County Highway Engineer David Betts came before the county board on Tuesday, January 26 with four equipment replacement requests. He presented price information for three vehicles and one trailer, obtained from the state bidding website.
Commissioners reviewed the requests for a 2016 GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab pickup, to replace a ¾-ton Chevrolet pickup at a cost of $38,573.72; a 2016 GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab pickup, to replace a Chevrolet 1500 regular cab pickup for $38,573.72; a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500 crew cab pickup with flatbed at 45,065.02 to replace a 1-ton crew cab diesel pickup and a 2016 Towmaster trailer to replace a 1981 Hercules 15-ton trailer.
Betts said the replacements are in the county budget and that although one of the pickups was $75.34 over budget, the other was $148 less than anticipated. The Towmaster trailer is $756.25 over budget, for a total amount over-budget of $683.59.
Commissioner Heidi Doo-Kirk asked Betts where he would find that amount in his budget. Betts said the highway department would “make it up somewhere,” for example the budget could be adjusted by the purchase of fewer yards of gravel.
The purchase of the replacement vehicles was approved with a unanimous motion. The old trucks will be auctioned off on the state online auction, said Betts.
Culverts
Commissioners asked Betts if progress had been made on the removal of the large concrete culverts on a piece of county-owned property near the Flute Reed River in Hovland.
Betts said he had received inquiries, but after seeing the massive culverts, people have “begged off.” He said Lake County had a road project that the culverts could possibly be used for, but it turned out to not be feasible because of transportation costs.
County Administrator Jeff Cadwell reminded the board that it had considered seeking bids to have the culverts removed. “I think we’re at that point,” he said.
Commissioner Frank Moe agreed. He noted that the spot where the culverts are stored is a “beautiful site” and said it would be appropriate to consider a community garden there.
How the culverts would be removed—transported or demolished onsite?—was discussed and the board finally asked Betts to get the job done.
ATV report time
As required in the Cook County ATV Road Ordinance, Sheriff Pat Eliasen came before the board to give a report on all-terrain vehicle (ATV) incidents for 2015. Eliasen said there were 13 ATV-related calls in 2015, which he described as some driving, some noise complaints and one minor accident. Eliasen said one call was actually regarding a dirt bike, not an ATV.
Commissioner Garry Gamble noted that the ATV ordinance committee said the county should receive a request from the Minnesota DNR and U.S. Forest Service on ATV incidents as well.
Moe said he felt that 13 calls and the level of infractions were minimal. He added that the small amount of complaints is “no accident.” Moe said, “This is because of a lot of work by your staff and by the ATV community.”
The board asked Eliasen what his office does regarding ATV enforcement. He said each year the Sheriff ’s Office gets a grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) which can be used for safety education or enforcement. He noted that the DNR and the local ATV Club do an excellent job with ATV safety, so most of the funding goes to fund ATV patrolling.
Gamble pointed out that the report relates to the entire county and said the results are based on the history of “demonstrated responsibility.”
Doo-Kirk said she has heard from resort owners that they are hearing that the ATV signage on the Gunflint Trail is confusing. She said one sign tells them “Watch for ATVs” and another says “No ATVs.”
In other business
. Commissioners approved proposed changes to the county fee schedule. There were three new fees: for ownership/history information requests in the Assessor’s office of $25 per hour; for assessment estimates, $5; and digital (.pdf) copies of Assessor’s office field cards, $5. The cost of a Cook County road map was increased from $3 to $5.
Fees for chemical dependency assessments, updates, outpatient treatment, and for child support applications went up approximately $1 to $4.
. Contacts for hazardous fuels reductions under the Firewise program were approved. Contractors will now be able to use grant funding to assist property owners with clearing around properties at Eagle Lake, Needham Road, North Bearskin Road, Petra Lane, South Bearskin Road and Clearwater Road.
. The board approved the posting of the lead dispatcher/ assistant TAC for the law enforcement center. This is not a new position, but a changing of responsibilities. Sheriff Eliasen said the new position would free Dispatch/Jail Administrator Judy Sivertson for other duties, which have changed dramatically since the last job description update in 2001.
Asked if the person hired for this role would see a pay increase, Eliasen said it depends on where the person hired falls on the employee pay chart. Depending on experience and step increases, the person could see a raise of about .50.
. Zoning Administrator Bill Lane presented a list of 12 gravel pit conditional use permits for review. Lane said no pits were out of compliance with permit conditions in 2015. Lane said most notable was the pit operated by Stan Bautch, which last year had its permit revoked. Lane gave some details of the work Bautch had done and reiterated what it said in the report, “Overall, Mr. Bautch has implemented the conditions attached to his permit in a reasonable and effective manner.”
. The county board agreed to serve as the fiscal agent on a federal Recreation Trails Program (RTP) grant for the Sugarbush Trail Association for the purchase of trail maintenance equipment including a tractor, two ATVs with a trailer and a groomer at a price not to exceed $75,000. The county is not required to provide a financial match for this grant, said Sugarbush Representative Liz Wagner. The board unanimously approved the request.
. On the recommendation of County Administrator Cadwell, the county board approved updates to eight job descriptions. Cadwell said in the past the county has reviewed job descriptions when jobs came open, but the personnel committee felt it would be better to make the changes sooner. However, the personnel committee now feels it should wait to do any further updates until after a job classification study is completed. The board agreed and thanked Cadwell for his work on the eight job descriptions. Cadwell is working with Commissioner Gamble on the request for proposals for the job classification study.
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