A bevy of Cook County employees appeared before the county board on April 10 to discuss their request for highresolution photographs of 775 square miles of Cook County land. The board approved an expenditure of $187,000 for the work on March 27 but was asked at this meeting to authorize the signing of a contract with Pictometry, an aerial photography company.
Because of the company’s willingness to use roads as boundaries instead of photographing entire grids as is typical in other government contracts, the cost will actually be no more than $174,000.
Assessor/Land Commissioner Mary Black, Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson, GIS Analyst Kyle Oberg, Highway Engineer David Betts, and Information Technology Director Danna MacKenzie were all prepared to discuss the ways this imagery could enhance their work.
Tim Nelson said one reason they were all there was that some concerns had been raised since the board approved the project. Commissioner Bruce Martinson brought up a concern about the cost, asking Nelson if having the images taken every five years instead of every three as previously proposed by the staff would be adequate. “Anything is better than nothing,” said Nelson, adding that having new images every year would be great. This is something St. Louis County is moving toward, he said. “If we have to work with every five years, then that’s what we would work with.”
Martinson said the county paid $40,000 for aerial imagery three years ago. Commissioner Fritz Sobanja said he assumed costs would continue to go up and questioned whether the imagery would bring any financial benefit to the county.
Mary Black said her office still has to review in person every property with a structure on it every five years. Having aerial imagery aids them in classifying properties, she said, saving them from having to walk through undeveloped land. Tim Nelson said that as a result of the Ham Lake fire, they found buildings and cabins his office had no idea were there. Aerial pictometry—taken when the leaves are off the trees—would allow them to see these and know they needed to be assessed.
Commissioner Jim Johnson made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Sue Hakes, to approve the contract up to $174,000 and authorize Danna MacKenzie to sign it subject to approval by County Attorney Tim Scannell. Commissioner Martinson said he wanted the motion to include a statement that the county would not pay for this service more frequently than every five years. Commissioner Johnson said he was not willing to amend his motion, saying they should be open to needs identified by staff.
Nelson said grants might be available for this type of work in the future. MacKenzie anticipated more opportunity to collaborate with other counties in the future as well.
Commissioner Sobanja said he would vote no (the way he voted March 27) because it seems to violate personal privacy rights for people to be hired by the county to fly overhead and be able to see into people’s windows. He questioned whether photos this specific would be necessary when staff has to go out into the field anyway.
A memo from Surveyor Wayne Hensche in support of the project stated, “New high-res photos will allow us to go in the field with better information, saving valuable time. …Layering precise boundary lines on registered high resolution aerial photos now allows county staff/landowners to actually analyze what is going on.
“…Deeds are sometimes bounded by old features such as dog trails, logging roads, or primitive railroad grades long overgrown. High-resolution photos would bring out snipits of detail which is now often obscured with existing photos. If on-the-ground search for remains of these old overgrown boundaries is inconclusive, high-res photos could corroborate and supplement known evidence.
“…It is hard to put a price on being able to finally see clearly.”
The board passed the motion by a vote of 4-1, with Commissioner Sobanja casting the nay vote.
2012 Waste Electronics
Collection Dates:
Cook County Recycling
Center/Grand Marais:
Saturday, May 19:
9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Saturday, August 25:
9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Tofte Transfer Station:
Saturday, June 9:
9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Saturday, October 6:
9 a.m.-1 p.m.
In other county news:
At the recommendation of Public Health & Human Services Director Sue Futterer, the board approved hiring Allison Heeren to replace Public Health Nurse Amy Lucina, who left recently for another job.
Heeren was one of six people interviewed. She is a registered nurse, a licensed school nurse, and a registered public health nurse with 14 years experience including work for Washington County. She will be paid approximately $21.30 per hour for 30 hours a week and will start May 1.
“I think it’s wonderful that we’ve found such a qualified person,” said Futterer. An Arrowhead Health Alliance grant will help pay for this position for the next three years.
The board authorized replacement of the computers used for the county’s tax, assessment, accounting, and payroll systems at a cost of $28,460 plus tax and shipping. A purchase request from Information Technology (IT) Director Danna MacKenzie states that the normal replacement cycle for this equipment is three to five years, although the current system has been in place since 2006. MacKenzie told the board they try to make their equipment last as long as possible.
The cost for the current system was $41,000 six years ago. This is one area in which costs are actually going down, MacKenzie said. The capital reserve fund is used for purchases such as these.
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