karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Judge Robert R. Benson stands before an empty seat he has occupied in the Fillmore County District Court for more than 16 years. His last day on the job will be March 31, 2013. Photo by Jason Sethre
Judge Benson retires By Jason Sethre jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com
For many of us, when we are fresh out of high school we don’t know exactly what we want to do for the rest of our life. But, often it finds us. That was the case for the Honorable Judge Robert R. Benson, as well. Since 1997, the Honorable Judge Robert R. Benson has served Fillmore County, while also serving alongside judges from 10 other counties – Dodge, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, and Winona – all in the Third Judicial District. There are 289 judges serving in 10 districts in the state of Minnesota. Effective April 1, 2013, the Commission of Judicial Selection
will be looking for a replacement for Judge Robert R. Benson. His last day on the job will be March 31, 2013, as he retires from his seat on the bench, hangs up his black robe, and lays his gavel down one last time. While the majority of Benson’s career has been spent in a courtroom, he actually had other aspirations when he entered college at Augsburg back in 1963. He initially took an interest in Pre-medical, considering the possibilities of becoming a doctor. And, then he took a class on constitutional law, which triggered an interest in law. From that point forward, his interest in law became his primary focus, and he changed his major to political science, graduating from Augsburg in 1967.
Following graduation from Augsburg, Benson successfully passed the Law School Admission Test to get into WilliamMitchell College of Law, one of only two law schools in the state of Minnesota at that time. In 1971, he graduated from William-Mitchell College of Law and passed the State Bar Examination to become a lawyer in the state of Minnesota. As he reflects upon his career, he had a lot of different jobs that he enjoyed along the way. While going to college, he worked at a gas station, for Frost Paint & Oil, and the Northern Pacific Railroad. And, while attending college and law school, he worked for the Veteran’s Administration as an Adjudicator Legal Specialist See BENSON Page 7
City Administrator Joe Hoffman at the council’s March 4 meeting detailed the pros and cons of combining the estimated $4 million worth of street improvements into one project. In early February councilman Robert Maust had suggested it may be cost effective to take advantage of current historically low interest rates and do the work as one large project rather than in two parts. He also questioned whether there would be a cost advantage by issuing the bonds early to get the unusually low interest rate. Hoffman explained that to prefinance the project would be a gamble and raise the interest rate by about .3 percent. Also, this type of financing is rarely done. Hoffman said the city of Kasson has the same AA- rating and has bonded for 2 percent on a 15 year debt. He added that financing the debt in one lump
sum in 2014 would put Preston in the moderate to high range of debt compared to capital assets. At the February meeting Hoffman had presented a scenario for street improvements which would be done in two parts, half in 2014 and half in 2018 with each $2 million bond being paid over 15 years. The city’s existing bond debt payments will end in 2016 and 2019. Hoffman explained the $4 million one time project could be feasible. Seven to ten percent could be saved. Project areas could be tied together more easily. A larger portion of the community will be assessed at once. Maust suggested that the streets will surely be good for twenty years and asked why not bond for 20 years instead. Hoffman noted that with a longer term, the interest rate would be a little higher. The negatives or cons for one large project include difficulty in staging so residents can maintain access, about twice the residents See PRESTON Page 3
County revises cost share policy for county/city road projects of the funds for curb and gutter removal, driveway removal, karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com curb and gutter whether new The Fillmore County Board at or replaced, sidewalk removtheir March 5 meeting approved al, sidewalk whether new or a new cost share policy for replaced, and driveways affected county/city highway projects by the road construction, as within incorporated city limits. recommended by the Highway City Administrators Joe Hoff- Committee. Bikeways may also man of Preston and Jerome Illg be included in the cost share, as of Harmony attended the meet- defined as a bike lane adjacent ing and were pleased with the to the traffic lane between curbs or on the shoulder. policy revisions. Chuck The city and the county will Commissioner now contribute an equal share See COUNTY Page 10 By K aren R eisner
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