After considering numerous options regarding how to keep the budget down, where to set the county levy, and how much of the general revenue fund balance to dip into, the county board set its 2013 budget and levy on December 18.
Total county expenditures are expected to be $17,302,357 in 2013. The county will levy $5,989,187, a 2 percent increase over this year’s levy. The board authorized use of $129,500 from the $8,000,000 general revenue fund balance.
Not reflected in the budget or levy is $59,144 the board promised the city of Grand Marais to cover half the city’s annual bond payment for Cedar Grove Business Park. The general revenue fund balance will be used to make this payment. In a special meeting to discuss the budget and levy the day before, the board agreed to have two commissioners meet with the city after the New Year to discuss how the Cedar Grove bond payments could be covered in the future.
The board approved an EDA levy of $150,000, a .97 percent increase over last year’s EDA levy.
In discussing county levy options, Commissioner Fritz Sobanja suggested that they keep the levy close to the cost of living increase each year.
Wetland Management Plan Committee
Commissioner Sobanja advocated for ample representation from businesses and the citizenry on a Wetlands Management Plan Committee the board authorized the Planning & Zoning Department to assemble.
A grant will fund initial steps in formulating a plan tailored for Cook County. The plan will allow the county some flexibility in complying with government regulations already in place.
Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson and Assistant Planning & Zoning Administrator David Demmer proposed a committee of at least 16 members, facilitated by Demmer and comprised of one county commissioner (with an alternate designated), an at-large citizen from each of the five commissioner districts, Cook County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) employees Kerrie Berg and Ilena Berg, one SWCD board member, Kyle Oberg of the Cook County GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Department and City Administrator Mike Roth as needed, and several representatives of the Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The board discussed the possibility of also including representation from specific sectors of the community such as real estate and excavating, road, septic, and construction contractors.
Commissioner Sobanja said that when he started becoming involved in government work 15 or 20 years ago on a committee related to land management, he noticed it was heavily stacked with government employees. He did not want the proposed committee to have too few non-government members of the public.
Having government employees on the committee would not necessarily cause local wetland policies to become more stringent. David Demmer said the county already has the ability to make existing laws more restrictive. He told the News-Herald that the goal would be to create “a wetland management plan that affords Cook County the ability to manage wetlands at a more local level. This would allow decision-makers the ability to permit wetland activities based off of function rather than strictly its location relative to public water resources.”
Commissioner Martinson suggested that the representatives of BWSR and the Army Corp of Engineers attend the meetings in an advisory capacity only. Director Nelson said he thought they might prefer that anyway.
The board passed a motion authorizing the formation of a committee and initial development of a wetlands management plan. Both final membership of the committee and ultimately the plan will be presented to the board for approval.
USFS BWCA land exchange
Commissioner Bruce Martinson expressed concern over the high values the Forest Service was attributing to the minerals – particularly gravel—on Forest Service land being considered for exchange with county land in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). He said he was “really, really alarmed” about the values the Forest Service was attributing to the gravel on certain pieces of its property.
County Engineer David Betts said he and Highway Department Maintenance Director Russell Klegstad objected to gravel that the county pays the Forest Service $.15/cubic yard for being valued at $1.20 on undeveloped land. The county pays the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources $1.50 a yard for gravel, but that is on sites that have already been developed. “There’s huge expense to getting those pits open,” he said. “To charge us developed prices is incorrect in my opinion.”
Klegstad said the proposal from the Forest Service did not give the county credit for the value of any minerals that might be on its BWCAW land. He said the Forest Service had told him that Cook County’s BWCAW land has “very limited value” because it can’t be developed.
Commissioner Martinson said he thought they should look at the criteria used in valuing properties when the federal government bought up resort properties for inclusion in the BWCAW.
Several county employees as well as Commissioners Martinson and Sobanja met with the Forest Service the next day. Auditor- Treasurer Braidy Powers said some of their concerns were allayed upon discussion of the process with the Forest Service.
Commissioner Martinson said, “After meeting with the USFS, the Cook County representatives felt more comfortable but still a little concerned on the final outcome of the appraisals due in the spring. The mineral values given are only supplemental information for the appraiser to use.”
In other county news:
. The board voted to approve a process whereby 1 percent recreation and infrastructure sales tax project contracts would be approved automatically once bids were approved as long as they were standard AIA (American Institute of Architects) contracts, the work would be done as described in the specifications, and the contractor kept within the not-toexceed amount.
County Auditor-Treasurer Braidy Powers said the current time lag between board approval of bids and contracts was “unwieldy.” Any changes in contracts would be brought to the board for its approval.
The board approved the purchase of about 48,000 pounds of rebar for the Cook County Family YMCA at a cost of about $.45 apoundplustax($1,755.64),delivery($600),anda5percent administration fee ($1,202.47) – a total cost of $25,251.93. The price was expected to increase after the first of the year.
. The board approved pay upgrades to several positions: Public Health & Human Services Account Technician/ Financial Worker Sandy Petty’s position will now be an eligibility specialist/lead worker position; Information Systems Director Danna MacKenzie’s position will be upgraded to an information systems and communications director position; Computer Support Technician Kevin Twiest’s position will be upgraded to an information technology systems administrator position; and the pay rating for Information Technology GIS Technician Kirk Oberg will be upgraded.
The board also approved the retirement of Deputy Sheriff Tim Weitz with regrets. The retirement had been planned.
Leave a Reply