The county board spent part of the afternoon of October 15, 2013 discussing ways to keep costs down in 2014 in order to avoid a levy increase and use of the fund balance. They went over some possible cuts in departments they had not discussed at a previous budget work session. Budgeting for the Public Health & Human Services Department... READ MORE >
The Mining Truth Coalition has gathered signatures from citizens of every Minnesota county on a petition asking Governor Dayton to look carefully for the answers to four questions regarding nonferrous mining projects being pursued by PolyMet and Twin Metals. Significant quantities of copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium, and gold have been discovered in the Mesabi Iron Range and east into... READ MORE >
About 40 citizens crowded into the county commissioners’ room at the courthouse at the beginning of the county board meeting on October 8, 2013 to talk to Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) District Engineer Duane Hill about rumble strips. During the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting, Debra Vannet, one of many at the meeting who live... READ MORE >
Sheriff Mark Falk is working on starting up a Gunflint Trail division of Cook County Search & Rescue. “A lot of our calls are up the Gunflint Trail,” he told the county board on October 8, 2013. A September 18 memo from the sheriff to the county board stated that Cook County Search & Rescue, which is made up of... READ MORE >
Security at the courthouse is ramping up. By a vote of 4-1 on October 8, 2013, the county board approved the purchase of a portable X-ray machine and walkthrough metal detector to be used at the courthouse. Commissioner Garry Gamble cast the sole no vote. The cost of the X-ray machine, including delivery, set-up, and training, will be $21,950. The... READ MORE >
September Gunflint Hills Golf Course sales were up 15 percent over last September, but overall year-to-date sales are down 18 percent from last year. The very late spring and cold early summer had a big effect on golfing. Golf Course Manager Mike Kunshier told the Grand Marais Park Board on October 1 that he was hopeful that October sales would... READ MORE >
County commissioners may wind up in a land trade they formerly denied. On October 8, 2013, the commissioners debated their options in dealing with a request by John Scheef for access to his property just north of County Road 7. Scheef has been trying to gain access for several years. The board’s discussion was preceded by an appeal from property... READ MORE >
Jay Kieft, currently executive director of Wright County Human Services in Buffalo, Minnesota, has been offered the county administrator position newly created by the Cook County Board of Commissioners. “We are currently negotiating an agreement with him on the terms of employment,” David Unmacht of Springsted, a consulting group, told the Cook County News-Herald on October 9, 2013. “I would... READ MORE >
In response to concerns over the Cook County Council on Aging’s financial situation and accusations of lack of financial transparency, the county board drafted a letter to the council dated October 1, 2013 that suggested that the board might require an audit – but Board Chair Jan Hall refused to sign it. On October 8, the board discussed creating a... READ MORE >
Eight percent of homeowners and 10 percent of renters in Cook County pay at least half of their income for housing each month. A minimum wage earner would have to work 80 hours a week to afford rent of $757, which is considered to be the cost of a “safe, modest” apartment in Cook County, according to the Minnesota Housing... READ MORE >
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