With the separate committee omnibus bills passed by the House and Senate, conference committees have begun their work in the state legislature to create uniform 
Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield) has been named to the Agriculture Conference Committee. Pursell, who is Vice Chair of the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee joins two other members of the House, one Democrat and one Republican on the committee, along with three senators, two of whom are Democrats and one who is a Republican.
Pursell had been quite vocal about her desire to be named to the committee. As one of the few members of the DFL from a rural area in the House of Representatives, Pursell, while still in her first term, has endeavored to be a voice for farmers both in the legislature and within her own party. After being elected in November, she immediately began to lobby for a spot on the House Ag Committee, and Chair Samantha Vang and Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman rewarded her by asking her to be the committee’s Vice Chair.
Pursell said there are some differences to be worked through in the House and Senate versions of the bill, not the least of which is a new Grain Indemnity Fund. The fund will be established to protect farmers from losing their money should the grain elevator with which they work go bankrupt before they are paid. Pursell said all elevators are required to be bonded, but the bonds pay farmers about 11% of what they are owed if the elevator goes out of business.
Pursell has supported the establishment of such a fund, which is in place already in about half the states in the country and said this is one simple way the state can ease some of the stress and worries farmers feel every day.
“It is totally devastating for the farmers in the area, so the Grain Indemnity Fund is this pool of money that the state holds on to and that if this happens, we make farmers whole. The Senate Bill I believe has $14 million to get that fund started. I think our version of the bill has $5 million. So that’s sort of a bigger top line, and one that we’ll have to sort out.”
Pursell said she was hopeful the first meeting today would go through the two different versions of the bill so that all members were clear on what the task before them would entail.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Kristi Pursell can be heard here
Nelson says fighting fires is a great way to ‘give back’
The Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service will host a recruiting open house this weekend. After several retirements last year, NAFRS has been preparing to 
recruit a few new firefighters into the fold and is now accepting applications for 4-6 new positions.
The positions are paid on call, meaning firefighters are paid for the calls to which they respond. According to the job posting, among the requirements to be a firefighter with NAFRS, are the ability to report for at least 30% of annual fire calls and attend Monday evening fire drills, meetings and trainings. Pay and benefits include $16.17 per hour for training/meetings and $21.63 per hour for fire calls. The positions offer an excellent annual pension, along with fully paid Firefighter/EMT training tuition and expenses.
Fire Chief Tom Nelson said everyone should look for a way to contribute to the community, and being a firefighter is an excellent way to do that.
“Find a way, no matter where you land, to give back to the community. The fire department is a really good way to do that without having to make a huge full-time commitment. You can do something totally different from your job. And everybody brings strengths that make the larger team. No, we don’t want everyone to be exactly the same or you don’t have any team. So, take a look.”
During this recruiting period, Nelson said they will be using some new criteria as they evaluate the candidates. Because so many of the current firefighters work out of town, this year the department is hoping to find several people with daytime availability who can respond to a call within 5-7 minutes.
Nelson said those interested should bring their families to the open house with them. Current firefighters and their families will be on hand to discuss what the commitment looks lke and what can be expected for those who are hired.
Applications will be accepted until May 15th, and physical testing and interviews will be conducted throughout June. Offers will be made in early July contingent on background, psychology and fit-for-duty checks. The new fire fighters will be officially hired on August 1st.
To find the full job posting, hiring timeline, and application, visit nafrs.org and click on the employment tab. Paper applications are also available in the fire station lobby.
The Recruiting Open house is scheduled for Saturday and will run from 9am-Noon.
Council will conduct Martig’s annual review today, go over results at meeting
And the Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers in City Hall. 
Among the items on the agenda is the quarterly police report that will be given by Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott. The Council will consider the approval of exterior plans for the new Transit Hub to be built around the Historic Northfield Train Depot, and they will also consider authorizing the preparation of plans and specifications for the project.
Prior to the meeting, the Council will meet in a closed session to conduct the annual performance review of City Administrator Ben Martig. The Council will further discuss that review during the open meeting.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
The meeting will begin at 6pm tonight.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
