Cook County commissioners conducted a host of business at their January 22 board meeting, filling appointments and setting up for the coming year.
Commissioners approved solid waste license renewals for Nelson Machine Products and North Shore Waste. The county annually renews the licenses and charges a $100 filing fee.
David Rohl was appointed to serve on the Parks and Trails Commission, filling the District 4 slot. There is still a vacancy in District 2 as well as an “At-Large” position to fill on the Parks and Trails Commission.
Tim Cochrane was approved to serve a three-year term on the University of Minnesota Extension Committee, and Joanne Smith and Gordon Salisbury were approved to serve three-year terms on the Cook County Center Board of Trustees.
Commissioners approved the abatement for Thelma Hedstrom who lost her house to fire. The reduction will result in a partial refund of taxes, and the structure values have been removed from the records payable in 2019.
Road and Bridge
Cook County Highway Engineer Krysten Foster presented commissioners with a list of deficient bridges and a list of high priority bridges that need to be fixed or replaced within the next five years.
Based on the number of deficient structures in Cook County, said Foster, and the status of bridge bonding in Minnesota, Cook County will need to be creative and aggressive to manage its system over the next five years.
Commissioners also approved the Fredenburg Creek Resolution as presented by Foster. The Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District and Cook County highway department recommended replacing the Fredenberg Creek culvert which is located on County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 1 in Schroeder. The existing culvert is both structurally and hydraulically deficient in addition to it posing a barrier to brook trout.
Funds to replace the culvert are coming from a Cook County SWCD grant of $250,634 received from the Conservation Partner Legacy grant. The county will also pay an estimated match of $82,979 for the project.
Zoning ordinance amendment meeting set
A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 13 before the planning commission to look at changes to Interim Use Permits.
Tim Nelson, Land Services Director said that back in 2010, “We adopted some amendments to our zoning ordinance to incorporate interim use permits based upon the legal advice from the land use attorneys associated with MCIT. It has recently come to our attention that some of the language relating to the Conditional Use Permits that should have been amended at the same time was overlooked and is now in need of correction.”
Once the public meeting has been held the planning commission will give its recommendations to the county board for approval.
Tower contracts
Commissioners granted a request to waive $900 per year lease fees associated with the Boundary Waters Amateur Radio Club, the legal entity for the Cook County Amateur Radio Team (CCART).
Lease fees cover utility costs.
Currently, CCART has VHF equipment on towers at Honeymoon, Gunflint, and Mt. Maud.
Emergency Management and the county Sheriff ’s Office requested waiving the lease fees in lieu of emergency and event communications services.
CCART has been on the towers without a contract or any formal arrangement for utility usage, so there were no financial implications to the county for waiving the fees.
Communication committee strategies
Administrator Jeff Cadwell presented the board with a list of strategies for the communications committee to pursue for the coming year.
Starting this week, the county will run a weekly a column in the Cook County News-Herald with news and information and updates on county projects and people who work for the county.
Also, the goal is to develop an information page on the county website and include a section that allows responses to public comment, commissioners concerns and other questions about county policy and operations.
They will also research the possibility of conducting a citizen survey and consider regular department updates as a component of regular county board meetings, and develop a public meeting schedule for 2019 and identify opportunities for meeting/ town halls.
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