Cook County commissioners held a short meeting on Tuesday, April 11, conducting the county’s business expediently.
During the meeting commissioners authorized registration, travel, and lodging expenses for the planning commission and appropriate staff to attend the AMC and MACPZA sponsored Land Use Decisions training workshop in St. Cloud on May 19.
Funds to pay for this trip come from the Planning and Zoning portion of the Land Services Department budget.
In a memo to commissioners Cook County Land Services Director Tim Nelson explained that the annual workshop provides training on how to make legally dependable land use decisions, and keeps members up to date with regard to changes in the laws.
In other business:
. Commissioners adopted a security camera policy, which was drafted and approved by the Security Committee who spent one year forming the document. Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen told commissioners the primary purpose of security cameras installed in Cook County buildings is to protect and maintain the safety of employees and the public. The cameras are owned and used by the Sheriff ’s Office for video surveillance. . Approved a motion to accept the 2017 State Boat and Water grant of $12,295. The annual grant comes from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and is used by the Sheriff ’s Office to supplement water related patrol and equipment and to subsidize overtime wages in regards to watercraft checks, buoy placement, patrols, and staff wages accrued to water related accidents.
Technically, said Eliasen, his department is supposed to mark every low spot and rock outcropping in all of the more than 1,000 lakes in Cook County. “We don’t do that,” he said, noting that by the time his department had set out all of those buoys it would be time to collect them before winter came. . Accepted the resignation of Bailiff Gary Radloff whose last day of employment will be June 19, 2017. “Gary has been a pretty significant figure here in the courthouse,” said Sheriff Eliasen. “He was instrumental in stopping the shooter,” when that incident happened several years ago. . IT Director Rena Rogers gave the board an update on the Radio Communications Program and the 911/ Communications Committee. Rogers said she would bring back updates to the board on a quarterly basis. . Commissioners set a public hearing on April 25 at 10 a.m. in the commissioner’s room to consider changes in the county fee schedule. . Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers presented three types of unrestricted federal funding received by the county.
The Thy-Blatnik Act provides annual payments to the county equal to three quarters or one percent of the appraised fair market value of BWCA lands. Every 10 years there is a fair market value study, with the last one done in 2009. Annual payments increased from $704,250 to $2,025,000. Congress started sequestering about 7 percent in 2014. “We receive about $1,883,000 the last three years since Congress started taking money from that fund,” Powers said.
Federal Forest Receipts Act provides for annual payments to counties equal to 25 percent of timber sales, special use permits, recreation fees and mineral leases on federal lands located in each county. Since its passage in 2000, the Act has undergone several revisions. Today Congress has reduced the payment by 6.9 percent and that payment is split 50/50 between highway and school. Powers said that since 1990 Cook County I.S.D. 166 has received $3,820,000 and the highway department the same amount.
The county also receives Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), which provides payments based on the value of acres of entitlement land. The price per acre of those properties changes with the CPI. Powers said two formulas for calculating the payment, with the county being allocated the higher of the results of the two formulas. A population ceiling and deduction of payments made under Thy-Blatnik and Federal Forest Receipts, said Powers, restrict results. The final payment amount is dependent on the percentage appropriated by Congress each year.
Since 1989 Cook County has received $30,465,890.26 from these three funds. So far in 2017 the county has received $2,035,700, but Powers said about $215,000 in PILT money will be added to that total in July when it comes to the county.
Powers said the money from these three funds goes to the general fund and could be looked at two ways, either it helps to reduce the levy, or it helps to pay for things the county couldn’t afford if it didn’t come in. Commissioners make those financial decisions, he added, and it’s unknown what they would do if the money wasn’t ever in the county coffers to spend.
Powers also presented an Investment Earnings History that gave commissioners a snapshot of what earning might be like if they had to liquidate all of the county’s investments on the last day of the year. . Commissioners appointed Donald Fehr to a three-year term on the planning commission. Two seats on the commission have been open for some time, and the planning commission seeks to have representation from all geographical parts of the county. Fehr, who lives on the Sawbill Trail, fills one of those open seats.
In his application Fehr stated, “I worked in county government for 37 years prior to retiring in 2011, including approximately 25 years managing various departments and supervising up to 50 staff in engineering, highway and facility maintenance, and other support technical staff. I enjoy working with people and helping them through the process necessary to facilitate effective government services.”
Leave a Reply