The following items were approved by motion during the consent agenda of the county board meeting.
* Stacey Hawkins was approved for an out-of-class assignment to help with payroll during the transition to train in a new payroll person.
* Adam Nelson’s resignation was accepted, and an Engineering Tech 1 position will be advertised to fill the opening at the highway department.
* Commissioners approved an out-of-class assignment for Rena Rogers, who has accepted the interim role of county administrator.
* Benjamin Hadley was hired as a maintenance II worker to replace Daniel Berglund, who was promoted.
* Anna Axtell was hired for the Social Worker 1- Adult Mental Health position to fill the opening left by James Zimmer, who left to accept a job at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic.
* Paul Bernier, who has worked part-time at the recycling center for more than a year, was hired to fill the recycling center assistant position left by Tyler Maruska, who moved away from the county to be closer to his family. Paul will start as a Step 2 level because of his previous work experience.
* Michael Petersen was hired as a part-time custodian to fill the vacancy of the last worker.
* Commissioners approved an increase of $150 to lease billboard space from Superior Ridge Resort Motel. The annual rent is now $5,050, payable in two installments of $2,525.
The billboard is used by the county’s Aquatic Invasive Species team who uses the 10’ x 20’ billboard located along Highway 61 to inform and educate the public about the prevention and spread of AIS.
* County auditor/treasurer Braidy Powers told the board that the county had received a check for $6,195 as a result of the Kane County, Utah versus the United States Class action lawsuit over underpayment of PILT payments from the fiscal year 2015 to the fiscal year 2017.
Braidy provided an eye-opening explanation of how the payment amount was calculated.
The attorney fees (45,740,607.00) and out-of-pocket litigation expenses ($26,936.96) awarded the court total $5,767,543.96.
2) Subtracting the total of fees and expenses ($5,767,543.96) from the total underpayments recovered ($17,221,821) leaves a net recovery of $11,454,277.04.
Dividing the net recovery ($11,454,277.04) by the total recovery (before deduction of fees and expenses) ($17,221,821) = 0.665102549 (i.e., 66.5102549 percent)
Your total underpayment of $9,314 multiplied by 0.665102549 (with results rounded up to the next full dollar), comes to $6,195.
* Commissioners approved several event permits, which include the Gunflint Mail Run Dog Sled Race, which will be held January 10-12. The race starts and ends at Trail Center. The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is slated to run from Duluth to Grand Portage from Jan. 26-29.
The Superior Spring trail races will be held May 16, 2020, and end at Caribou Highlands. The Superior Fall trail running race events will be held Sept. 11-12 in Cook and Lake counties and end at Caribou Highlands Lodge. The fall races are 100 miles, 50 miles, and 26.2 miles long.
* Commissioners approved an amendment to allow Jed Smith to use an excavator to push up brush piles for homeowners who have their lots cleaned up by Firewise crews. The Firewise committee was in favor of the change
* Cook County Highway Engineer Kristen Foster recommended that the county purchase a Hosty system pressure washer for the new Hovland Public Works Facility. The cost of the new system is $10,706.96. An alternative to purchasing new would be to relocate the 20-year-old pressure washer at the current facility at the expense of $2,000 to $3,000, “but it would not be warrantied, and the air quality risks may need to be addressed,” Foster said in an email to the board.
Next, Foster asked the commissioners to authorize and sign Amendment No. 2, an extension with Arrowhead Regional Development Commission for consulting services to extend the timeline to March 31, 2020, at no additional cost to the county.
Foster also suggested that the board authorize carrying $132,000 from the 2019 budget to 2020. She requested using $57,000 of the 2019 striping budget in 2020 and put $75,000 of budgeted capital equipment to future equipment reserves. There were no striping contractors in the area this past season, but Foster wrote that the highway department intends to re-stripe some faded highways such as CSAH 12 in 2020 and stripe the South Shore Drive whenever it gets paved.
* Approved by resolution was that the county act as legal sponsor and fiscal agent for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Off-Highway Vehicle applications and grants and authorize the county auditor to sign all agreements.
This signing is done annually. It is a resolution that allows the county to apply for and manage grants and maintain and improve the four designated Off-Highway Vehicle Trails in Cook County. Trail organizations complete the grant match work.
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