Local farm to showcase soil health advancements during field day on September 4.

Board discusses cover crop financing pressure and upcoming soil health event in Winona.

A county presenter briefed commissioners on Minnesota's extended producer responsibility law, including an expectation that a producer organization will reimburse at least 90% of recycling costs; the board discussed whether to extend the current recycling contract or rebid services.

After two recent cyber incidents, the board approved migration of the county OnBase document management system to a cloud-hosted solution and renewed maintenance agreements to improve availability and security.

Commissioners asked staff to gather information and bring a full agenda item on data centers after members raised concerns about groundwater use for cooling, electricity demand, nondisclosure agreements and public transparency; no policy was adopted but staff will report back.

County public-health staff presented the public-health 'house' framework, foundational capabilities, and local priorities including family home visiting, WIC outreach and mental-health/substance-use work; commissioners discussed governance, funding and appointments to community boards.

After extended questioning about per‑camera licensing fees, long service contracts and vendor lock‑in, the Winona County Board voted to table a Heartland Business Systems statement of work for household hazardous‑waste site cameras pending legal and technical review.

Governor Tim Walz issued an emergency executive order authorizing the National Guard to assist Winona County after a cyberattack began Monday and continued into Tuesday, disrupting critical systems and municipal services. State and federal agencies, including Minnesota Information Technology Services, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the FBI, the League of Minnesota Cities, and external cybersecurity experts, are coordinating the response to restore services and protect systems. #WinonaCounty #NationalGuard

After a presentation on hyperscale data centers’ water, power and land impacts, the board voted to ask the planning commission to study data-center zoning and to consider an interim moratorium of up to one year.

Winona County paid a $128,539 ransom after a January cyberattack, with about $78,000 coming from local levy funds, then suffered another attack three months later.

Winona County paid $128,539.57 to resolve a ransomware attack detected on Jan. 22 after engaging forensic experts, law enforcement, and its insurance carrier. Officials are now investigating a separate ransomware incident from April and reviewing affected data to determine whether residents' personal information was exposed. #WinonaCounty

The Minnesota Intercounty Association presented an overview of recent legislative outcomes and ongoing task forces: a $1.2B bonding bill with local-road grants, Department of Revenue review of property-tax drivers, HHS technology modernization funding, and looming state cost‑shift risks for SNAP and long‑term services.

After months of shortages, Winona County reported multiple hires for its 911 center and proposed a cost-neutral restructuring combining emergency management and PSAP supervision to create a stronger operations and emergency-response bench; commissioners asked for more detail on job descriptions and union impacts.

Winona County approved a one-day interim-use permit for Chariots for Hope to hold a fundraiser in a disused quarry that involves dropping donated vehicles; the vote followed extended questioning about attendee caps (400 v. 500), MPCA vehicle-prep requirements (fuels/fluids/batteries removed), proof of insurance naming the county as additional insured, cleanup, and a post-event inspection.

Winona County planning commissioners recommended approval of a one‑day 'Quarry Jump for a Cause' fundraiser after adding conditions including a $1 million liability policy, attendance verification and indemnification; concerns remained about road access, wildlife and enforcement of safety limits.

County emergency manager Ben reported that Rice Steele dispatchers have been supporting Winona's dispatch center under an MOU since July 11, staff have conducted about 15 interviews and expect to reach eight dispatchers soon, and county staff will submit paperwork next week seeking cyberattack emergency reimbursement.

The board unanimously approved contracting with Klein McCarthy (scope: two study options and exploring other county functions) to analyze space needs at the law enforcement center and potential shared facilities with the city; commissioners emphasized speed, fiscal restraint, and exploring an option for consolidating additional county services.

Semcra requested a $144,706 preliminary levy for 2027 to fund staffing and a housing trust fund; commissioners debated the request and ultimately approved a $130,000 preliminary levy (last year's level), citing the existing housing trust fund balance and taxpayer concerns.

The Planning Commission recommended approval of a conditional-use permit for a recycling-baler manufacturing and repair business (PC04-16-2602), changing staff's interim-use recommendation to a conditional permit and adopting five conditions addressing stormwater, traffic and use limits.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz authorized the National Guard to provide emergency assistance to Winona County after a cyberattack that began on April 7, 2026. Local officials are coordinating with the FBI and cybersecurity experts to secure operations after the attack disrupted municipal and emergency services; the county had also experienced a ransomware incident in January. #WinonaCounty #NationalGuard

A cyberattack beginning April 6 disrupted Winona County's critical systems and significantly impaired administrative and public-facing operations. Minnesota has activated the National Guard and coordinated with state and federal partners, including the FBI, to contain the incident and restore systems. #WinonaCounty #MinnesotaNationalGuard...

Facing a critical shortage of dispatch staff the board approved a temporary three-month intergovernmental agreement with Rice & Steel 911 to provide remote dispatch support while the county recruits and evaluates longer-term options.

At a June meeting of the Winona County Board of Appeal and Equalization, County Assessor Lindsay Brandt outlined a state-ordered 5% land-only increase for St. Charles and countywide valuation adjustments, including a 25% rise for commercial buildings; the board heard multiple appeals, denied some after tied votes or statutory constraints and approved a $39,000 reduction for one property.

After a contentious discussion about cost, state law and local sentiment, the Winona County Board voted 3–2 to replace the county