Cook County News Herald

County changes some fees




On April 25 Cook County commissioners held a public hearing to discuss changes to the county’s fee schedule. The county’s auditor/treasurer, Braidy Powers led those discussions, and while only one person from the public appeared before the board, the following fees were adjusted upward for the next year.

The cost to use the P-GIS-wide format printer will now cost $50 per hour after the first 15 minutes. It was raised $10 per hour.

Non-standard radio service and radio communication training, which excludes county public safety and public service entities, will cost $50 per hour. IT Director Rena Rogers said, as one example, the U.S. Forest Service was asking the county to train some of its staff for radio use and an hourly fee needed to be established for circumstances like that.

Driveway and utility permits on county roads and driveway entrance permits will remain at $50 with one caveat. A $50 permit fee will be required with a $250 deposit to be refunded when the access is completed with the highway department’s approval within one year of the application.

Utility permits were raised from $50 to $100. A moving permit base fee of $50 was also established.

New additional fees for overweight loads were created with fines ranging from $30 per trip to $600 per trip depending on the axle loads.

Other motions approved

. Commissioners approved an on-sale and Sunday sales liquor license, off sale liquor and tobacco license to Koselig Companies LLC-DBA Poplar Haus.

. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office was awarded $11,350 from the United State Forest Service to supplement overtime patrol efforts in the national forests.

. Ulland Brothers Inc. of Cloquet, Minnesota was awarded two highway projects pending review and approval of the contracts by the Cook County attorney.

. Ulland was the low bidder on the Maple Hill Pit Road at $60,913.19 and second lowest bidder on the portion of County Road 7 that will be repaved this summer at a cost of $1,838,720.81. When both bids were added up Ulland Brothers’ combined bids were lower than other companies bidding on the work.

. Cook County Highway Engineer Dave Betts told commissioners that Ulland’s bid was $45,000 higher than the engineer’s estimates, but he recommended it to the board because it was the low bid and Ulland Brothers was a company with a track record for doing good work in the county.



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