Michelle Tesser, the former Inver Grove Heights city clerk, is getting $89,600 in severance as part of a separation agreement with the city. The City Council approved the agreement July 22, and it became public after being finalized last week.

Tesser, who had filed a discrimination complaint against the city with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR), agreed to withdraw her discrimination complaint to the state, but the agreement "doesn't preclude the MDHR or EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) from pursuing a charge of discrimination against the city."

She had been on paid administrative leave since April.

The Department of Human Rights said that by law it cannot comment on the incident.

Tesser and her attorney could not be reached for comment after the council vote last month.

Erin Adler

Washington County

Government campus adds parcel of land

Washington County is adding a parcel of land and a building to its Government Center campus in Stillwater.

The property, on 60th Street N., sits between Hwy. 36 and the county government center and jail.

The County Board approved the $300,000 purchase of the property in July. The parcel, approximately one-third acre of land with a house, will complete the southern side of the government campus and offer space for future expansion.

An appraisal was completed and reviewed by the County Board before the land purchase.

Mara Klecker

Chaska

Waste diverted during golf tourney

About 100 people teamed up in Chaska during the 2019 KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June to keep more than 9 tons of waste out of metro-area landfills.

The tournament drew thousands of spectators, media, golfers and others to Hazeltine National Golf Club. With the support of Carver County, the PGA of America, Organix Solutions of Bloomington, Second Harvest Heartland and Hazeltine, volunteers placed sorting containers to hold organics, recyclables and trash at 50 locations around the golf course property.

The volunteers monitored the bins for cross-contamination and educated spectators on proper disposal of waste into the designated bins.

The diverted waste included 1.5 tons of organics that were sent to a local compost site, 2.5 tons of plastic and aluminum sent to a recycling facility, and 5.3 tons of edible food recovered and distributed to people in need.

Katy Read

BLAINE

City achieves top credit rating

A nationwide credit-rating agency has given Blaine its highest rating, a sign of strong financial management and a growing tax base.

Blaine is now among 22 other cities in Minnesota with the top rating from Standard & Poor's. The top rating means the city will pay lower interest rates when borrowing money for city projects.

"This is a major achievement," Blaine Finance Director and Acting City Manager Joe Huss said.

He said the city has worked hard toward this goal, having held the next-highest credit rating since 2010.

Staff report