Tim Nelson, Cook County planning director, presented final recommendations from the after-the-fact (ATF) fee committee to the county board on Tuesday, April 22, 2014. Commissioners adopted the fee committee’s recommendations.
Under the new rules, a permit to build up to a 600-square foot structure will cost $100; an ATF fee is $200 with a variance ATF Fee of $500. A permit fee to build a 7,001-square foot building is $350 with an ATF Fee of $700 and a variance ATF fee of $1,000.
Nelson said the committee discussed the disparities that exist, “when we apply a flat rate fee to a variable rate fee schedule, resulting in a small unpermitted deck addition receiving as much of an ATF fee as an unpermitted 6,000-square foot house.”
The committee contemplated several different variable rates, including certain percentages relative to the cost of the project, or to the size of the project in square footage. After lengthy discussions, said Nelson, the ATF fee committee recommended a graduated ATF fee schedule for land use permits and variances based on the square footage levels for the existing standard land use permit fees.
Nelsen said it was the goal of the ATF committee to “produce recommendations that would balance the need to reduce the amount of unpermitted construction that takes place within Cook County, with the fair application of the ATF fees relative to the size of the construction projects.”
Administrator’s job description completed
County Administrator Jay Kieft asked the county board to consider using a “consent agenda” for its board meetings. A consent agenda, said Kieft, “is used to save board meeting time and to help assure that board deliberations focus on substantive topics that are worth discussion. By bundling a set of business items together for a single action, meeting time is managed more efficiently.”
Kieft said consent agenda items will consist of items like previous meeting minutes, auditor claims, contract renewals that are cyclical, miscellaneous department purchases, event permits and grant requests and/or agreements.
“If an item includes action of authorization of expenditure, it must be previewed by the county auditor to assure that funding is allocated and available either in the budget of through a grant,” said Kieft.
The board agreed to try using a consent agenda, but Commissioner Garry Gamble asked if an item could be pulled from the agenda if one of the commissioners felt it needed discussion. Kieft assured him this was okay.
Kieft also presented the county administrator job description to the board, saying the original document had been started before his arrival and reviewed and amended slightly in the past few months. He provided the commissioners with job summary, which stated, “The County Administrator is the chief administrative officer in the County. The Administrator is responsible for directing and managing the overall operation, departments and personnel in conformance with Minnesota Statute 375A.06 (as amended). The Administrator shall ensure compliance with all county board directives, policies and procedures; shall coordinate the various activities of the county; and shall unify the management of its affairs. The Administrator will assist the county Board in formulating strategic direction and provide leadership for exercising general and administrative supervision over designated county functions and operations.
“The Administrator will lead the organization and build a workplace culture that supports and implements the county’s vision, mission, strategies and goals.”
The board approved the job description by a 4-0 vote. Commissioner Hakes was absent from the meeting because she was on vacation.
Kieft also presented the board with an organizational chart depicting the citizens of Cook County at the top of the chart with the board of commissioners and elected officials and department heads on a line below. Below that was the county administrator’s position and below him were all of the county departments.
In other business
. The county board accepted several fee changes to the Auditor-Treasurer’s office. From now on there won’t be a $5 charge to confession of judgment court annual fee and the office will now charge $25 per hour for general information searches with a minimum charge of $15.
. Cook County Auditor Betty Schultz asked the county board to approve two disaster abatements for houses that burned last summer on Fireweed Lane on Devil Track Lake. The board approved the abatement.
A third application for a reduction in valuation came from Mike Drilling, owner of Great Northern Adventure Co. for the former Tip of the Trail property he purchased prior to July 1, 2013. Drilling, who recently pled guilty in federal court to defrauding his investment clients, won’t be charged the $3,904 assessment for 2013, but will be taxed in 2014 on his property.
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