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Does the county need to revise or update its Vacation Rental Ordinance?
A newly formed Vacation Rental Review Committee will study the ordinance and bring its recommendations back to the county board in two months.
Passed May 19, 2019, the Vacation Rental License Ordinance (VRLO) is up for review. It was last updated January 8, 2020. The VRLO defines vacation rentals as “any home, cabin, condominium or similar building that is advertised as, or held out to be, a place where sleeping quarters are furnished to the public on a nightly, weekly, or for less than a 30-day time period and is not a bed and breakfast; but excludes similarly described premises which are managed by and regulated as part of a Hotel or Resort”.
A couple of months ago commissioners appointed a Steering Committee to solicit members from government, private, and the public sector to serve on a committee to review the county’s nearly three-year old Vacation Rental Licensing Program to see if any changes need to be made to the program or left as it is.
In trying to achieve balance around the vacation rental program, the Steering Committee set up categories and selected applicants from those categories.
Steve Surbaugh, Cascade Vacation Rental co-owner, came before the board and asked to take former business partner Mike Larson’s spot on the VRRLC. Mike agreed to step aside and let Surbaugh fill his position and Linda Garrity will be his alternate. The commissioners voted to make the change. Other members on the Vacation Rental Review Committee are County Commissioner, Ginny Storlie, alternate Bob Svaleson. Planning Commission Charlie LaBoda and alternate Adam Treeful. County Administrator James Joerke. County Attorney Molly Hicken. County Auditor Braidy Powers with Keli Berg as the alternate. County Land Services Director Tim Nelson, County Vacation Rental Administrator Joseph Routh. County Assessor Bob Thompson, County HRA Director Jason Hale; Resorts (Large) Emily Haussner; Resorts (Small) Scott Mehaff with Bruce Martinson as an alternate; Vacation Rental Management Company Stevie Plummer and Clair Nalenzy as an alternate; CCCoLA Al Flieder and Kate Kelnberger as alternate; Relator and alternate Linda Garrity; General Public John Schloot and Nancy Evans as alternate; General Public Hillary Freeman and Nina Simonowicz as the alternate; Grand Portage Robert Deschampe and City of Grand Marais Anton Moody.
The goal for the Vacation Rental Review Committee is to come up with suggestions for the county board to review by the end of August. The county board will make changes or let the current vacation rental policy stand as it is.
New hires
Matthew Nesheim was hired as the county Highway Maintenance Superintendent to fil the vacancy left by Josh Dix.
Kristina Mattson was hired as the part time SHIP Coordinator/Public Health Educator. This is a newly created SHIP Coordinator position in the Public Health and Human Service department and is funded through a grant.
Office upgrades
The Community Center office will be remodeled, and new furniture will replace furniture that is more than 20 years old. An estimate of $8,568.74 to replace the Community Center carpet, including removal and disposal of the old carpet and prepping the subfloor was accepted
Ro accommodate added new staff at the Highway Department an office needs to be reconfigured for a supervisor and an additional cubicle. The cost for the work came in at $5,801.70 and was approved by the commissioners.
Public Health and Human Services is getting a two-person office remodeled to accommodate one person or a larger space. That can be shared by two people. A partition wall will be taken down and new, smaller furniture will be installed at a cost of $5,202.30.
County Highway Engineer
County Highway Engineer Robbie Hass presented the county board with a five-year bridge replacement priority list. These are bridges that are high priority for replacement, major rehabilitation, or removal, said Hass, and the county intends to replace, rehabilitate or remove these bridges as soon as possible when funds are available. Two bridges, Cross River on the Gunflint Lake Road and Carlson Creek at the Moose Valley Road, will be upgraded or replaced this year.
Bridges targeted for repair or replacement in 2023 are Sawbill Creek on CR 49 Sawbill Trail, Alfred Creek at CR 28 Alfred Creek Road, Junco Creek at CR Ball Club Road, Grand Portage Creek at CSAH Upper Road, Flute Reed River at CR 69 North Road.
The 2024 bridge fixit list includes Flute Reed River on UR 70 Camp 20 Road, Pine River at UT 74, Arrowhead Trail, Spruce Creek at UT 97 Cascade Beach Road, Little Devil Track River, CSAH 12, Gunflint Trail.
In 2025 the bridge at Flute Reed River located on UT Camp 20 Road is slated for more work and the bridge at Otis Creek, CSAH 16, Arrowhead Trail will be rehabbed or replaced.
Last but not least, in 2026 the bridge at Woods Creek on County Road 60 is listed for repair/replacement.
The county board accepted the bridge replacement lit and passed a motion requesting authorization to replace, rehabilitate or remove the bridges lists, and requested “financial assistance with eligible approach grading and engineering costs on township bridges, as provided by law.”
Tower agreement reached
The United States Forest Service has radio communications equipment on the Honeymoon, Gunflint and Gunflint Midtrail towers owned and maintained by the county. Under an agreement, the county will govern the radio sites and equipment for an annual tower tenant agreement for $900 ($300 each tower) per year. Under the past agreement, the county received no compensation for the agreement. The agreement runs ten years from June 21, 2022, to June 2032.
Public Hearing to airport ordinance
On July 12, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. in the commissioner’s room there will be public hearing to discuss establishing rules and regulations for the safe and efficient operation of the Cook County/ Grand Marais Airport. The Airport Ordinance will also include penalties for violations and direct the Cook County Airport Commission and Airport Manager to act within their authority.
The approval of the Airport Ordinance will have no impact on the county levy.
Resolutions passed
The county board passed a resolution to establish an absentee ballot board to accept and or reject absentee ballots for elections held in Cook County.
Administrator James Joerke asked the board to provide a letter of support for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to solicit support for a grant proposal to America the Beautiful to fund moose habitat planning.
The DNR has also requested letters of support from St. Louis and Lake counties for this grant request. The goal is to identify a landscape project of 50 to 100k acres of land and then plan for harvest scheduling, logger/ interest incentives, Rx fire, especially post-harvest or post mechanical treatment etc. Potential partners would involve the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Find du Lac Band if Lake Superior Chippewa, 1854 Treaty Authority, US Forest Service, Mn-DNR, Cook, Lake and St. Louis County, as well as the Minnesota Office of School Trust Lands and several environmental groups.
The commissioners approved writing a letter of support for the DNT to apply for a grant to America the Beautiful.
Consent agenda items passed by the county board on June 28 include:
• A permit application for the Mid-Trail Property Owners Association to hold a raffle at Fire Hall #1 on the Gunflint Trail was approved for August 1, 2022.
• Four people, Gary Grover, Timothy Nelson, Tyler Howell and Michael Gieseke were appointed to the Airport Commission.
• Beginning July 1, the new 2022 mileage rate for the county will be 62.5 cents per mile.
• Tofte Township’s permit application to hold July 4th fireworks was approved.
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