Eight people came before the county board on Tuesday, May 14, during the 30-minute public comment period with comments and questions on a wide array of subjects. Speakers received up to five minutes to address the board.
While commissioners don’t respond during the comment period, they will address citizen concerns at times at the end of their meeting or when requested, get back to the people who come before them at a later date. . Arvis Thompson came with concerns about the ongoing repair and expense incurred by the county to fix and upgrade the YMCA that was built in 2013.
Arvis mentioned the $120,000 expense of the upcoming Y roof project, and she wanted to know about a $30,000 figure that may or may not be associated with the building of the new daycare bathroom.
“When are we going to stop?” Thompson asked about the ongoing spending on the Y, noting that the county had originally agreed to budget $110,000 yearly for the facility.
She also asked about asbestos found in the old part of the Y that will have to be removed and mentioned the work that will be done this summer to repair the courthouse roof. Notably, said Thompson, she wanted to know if the county will have a contract with the roofing contractor that will, “hold the contractor responsible after the fact?” . Donna Lunke implored commissioners to continue to tape their meetings. Pointing out that their decisions sometimes cost millions of dollars, Lunke said tape recordings provide a clear way for the public and commissioners to keep tabs on projects. Better even than the minutes or sometimes flawed PR news releases, she added.
Donna pointed to one commissioner who had missed a meeting and said that as long as the sessions were recorded, he would have a way to go back and catch up on what he had missed. . Notes in hand, Nick Burger took the mike and stated, “Later this morning you will be asked to accept the resignation of the EMS/PIO director. My comments today are by no means intended to reflect on Valerie’s performance in this position period. In fact, I sincerely thank her for her service to the county and this community.
“The vacancy created by this resignation offers two opportunities for you, as commissioners.
“Number one. Perhaps there is a more efficient and cost-effective way to deliver the state-mandated emergency services. MN Statute 12.25, Subd. 5 states that with the approval of the state director, two or more political subdivisions may enter into agreements determining the boundaries of their respective emergency management responsibilities or provide for a common emergency management organization. I ask that you seriously explore this option.
“The joint agreement with Lake County for the highway engineer has worked beautifully. Krysten Foster has been the most competent person to serve in the position that I can recall. It may also be an option for the EMS coordinator.
“Another opportunity lies in the elimination of the Public Information Officer position. County information used to come directly from the commissioners, department heads and county staff. Unfortunately, during the past four years, a firewall has been established to keep these individuals inaccessible to the public. In order to restore confidence and trust, it is essential that information comes directly from elected officials and county staff.
“The commissioner’s job does not come with a cloak of anonymity. Our department heads, for the most part, are extremely knowledgeable and are best suited to provide information in their respective areas of expertise. County commissioners can use this opportunity to show that they are engaged, knowledgeable, and working to address the county’s needs.
“Information that is filtered through an administrative bureaucracy is neither timely nor complete and risks being fraught with errors. The public deserves better,” Nick said. . Saying religious intolerance to fundamental Mormonism “or even to polygamy,” was not behind his motivations, an emotional Mike Larson asked commissioners to get involved and take a leadership role in helping the public to be aware of the move by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) to move into Cook County.
Larson invited commissioners to attend the upcoming two-day “Cook County awareness and Response” program that will be held at the Cook County Community Center and will be headed up by two of the nation’s leading experts on the FLDS.
There is well documented and disturbing patterns of criminal behavior associated with the FLDS church, said Larson, and he urged the commissioners to take this chance to learn more about this group, and what possible legal stance the county and individuals can take to protect “our rights without trampling on the right of others.” . Ben Peters asked commissioners to hold off on rehiring a deputy to replace just-retired Julie Collman until the county renegotiates the 1997 law enforcement contract with the city of Grand Marais.
Peters said the city pays the county $140,00 per year for the county to provide two deputies to watch over Grand Marais.
But more than 20 years later, $140,000 only pays for one deputy, squad car and retirement, said Peters, adding the city needs to pay more to retain the same service from the county.
Peters also asked commissioners to retain its commitment to taping meetings. He pointed out that on average there is about 175 YouTube views of the taped commissioner meetings. With many cabin owners and second homeowners living out of the county, said Peters, the only way for them to get the full scoop on county business was for them to watch meetings on YouTube. . Lloyd Speck addressed the board about the upcoming 2020 county budget.
“As you begin planning the budget, it’s hard to imagine taxpayers will experience any relief from the unchecked spending. Ever since Mr. Cadwell took over as county administrator, we’ve been near or at the top of the list of counties with the highest levy,” Speck said.
“I say unchecked because, in a number of cases, the majority of you don’t even know the figures before you vote. Pretty hard to perceive a person would buy something without knowing its price!
“It’s really obvious, to the majority of us folks in this county, that, under Cadwell’s direction you county commissioners have put us in a position where we are bleeding dollars.
“Don’t believe me? Talk to folks on the street who are at their wit’s end due to the high increases in property taxes, and who feel helpless to be able to do anything about it.
“Why? Because those they’ve elected to represent them have chosen not to listen to anybody but Cadwell. Time and time again, when they’ve tried, it just falls on deaf ears.
“Why? Because Cadwell told you flat out in 2017: ‘Spending is not out of control. And the levy is not out of control’ . . . And don’t let the people outside this room tell you any different!
“In 2016 Mr. Cadwell, told us, ‘There shouldn’t be any unexpected double-digit increases. The regular budget can be supported with a planned levy increase of approximately 4.3 percent annually going forward.’
“When that didn’t work, we were all supposed to forget his words and subject to levies in double-digits… often the highest in the state.
“And just a couple of weeks ago Cadwell said because it cost so much to live in Cook County future levies will need to be higher than other counties.
“The reality is, in the last four years, we’ve experienced a combined levy increase that exceeds 40 percent!
“County leadership needs to get a handle on the spending. I’ve got all the actual numbers, real numbers, given to me by our county auditor-treasurer if anyone’s interested call me at 387- 1727.” . Brad Thompson was succinct in his comments. Thompson pointed to the upcoming roof project at the Y and said that the previous roofing contractor who did the work should be held responsible. “Anyone else would be sued. The contractor missed something. He screwed up the job. Go after the contractor and engineers,” said Thompson, adding that when he has made mistakes fixing things he has made good for the work at his own expense. . Gordon Salisbury was given two minutes to talk because the 30-minute time limit was up for the public comment period.
Salisbury echoed Lunke’s comments about the importance of the commissioners continuing to record their meetings. By recording the sessions and making them available to the public, Salisbury said commissioners were acting in a responsible, respectful and professional manner.
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