With the walls surrounding the Cook County Commissioners filled with large sheets of white paper tagged with various colored sticky notes, Judy Hill began a presentation about ways to improve the county’s parcel split process with her newly formed Kaizen Team.
Hill, who is the county’s Human Resource generalist, recently led about a dozen employees through a series of strategic sessions to streamline the practice the county uses for individuals who come to the county to get land legally parceled into smaller units that can be sold or given away. Currently that can take from six months to a year to accomplish, which is too long, said Courtnee Bernier.
Bernier, who works in the Auditor’s Office, is one of nearly a dozen employees who deals with the paperwork involving a split parcel of land. She said that over the years there have been meetings between departments affected by this work, but until the Kaizen Team event held June 21- 22 in the commissioners’ room, none of the former meetings led to a better process. That wasn’t the feelings of the members that took part in this new exercise. They were in attendance at the county board’s June 28 meeting— the handiwork from their Kaizen exercise decorating the walls—and they told commissioners they felt the new approach would lead to a better working relationship within the departments which would then lead to better results for the county residents and customers they serve.
What is Kaizen? Kaizen is a Japanese word that means continuous improvement, to become good. It employs a strategy in which all affected employees work together to achieve regular, incremental improvements to a process.
While everyone in attendance believes that land owners who want to parcel their land will be better served by this new way of doing business, Hill pointed out that this approach will also be used for all of the departments so they can become increasingly more efficient.
To accomplish this, a team of county employees has received training in the Kaizen methodology. The process will be ongoing and should lead to better communications, eliminations in waste and gains in efficiency.
Granny pod resolution passes on second try
Following up on the issue tabled at the last meeting, Planning and Zoning Director Tim Nelson came before the board and once again asked for a resolution that would allow the county to opt out of the new state requirements that allow for temporary family health care dwellings—sometimes referred to as granny pods—to be built on residential property.
On May 12, 2016 the governor signed a bill establishing definitions and requirements for these dwellings.
As he did the week before, Nelson explained that his opposition to this law is because it erodes local control of the permitting process and limits a county’s ability to foster and guide development.
Commissioners who had been informed of the “granny pod” legislation at a recent Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) meeting were all in favor of passing an opt out resolution at the last meeting, but Commissioner Frank Moe asked for more time to consider the issue.
The board passed a motion 4-1 with Moe voting against, in favor of Nelson’s request to opt out of the legislation saying in part, that Cook County already has a permitting mechanism in place for the review of temporary health care dwellings as an interim use permit.
Rosebush restoration easement approved
Another request tabled at the last meeting because of concerns about protocol also came back to the board. Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Director Kerrie Berg asked for a motion to authorize the execution of a declaration of easement so work could begin on the Rosebush Creek Stream Restoration Project.
Berg said the SWCD had received a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stream restoration grant for $61,286, but before it could be used a unit of government must own or have a permanent easement over the project area.
Cook County SWCD completed about 100 feet of stream restoration in 2010, but after the 2012 flood, that project was damaged.
A second heavy rain event in the fall of 2013 caused further damage and landowners on both sides of the creek expressed concern that their land was eroding. That led to an assessment of the entire stream by TSA 3 Engineering along with SWCD staff and it was decided that spot fixes couldn’t solve the issues. A plan was then made to put in structures along the stream to correct the erosion.
The board passed the motion unanimously and expressed their sadness that Berg would be moving to Bemidji with her husband. Commissioner Moe said he had worked with Berg on a stream restoration project in Hovland and he noted that she was a hard worker, conscientious, professional and kind, and he wished her well in her new endeavors.
County seeking new assessor
In the wake of Cook County Assessor Betty Schultz’s recent resignation, County Administrator Jeff Cadwell was authorized to begin a search to hire a new assessor. Cadwell will form a committee to help review, screen, and interview applicants and then come back to the board with a recommendation for hire.
The land commissioner duties will not be included in the assessor’s title, and until a new land commissioner is found, Cadwell will assume those tasks.
In other business
. Commissioners approved a liquor license application for the new owners of Gunflint Lodge. The application is subject to acquiring liquor liability insurance, and worker’s compensation compliance, and approval by the county attorney and county sheriff.
. Also approved was a raffle permit application for three raffles to be held for the Gunflint Mail Run sled dog race at Trail Center Lodge.
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