December, 2007

Commissioner Proceedings

December 11, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, December 11, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Wade Johannesen and Penny Mio Hirst. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Auditor- claims; Attorney- MN Power and Light Company Tower Space Agreement; Resolution of support for the Wheeler’s Point Sewer District; BWSR appointment and remove George Swentik’s consent agenda and place under GIZIIBII’s time. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Jodi Ferrier to East Grand Forks on December 19, 2007 for licensing investigations. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the minutes of November 27, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chairman Todd Beckel welcomed Senator Saxhaug to the meeting. Senator Saxhaug congratulated the community on the school levy passing; discussed that he attended a meeting with the Education Finance Committee along with other Superintendents urging the committee to come up with more financing for school districts; discussed the tax bill for local government aid; Transportation Bill; HWY 11 Task Force- stating the need of State dollars for this project; Handed out spreadsheets of total wetland habitat, deepwater habitat, total upland, total county area and percent of upland for all 87 counties.  Chairman Todd Beckel opened up the floor for comments from constituents:  The following is a summarization of concerns:

Wetland rules and regulations; swimming pool levy and why the bill was allowed to pass; smoking law; deficit of the State, property tax classification for commercial properties; new formula for school funding, Hwy 11 needs for State help; Targeted Case Management-support of State funding for loss of federal funds; request that the Senator meet with the City of Williams to discuss the sewer problems, and gas tax increase.

The Commissioners thanked Senator Saxhaug for attending the meeting.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $32,679.88

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:08 a.m. and reconvened at 10:18 a.m. as follows:

The board discussed the 2008 Standard IRS Mileage Rates; rate for business miles was set at 50.5 cents per mile.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to set the mileage rate at the standard IRS rate for 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board discussed committee updates as follows:  Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will not be going with the County Health Insurance due to the cost and SWCD employees will receive a two step increase for 2008; the Roseau Co-op will be energizing the power line at the NW Angle; Department Heads requested copies of goals from the Committee of the Whole meeting.

County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen met with the board and gave the following summary of county projects which Widseth, Smith and Nolting worked on in 2007: section corner re-monumentation, support GIS department, plat checks, Clementson property boundary line issues, and records maintenance.

The following resolution was proposed by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

RESOLUTION 07-12-02

Appointment of County Surveyor

WHEREAS, M.S.389.011 provides that the term of office for the County Surveyor

by appointment must be licensed in Minnesota as a land surveyor; and

WHEREAS, A county surveyor appointed or elected after July 1, 1961, before entering upon duties, in addition to such bond and oath of office as is required to be filed, shall file certified evidence of license as a land surveyor for record with the county recorder and each license period thereafter while holding such office or designation shall file certified evidence of the license renewal for the then current period with the county recorder on or before the license expiration date.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby appoints Donn Rasmussen as the County Surveyor for the term beginning January 1, 2008 and ending December 31, 2008.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Patty Beckel requested a resolution of support from the board for the Wheelers Point Sanitary District to send letters of support to Senator’s and others for financial help with the project. Commissioner Patty Beckel will put this item on the next board agenda.

Commissioner Todd Beckel informed the board that Minnesota Rural Counties Caucus (MRCC) has nominated him to be a delegate to the WCA Permanent Rules Advisory Committee.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize Commissioner Todd Beckel to accept the nomination and appointment to the WCA Permanent Rules Advisory Committee. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

SharRay Feickert representing the Baudette Community Foundation/Grand Theater met with the board to discuss the property tax classification status of the Grand Theater and informed the board that the Grand Theater would be applying for property tax exemption. She requested that the county pay the March, 2008 payment to CHI.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson that Lake of the Woods County pay the next quarterly payment due in March, 2008 in the amount of $2,750 for the Grand Theater to CHI with the funding from the Economic Development Fund. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the vote carried as follows: Yeas: Commissioner Bredeson, Moorman, Todd Beckel and Patty Beckel; Nays:  Commissioner Arnesen.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to support the tax exempt property status for the Grand Theater.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Deputy Auditor, Dale Boretski met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the claims against the county as follows: 

                                                Revenue                      $          49,973.32

                                                Road & Bridge           $           92,034.00

                                                County Development  $             1,360.56

                                                Solid Waste                 $           13,196.35156,564.23

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 12/11/2007 FOR PAYMENT 12/15/2007

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          424.58 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                   5881.27 ED ARNESEN

          350.00 ASSN OF MN COUNTIES                                           462.08 BEST WESTERN – KELLY INN

          683.56 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                              1063.31 CATCO

      59980.80 CLARK EQUIP CO DBA BOBCAT                             456.29 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

        7840.53 FRONTIER PRECISION INC                                     1259.53 GCR TIRE CENTER

          510.00 GOVERNMENT TRAINING SERV                             900.00 LEE HANCOCK

        1111.08 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC                                        992.27 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY

      21800.00 INNOVATIVE BLDG SOLUTIONS                          4558.20 INSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, INC

        1404.17 WADE JOHANNESEN                                                799.22 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS

        1820.00 LAKEWOOD FARMS INC                                        4757.93 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

        6648.75 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                               3612.00 MAXIMUS, INC

          528.64 JIMMY MCCOURT                                                   2761.77 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          413.86 JEROME MOLINE                                                    1139.30 KENNETH MOORMAN

        5414.19 LAW MOREN                                                             850.28 THE NORTHERN LIGHT

          907.47 NW ANGLE & ISLAND FREIGHT                             597.79 NORTHWEST MECHANICAL SERVICE I

          352.08 QUILL CORPORATION                                              400.00 RINKE-NOONAN

        1664.31 RODERICK RONE JR                                                3500.00 SJOBERG’S INC

          468.59 STREICHERS’S                                                           507.10 US FOOD SERVICE

          623.82 VOYAGEURS COMM INC                                         658.55 WEST GROUP

        1585.56 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASSTINC

54 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       6,875.35

FINAL TOTAL    $156,564.23

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                November 28, 2007    $ 329,334.39

                                                December   4, 2007     $   76,749.63

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

George Swentik, Chairman for the GIZIIBII RC&D Council met with the board to give a council update.  He reported that GIZIIBII secured a grant in the amount of $229,700 for the Williams Seed Company pilot project for Bio Gasification; the council is researching switch grass, winter canola and has worked hard on renewable energies. He also explained that there still is grant money available for Dry Hydrants.  The consensus of the board was to have him go forward with one (1) Dry Hydrant. George requested re-appointment to the GIZIIBII Council for 2008.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to appoint George Swentik, as member at large, for Lake of the Woods County to the GIZIIBII Council for 2008. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chairman Todd Beckel discussed George Swntik’s consent agenda request.  George explained that the Washington D.C. airfare and motel cost are paid by the State. He explained his request was for per diem and mileage to the Twin Cities and back.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize George Swentik to travel for GIZIIBII to the following: St. Cloud on Jan.30 for MARC&D meeting, to Washington D.C. on Feb. 24-28 for Leadership Training/Lobbying, to Rochester on March 9-11 for NCRC&D Mid Central States Regional Meeting and pay for meals, mileage and per diem according to Lake of the Woods Personal Policy.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:50 a.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to close the regular meeting at 1:00 p.m. and open the Public Hearing as advertised for consideration of adoption of an Ordinance pursuant Minn. Stat. §84.87, Subd. 4 authorizing counties to enact an ordinance to raise the speed limit of snowmobiles to 65 miles per hour on lakes greater than 10,000 acres.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chairman Todd Beckel opened the Public Hearing and asked for comments from the floor.  No comments were heard and no letters were received.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to close the Public Hearing at 1:08 p.m. and reconvene the regular meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-12-01

Ordinance to Raise Speed Limit for Snowmobiles on Lake of the Woods

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County is authorized under Minn. Stat. § 84.87, Subd. 4 to enact an ordinance to raise the speed limit for snowmobiles on lakes larger than 10,000 acres.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, by the Commissioners of Lake of the Woods County as follows:

The Board of Commissioners of Lake of the Woods County Ordains:

SNOWMOBILE SPEED LIMIT

ARTICLE 1- ADMINISTRATION

Authority:      Minnesota Statues §84.87, Subd. 4 authorize counties to enact an Ordinance to raise the speed limit of snowmobiles to 65 miles per hour on lakes greater than 10,000 acres.

Purpose:         The purpose of this Ordinance, which is enacted pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, is to increase the speed limit up to 65 miles per hour for snowmobiles traveling on marked trails during daylight hours on lakes greater than 10,000 acres.

ARTICLE 2- DEFINITIONS

The following words and phrases, when used in this ordinance, unless the content clearly indicates otherwise, shall have the meanings given them in this section.

  • Daylight Hours”– means the hours between sunrise and sunset.
  • Lakes Greater Than 10,000 Acres” – The following lake in Lake of the Woods County that is greater than 10,000 acres:  Lake of the Woods
  • Marked Trail”– means snowmobiles trails established and posted in accordance with 6100.5300 of Minnesota Rules.
  • Operate” – as defined in Minn. State.§ 84.81, Subd. 5, “Operate” means to ride in or on and control the operation of a snowmobile.
  • Snowmobile” – as defined in Minn. Stat. § 84.81, Subd.3 “Snowmobile” means a self-propelled vehicle designed for travel on snow or ice steered by skis or runners.

ARTICLE 3 – GENERAL PROVISIONS

Snowmobiles operating within Lake of the Woods County may travel up to the rate of 65 miles per hour when traveling on marked trails during daylight hours on Lake of the Woods.

ARTICLE 4- UNLAWFUL ACTIVITY

Notwithstanding the General provision of Article 3 of this Ordinance, it remains unlawful for any person to drive or operate any snowmobile at a rate of speed greater than is reasonable or proper under all of the surrounding conditions or circumstances.

ARTICLE 5- ENFORCEMENT

Conservation officers and other licensed peace officers are authorized to enforce the provisions of this Ordinance consistent with any authority imposed by statute.

ARTICLE 6- EFFECTUATION

This Ordinance shall be effective upon passage by the Lake of the Woods Board of Commissioners and approval of the Commissioner of Natural Resources.  Upon approval by the Commissioner of Natural Resources, Snowmobile Speed Limit Ordinance shall be disseminated to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

This Ordinance was declared adopted by the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners on the 11th day of December, 2007.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman. It was adopted on the following vote:

Yeas:     Commissioner Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Moorman and Bredeson.

Nays:     None

Absent: None

This ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon adoption pursuant to Minnesota law.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:

_________________________                                  _______________________

Janet E. Rudd, Deputy Auditor                                 Todd Beckel, Chairman

After review, and in accordance with Minn. Stat. §84.87, Subd. 4, this Ordinance is hereby approved this ________ day of ___________, 2007.

__________________________________

Mark Holsten

Commissioner, Dept. of Natural Resources

(This Ordinance does not become effective until approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, once approved; this Ordinance will be published separately)

Interim County Attorney Michelle Moren and Lake of the Woods County Economic Development Director, Wyatt Johnson met with the board  to discuss the Headwaters Regional Development Commission (HRDC) Contract for Services for financial due diligence for grant and loan request. Michelle reported that everything looked fine except the indemnification of insurance is not in the contract, but the board could waive this as this is a very low risk contract.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize the Chairman to sign the contract for services between HRDC and Lake of the Woods County effective December 1, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to close the regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. and open the Public Hearing as advertised for consideration of adoption of an Ordinance on Administrative Offense Tickets. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chairman Todd Beckel opened the Public Hearing and asked for comments from the public.  No comments were heard and no letters were received. Commissioners asked Chief Deputy Sheriff, Jim Walton if this Ordinance will cause extra work for the department and the Attorney’s department.  Jim informed them it would not generate any extra work, but it serve as an extra tool for the deputies to use.  Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren commented it will be less work for her office, as none of the Administrative Offenses Tickets would go through her office.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to close the Public Hearing at 1:45 p.m. and reconvene the regular meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Todd Beckel and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-12-03

Administrative Offenses Tickets

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County is enacting an Ordinance of Administrative Offenses Tickets.

WHEREAS, AnAdministrative Offenses Tickets is a violation of a provision of a Lake of the Woods Ordinances or State Law and is subject to the administrative penalties set forth in the schedule of offenses and penalties.  And administrative offense is not a crime.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, by the Commissioners of Lake of the Woods County as follows:

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFENSE ORDINANCE

Purpose:  Administrative offense procedures established pursuant to this Section are intended to provide the public and the County of Lake of the Woods with an informal, cost effective, and expeditious alternative to traditional criminal charges for violations of certain Lake of the Woods County Ordinance and State Law provisions.  The procedures are intended to be voluntary on the part of those who have been charged with administrative offenses. At any time prior to payment of the administrative penalty as is provided for thereafter, the individual may withdraw from participation in the procedures, in which event the County may bring criminal charges in accordance with law. Likewise, the County of Lake of the Woods in its discretion may choose not to initiate an administrative offense and may bring criminal charges in the first instance.  In the event a party participates in the administrative offense procedures, but does not pay the monetary penalty which may be imposed, the County of Lake of the Woods will seek to collect the costs of the administrative offense procedures as part of a subsequent criminal sentence in the event the party is charged and is adjudicated guilty of the criminal violation.

            Section 1.        DEFINITIONS.  Except as may otherwise be provided or clearly implied by context, all terms shall be given their commonly accepted definitions.  For purposes of this Ordinance the following words and terms when used herein shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. 

            Administrative Offense.  An administrative offense is a violation of a provision of a Lake of the Woods County Ordinance or State Law and is subject to the administrative penalties set forth in the schedule of offenses and penalties referred to in Section 7, entitled “Offenses and Penalties”, hereafter. An administrative offense is not a crime.

            Section 2.        NOTICE.  The following employees of the County shall have the authority to issue notices for administrative offenses:

  • The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff and Sheriff’s Deputies.
  • The Fire Chief and Assistant Fire Chief.

Upon determining there has been a violation, a notice shall be given to the violator or in the case of a vehicular violation a notice of the violation may be attached to the vehicle. Said notice shall set forth the nature, date and time of the violation, the name of the official issuing the notice, and the amount of the scheduled penalty.

            Section 3.        PAYMENT.  Once such notice is given, the alleged violator may within ten (10) days of the time of issuance of the notice, pay the full amount set forth in the schedule of penalties for the violation.  The penalty may be paid in person or by mail, and payment shall be deemed to be an admission of the violation.  The payments shall be made to the Lake of the Woods County Treasurer.

            Section 4.        COURT APPEARANCE REQUEST.  Any person contesting an administrative offense pursuant to this Section may, within ten (10) days of the time of the issuance of the notice, request a District Court appearance.  A person requesting a District Court appearance will be issued a traffic and/or criminal citation/summons for the violation and a Court date will be scheduled. The administrative offense procedure will then terminate.

            Section 5.        FAILURE TO PAY.   In the event a party charged with an administrative offense fails to pay the penalty, a misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor charge may be brought against the alleged violator in accordance with applicable statutes.  If the penalty is paid within the time limits stated above, no such criminal charge will be brought by Lake of the Woods County for the same violation. 

            Section 6.        DISPOSITION OF PENALTIES.  All penalties collected pursuant to this Section shall be paid to the County of Lake of the Woods, deposited in a designated account in the County’s General Fund.

            Section 7.        OFFENSES AND PENALTIES.  Offenses which may be charged as administrative offense and the penalties for such offenses will be established by resolution of the Lake of the Woods County Board from time to time. Copies of such resolution(s) shall be maintained in the Office of the Lake of the Woods County Auditor.

            Section 8.        SUBSEQUENT OFFENSE.  In the event a party is charged with a subsequent administrative offense, within twelve (12) months for the same or substantially similar offense, the subsequent administrative penalty shall be increased by twenty-five percent (25%) (except speeding).

            Section 9.        EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Ordinance shall become effective upon its passage and publication as provided by law.

SCHEDULE OF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFENSES AND PENALTIES

Failure to Obey Traffic Signals – M.S. § 169.06                                      $50

(Signs, Signals & Markings)

Speeding – M.S. § 169.14 (Speed Limits, Zones & Radar)                     $50

Improper Lane use – M.S. § 169.18  (Driving Rules)                               $50

Improper Turns – M.S. § 169.19                                                               $50

(Turning, Starting & Signaling)

Failure to Yield Right of Way – M.S. § 169.20  (Right of Way)             $50

Stopping or Parking on a Roadway – M.S. § 169.35  (Parking)               $50

Littering – M.S. § 169.42  (Littering)                                                       $50

Failure to Use Passenger Restraint for Children – M.S. § 169.685          $50

(Seatbelt Passenger Restraint System for Children)

Seat Belt Violation – M.S. § 169.686  (Seatbelt Use Required)              $50

Trespass – M.S. § 609.605  (Trespass)                                                      $50

Disorderly Conduct – M.S. § 609.72  (Disorderly Conduct)                   $50

Public Nuisance – M.S. §609.74                                                               $50

Unlawful Deposit of Garbage – M.S. § 609.68                                        $50

(Unlawful Garbage)

Loud Exhaust – M.S. § 169.69  (Muffler)                     $50

Exhibition Driving – M.S. § 169.13                                                          $50

(Reckless or Careless Driving)

Off-Road Vehicle Violations – M.S. § 84.795;    § 84.805;                     $50

(Off-Road Vehicle Operation)

Snowmobile Violations – M.S. § 84.83;  § 84.88                                     $50

(snowmobiles)

ATV Violations – § 84.929                                                                       $50

Unlawful Smoking – M.S. § 609.681                                                       $50

Freedom to Breathe Act Violations – M.S. § 144.417                             $50

Driving without valid driver’s license – M.S. § 171.02                            $50

Dog – Public Nuisance  –    M.S § 347.04                                                $50

Animals – Running at Large  – M.S § 346.16                                           $50

Others as established by Resolution                                                         $50

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioners asked Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren how the City of Baudette Law Enforcement contract was proceeding. Michelle reported that it is in the process.

Chairman Todd Beckel presented a resolution that was requested by Headwaters Regional Development Commission, Laurie Kramka, Development Specialist for the approval of JOBZ modification for acreage swap.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

RESOLUTION NO.  07-12-04

APPROVING JOBZ MODIFICATION

WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota implemented the Job Opportunity Building Zone (JOBZ) Program on January 1, 2004, and

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board approved, by resolution dated August 12, 2003, specific areas designated as tax free zones and the State of Minnesota has approved those sub-zones within the Lake of the Woods County, and

WHEREAS, ANI is planning to incorporate a line expansion onto Parcel No. 60.51.05.010 and this parcel is currently not located in an approved Subzone.  Therefore, ANI has requested a sub-zone modification that may impact the tax basis for a portion of the property known as Parcel No. 60.51.05.010 (Approximately:  4,742 square feet to be impacted), and

WHEREAS, an ‘acreage swap’ is required by the State of Minnesota for each acre (or part of an acre) involved in a Subzone modification and Lake of the Woods County has approved that the acreage swap shall be taken from the northeast corner of Parcel No. 30.04.24.000 (JOBZ s.f. size approximately: 4,742 square feet), located in approved Subzone 2D, and

WHEREAS, job creation and economic growth is an important priority for Lake of the Woods County, and

WHEREAS, if ANI’s request for JOBZ designation and for a zone modification is approved by the City of Baudette at a public hearing, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED that the Lake of the Woods County Board at its meeting held on 11th day of December, 2007, upon careful consideration and review, approves the exchange of 4,742 square feet of the northeast corner of Subzone 2D Parcel No. 30.04.24.000 for 4,742 square feet in a new JOBZ Parcel No. 60.51.05.010, contingent upon the City of Baudette approving ANI for a JOBZ designated business at its public hearing.

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 2:12 p.m.

ATTEST:                                                                                             Approved: December 18, 2007

____________________________                                                    ____________________________

Janet E. Rudd, Deputy Auditor                                                         Todd Beckel, Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

December 18, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Wade Johannesen and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 8:10 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following additions:  travel for Rita Krause to Brainerd on January 9-10 for Child Support Training; County Sheriff for approval of cell phone purchases, Auditor for approval of Resolution for Health Savings Account. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Mark Hall, John W. Hoscheid and Dale Boretski to Minnetonka on January 15-18 for MACO Winter Conference; Josh Stromlund to Maple Grove on January 6-7 for Wet Land Technical Committee and Rita Krause to Brainerd on January 9-10 for Child Support training. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the minutes of December 11, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $9,398.45

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Nancy requested approval of the following contracts:

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the contract between Connie Anderson Aagard (CJA Consulting) and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008, for the provision of individual and family therapy services, and consultation, training, and clinical supervision to agency staff, and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the contract between the Lake of the Woods County MIS Department and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008, for the provision of MIS services, and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the contract between LakeWood Health Center and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008, for the provision of homemaker services, respite care services, companion services and personal care services and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the contract between LakeWood Health Center and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008, for the provision of skilled nursing services, home health aide services, and in-service education and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the contract between the Occupational Development Center, Inc. and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008, for the provision of employment and training services and independent living skills services, and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the MR/RC contract between Rainy River Waivered Services and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008, for the provision of adult in-home support services, and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the contract between Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008, for the provision of family based services, including intensive in-home treatment and CADI/TBI family counseling and training services, and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel land the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the contract between Lake of the Woods County and Rural Minnesota CEP (RMCEP) for the delivery of Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) and Diversionary Work Program (DWP) employment related services for 2008 with option for a one year extension for 2009, and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the 2008-2009 Biennial Title IV-D Cooperative Agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Lake of the Woods County Offices of Social Services, Sheriff, and County Attorney to set forth their respective responsibilities in providing services necessary for the operation of the child support enforcement program under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act., and to compensate said county entities with respect to reimbursement for costs incurred in providing services necessary to operate the Child Support Enforcement System in Lake of the Woods County and authorize Nancy Wendler, Social Services Director, Michelle Moren, Interim County Attorney, and Dallas Block, County Sheriff  to sign same.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the contract between Robyn Sonstegard and Lake of the Woods County Social Services effective 12/15/07 – 05/31/08, for the provision of providing assistance and consultation for the duties of the Fiscal Officer position,  and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the contract between MeritCare/Northwest Medical Center and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008, for the provision of emergency mental health services, and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows: 

                                                Revenue                      $          24,851.60

                                                Road & Bridge           $           11,750.64

                                                Solid Waste                 $            5,668.8542,271.09

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 12/18/2007 FOR PAYMENT 12/21/2007

AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                  AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          350.20 ACCLAIM BENEFITS                                               1833.70 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.

    406.40 BRAD’S PLUMBING & HEATING, INC                         2161.78 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

    388.79 JOHN HOSCHEID                                                             745.16 HYATT REGENCY MINNEAPOLIS

    660.00 LAKEWOOD NURSING SERVICE                                 1319.19 MILLENNIUM HOTEL

    345.50 JEROME MOLINE                                                          1325.68 NORTH EAST TECHNICAL SERVICE,I

   3556.60 NORTHERN OVERHEAD DOOR CO                              833.33 NW MN HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS

    492.82 QUILL CORPORATION                                                    875.58 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

   2000.00 RESERVE ACCOUNT                                                      376.00 SILVER CREEK EMBROIDERY

    308.12 GEORGE SWENTIK                                                       3500.00 T & M SALES  DBA

    350.74 T R JOBBING                                                                15150.00 UNIVERSITY OF MN

    552.30 WEST GROUP                                                                 2688.71 WOODY’S SERVICE

17 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       2,050.49

FINAL TOTAL     $42,271.09

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid presented the resolution of adoption of the 2008 Budget and Tax Levy.

RESOLUTION ADOPTING 2008 BUDGET AND TAX LEVY

Resolution No. 2007-12-05

The following Resolution was proposed and moved for adoption by Commissioner Ed Arnesen.

WHEREAS, the certified county budget for the year 2008 has been reviewed by the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners; and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the following certified budget and tax levy is hereby adopted for the Lake of the Woods County for 2008:

                        Revenue Fund                       $1,192,091

                        Road & Bridge                      $   436,555

                        Welfare                                  $   542,156

                        Total                                       $2,170,802

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following amounts be levied against the unorganized townships of Lake of the Woods County for 2008:

                        Twp Road & Bridge             $  384,076*

                        Twp Fire – Baudette              $    19,000

                        Williams                                 $    26,400

                        NW Angle                              $      6,500

                        Total                                       $  435,976

$7,500 of which is specifically levied to NW Angle residents and designated for Calcium Chloride in the NW Angle

Seconded by Commissioner Patricia Beckel, and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid presented a resolution for amendment to the Lake of the Woods Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Plan to include the Health Savings Account (HSA) on a pre-tax basis with a limited scope within the FSA.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

Resolution 07-12-06

Resolution Amending the Lake of the Woods County Flexible Spending Account

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County previously adopted the Lake of the Woods County Flexible Spending Account Plan on July 1, 1990;

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County considers it desirable and in the best interests of the Plan to amend the Plan;

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority reserved in the Plan to allow amendments to the Plan, the Plan is amended as follows:

  • The Plan shall make available to Eligible Employees the health savings account (HSA) benefit on a pre-tax basis.
  • A limited health reimbursement account shall be established with a maximum coverage amount of $3,000.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Flexible Spending Account Plan be and the same is amended effective January 1, 2008;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that any proper members of the Board of Commissioners are hereby authorized to make such contributions from the funds of the Employer as are necessary to carry out the provisions of said plan at any time; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the event any conflict arises between the provisions of said Plan and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) or any other applicable law or regulation (as such law or regulation may be interpreted or amended), the Companyshall resolve such conflict in a manner which complies with ERISA or such law or regulation.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The Commissioners discussed the Committee of the Whole meeting and the goals that were discussed. The following goals were discussed: Development Fund with the possibility of creating a designated revolving loan fund; County Efficiencies to explore and analyze the structure of county offices and possibility of combining offices under fewer department heads; Appointment of County Attorney verses Elected; added long term County Building plans.

Jeff Poolman, representing the Depot Preservation Alliance (DPA) informed the board of a grant that is available from the Minnesota Historical Society and MnDOT offering transportation themed grants, with the minimum grant award of $100,000 which would require a 20% cash match. The grant also requires that the DPA have a local county sponsor for this project.

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Lake of the Woods County Public Works Director as the local county sponsor and authorizes a letter of commitment in the amount of $25,000 to the DPA towards the grant application with the Minnesota Historical Society. If the grant is awarded to the DPA, the $25,000 commitment from Lake of the Woods County will become a loan to the DPA with terms and conditions set forth at that time. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman. Chairman Todd Beckel called for a roll call: 

Yeas:  Commissioners Todd Beckel, Moorman and Patty Beckel; Nays: Commissioners Arnesen and Bredeson.  Absent: None. Motion carried.

Commissioner Arnesen excused himself from the meeting at 10:22 a.m. due to other obligations.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:24 a.m. and reconvened at 10:27 a.m. as follows:

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval for travel on April 20-24 to the National Association of County Engineers Annual Conference in Portland Oregon. The board requested that Bruce come back with more information.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen requested approval for final payment for M & K Bridge Construction  Inc. and gave the final over runs and under runs report.

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to accept the County Public Works director’s Certificate of Performance for SP 39-598-35 and SP 39-598-52 for M & K Bridge Construction, Inc. of Walnut Grove, MN in the total amount of $528,302.40 and hereby authorize final payment of $26,415.12.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen informed the board that the membership renewal from the Minnesota Transportation Alliance was received and wanted to know if the county still wanted to be a member, and if so, the county should attend the Rally that is scheduled in March.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to maintain the membership with the Minnesota Transportation Alliance. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board and informed them that he was officially appointed to the Wet Land Technical Committee which will review the proposed language changes.

Commissioner Patty Beckel presented a resolution of support for the Wheeler’s Point Wastewater System.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Patty Beckel and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-12-05

Resolution of Support

Wheeler’s Point Wastewater System

WHEREAS, the Wheeler’s Point Sanitary District is located in a densely populated area of Lake of the Woods County;

WHEREAS, the economic base within the project area and Lake of the Woods County as a whole, is heavily based to the tourism industry;

WHEREAS, growth in the Wheeler’s Point area, a major destination of the County’s tourism industry, has been stymied by the areas lack of sufficient land to handle additional wastewater treatment systems;

WHEREAS, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has indicated that future expansion of the business facilities located in the Wheeler’s Point area will not be approved until such time as the existing wastewater treatment systems are increased or upgraded;

WHEREAS, the existing property owners within the Wheeler’s Point area do not have the financial capacity, nor sufficient area, to make the necessary improvements to establish a compliant sanitary sewer system due to current setback regulations from wells and structures;

WHEREAS, wastewater infrastructure is necessary to maintain the water quality of the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioner’s support the Wheeler’s Point Sanitary Districts request for funds to establish a wastewater system.

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board requesting permission to purchase two new cell phones for his department.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize County Sheriff, Dallas Block to purchase two new cell phones, contingent upon the Technology Committees Cell Phone policy. The Technology Committee will be meeting Wednesday, December 19, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board discussed agenda items for the year end meeting on December 31, 2007.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 11:14 a.m.

ATTEST:                                                                     Approved:       December 31, 2007

_____________________________                          ____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

December 31, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Monday, December 31, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the agenda with the following additions and deletions: Correspondence: Department of Natural Resources, Mental Health Grant and remove Veteran’s Service Officers from the agenda.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Monique Arnesen to Grand Rapids on February 4-6, March 6-7 and April 9-11 for Social Worker Core training. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the minutes with changes of December 18, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 12,807.55

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county with the exception of claim number 173: 

                                                Revenue                      $  52,761.86   

                                                Road & Bridge           $    4,233.44     

                                                Solid Waste                 $     1,602.99                 58,598.29

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION                

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 12/31/2007 FOR PAYMENT 12/31/2007

    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                            AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

              1525.29 AMERICAN SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINES          1600.00 ANOKA COUNTY

                479.25 AUSTIN TOWING                                                410.85 BRAD’S PLUMBING & HEATING, INC

              2067.62 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                   21216.00 ELK RIVER CHRYSLER, INC

              1560.00 FAR NORTH PUBLIC TRANSIT                          342.19 GARY’S AUTO

                817.00 HOLIDAY INN – ST. CLOUD                               451.95 HOLIDAY INN RIVERCENTRE

              1404.17 WADE JOHANNESEN                                        2500.00 KOOCHICHING CO AUDITOR

                311.65 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC                                   682.86 LIFE-ASSIST, INC

                370.62 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MN              671.18 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

                937.00 MN COUNTIES INSURANCE TRUST                  991.09 MN DEPT OF TRANSP

                600.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO             387.00 KENNETH MOORMAN

              5355.02 LAW MOREN                                                       771.40 NORTRAX EQUIPMENT COMPANY

                324.92 PITNEY BOWES INC.                                        5550.00 PRO-WEST & ASSOCIATES, INC

                342.78 PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER, INC                          319.50 SANDPIEPER DESIGN

                430.20 TONY DORN, INC.                                               412.24 US FOOD SERVICE

                553.21 JAMES WALTON                                                 625.00 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

49 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,588.30

FINAL TOTAL     $58,598.29

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                December 19, 2007     $162,833.36

                                                December 20, 2007     $185,551.50

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Sue Ney, Chairman of the Compensation Plan Committee met with the board and presented the recommendation from the committee for the new position of Administrative Assistant for the Sheriff’s office.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the recommendation from the Compensation Plan Committee to place the new position of Administrative Assistant-Sheriff’s Office on the Compensation Structure as a grade 8.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board to discuss the Professional Services Contract for the Human Resources Director.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to renew the Professional Service Contract for Human Resources Director as presented, effective January 1, 2008 and terminating December 31, 2008 and to authorize the County Board Chairman, Interim County Attorney and County Auditor to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board requesting approval for the Telephone Policy, authorization to hire a Social Services Fiscal Officer and to advertise and hire a vacant Social Services Case Aide.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the Lake of the Woods County Telephone Policy as presented.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler and Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen to hire a Social Services Fiscal Officer.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler and Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen to advertise and hire a Social Services Case Aide.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson met with the board and updated them on the progress of the CAMA program.

The Board discussed the 2008 Committee Directory. Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen recommended to combine the Compensation Plan Committee and the Personnel Committee.  Board consensus was to approve the combining with Wade Johannesen to serve as facilitator and a nonvoting member.

The following committees will be added:  Regional Radio Board, Lake of the Woods Affordable Housing, County TV and Highway 11 Task Force.  The board removed the Committee of Accountable Time Keeping.  The appointments to committees will take place on January 8, 2008 Organizational meeting.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and requested approval to attend the National Association of County Engineers’ Annual Meeting.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to attend the national Association of County Engineers’ Annual Meeting and Management & Technical Conference in Portland, Oregon, April 20-24, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the vote carried as follows:  Voting Yeah:  Commissioners Bredeson, Moorman, Patty Beckel and Arnesen.  Voting Ney: Commissioner Todd Beckel.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid presented an application for an off-sale combination intoxicating liquor license.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve an off-sale combination intoxicating liquor license for Sportsman’s of Oak Island Lodge from January 10, 2008 to June 30, 2008 contingent upon approval of the County Sheriff and Interim County Attorney.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid requested approval to authorize a temporary loan to the Forfeited Tax fund to mitigate a temporary negative balance.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to authorize a temporary loan to the Forfeited Tax fund to mitigate a temporary negative cash balance.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve claim number 173.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board reviewed the correspondence from the Department of Natural Resources in regards to the Ordinance for the Snowmobile speed limit and the CY2008 and 2009 Adult Mental Health Grant Awards.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to call the meeting adjourned at 12:45 p.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

ATTEST:                                                                     Approved:       January 22, 2008

_____________________________                          ____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

November, 2007

Commissioner Proceedings

November 13, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd and Penny Mio Hirst. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the agenda with the following additions:  authorize Social Service Director to advertise for Financial Officer, City of Baudette Law Enforcement letter, Northwest Angle Power Line, December 18, 2007 board meeting time change and ANI discussion.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Monique Arnesen to Detroit Lakes on November 14-16, December 12-14 and January 8-10 for Social Worker Core Training. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the minutes of October 23 and 30, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $31,255.83

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler introduced Monique Arnesen, newly hired social worker to the board.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler informed the board that Robyn Sonstegard resigned her position with the county and requested approval to advertise for a Financial Officer for her department.

The board discussed the possibility of job share of the position of the Financial Officer.  County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, County Treasurer Mark Hall, Social Service Director Nancy Wendler and Commissioners Todd Beckel and Patty Beckel will meet to discuss the possibility of job share of this position.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize Social Service Director Nancy Wendler and Human Resource Director Wade Johannesen to advertise for a Financial Officer.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried

Lake of the Woods Drifters Snowmobile Club secretary, Don Powell met with the board requesting the Board of Commissioners to enact an ordinance under Minnesota Statute 84.87, Subd. 4, to increase the speed limit to 65 miles per hour on marked trails on Lake of the Woods.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to hold a public hearing on December 11, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. for consideration of the adoption of an ordinance to increase the speed limit on marked trails on Lake of the Woods.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

 County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows: 

                                                Revenue                      $          54,570.22

                                                Road & Bridge           $           29,574.79

                                                County Development  $                200.00

                                                Taxes & Penalties        $                200.00

                                               Solid Waste                 $           28,446.09

                                                                                    $         112,991.10

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 11/13/2007 FOR PAYMENT 11/16/2007

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                  AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          478.33 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                 29430.99 ARROWHEAD LIBRARY SYSTEM

        3262.82 ASSET RECOVERY CORPORATION                         690.00 ASSN OF MN COUNTIES

          967.16 AUTO VALUE                                                          2078.22 RUSS BARRETT

          400.00 BAUDETTE-LOW CHAMBER OF COMMER             331.40 TODD BECKEL

          411.01 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                              1461.94 CERES EQUIPMENT INC

        6407.77 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                           2237.76 GCR TIRE CENTER

          660.00 JOHN HAGLUND                                                       505.00 HELGESON FUNERAL CHAPEL

        1520.00 PAUL HILDEBRANDT                                             1743.64 HOLEN ELECTRIC

        1194.97 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC                                      3868.48 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY

          837.50 JAKE’S QUALITY TIRE INC                                      962.69 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS

          416.05 LAKES GAS CO.                                                       2808.38 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

          310.00 LOW SOLID WASTE                                              11319.75 MAR-KIT LANDFILL

          795.39 JIMMY MCCOURT                                                   2761.77 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          300.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO                    665.19 JEROME MOLINE

          698.00 KENNETH MOORMAN                                            5355.02 LAW MOREN

        3955.44 MORT’S HEATING INC                                              366.25 GREG MORTENSON

          832.50 NORTH EAST TECHNICAL SERVICE,I                    410.26 THE NORTHERN LIGHT

          416.93 POWERPLAN                                                            2649.72 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

          750.74 ROAD MACHINERY & SUPPLIES CO                     1079.44 RODERICK RONE JR

        1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC                                                        4989.66 TRUCK BODIES & EQUIP INTL INC

        1162.13 WALKER PIPE & SUPPLY                                         625.00 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        1102.14 WOODY’S SERVICE

57 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       8,021.66

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….    $112,991.10  ****

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                October 23,  2007          415,117.58

                                                October 25,  2007            54,562.30

                                                October 30,  2007          362,893.00

                                                October 30,  2007                  656.50

                                                November 6, 2007            80,421.85

                                                November 6, 2007            43,806.29       

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to allow all county employees to receive a flu shot, at the expense of the county, with LakeWood Nursing Service at the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the exempt gambling permit for the Northwest Angle Edge Riders to conduct a lawful gambling for a raffle on February 23, 2008, at North Point Bar & Grill and authorize County Auditor to sign the permit. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same put to a vote

The following Resolution was proposed by Commissioner Patty Beckel and moved for adoption:

A Resolution Approving a Premises Permit Lawful Gambling Activity

Resolution No. 2007-11-01

Whereasthe Lake of the Woods Drifters has submitted premises permit for lawful gambling activity for Minnesota lawful gambling to be conducted at the following establishment known as: Sportsman’s Lodge, 3244 Bur Oak Rd NW, unorganized township in Lake of the Woods County.

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, that the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby approve said application for submission to the Minnesota Gambling Control Board.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The following Resolution was proposed by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

A Resolution Approving the Northern Connection Trail

Permit Number 144-17-1302

Resolution No.  2007-11-02

Be It Resolved, that Lake of the Woods County hereby applies for a grant-in-aid trail permit from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the Northern Connection Trail, permit number 144-17-1302 for the period October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2012. 

Be It Further Resolved, that the Chairman and Auditor are authorized to sign said permit on behalf of Lake of the Woods County.

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to vote, was unanimously carried. 

The meeting was called to recess at 9:45 a.m. and reconvened at 9:50 a.m. as follows:

MIS Director, Brent Birkeland met with the board requesting approval to purchase a GPS upgrade and to enter into an agreement (contract) for professional GIS consulting service.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the purchase of a Trimble Pathfinder ProXH Receiver, Ranger Data Collector and GeoBeacon Receiver with applicable trade-ins as quoted by Frontier Precision, Inc., with funding from the Enhanced 911.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to enter into the Professional GIS Consultant Services Agreement (contract) with Pro-West & Associates, Inc. to provide all services and deliver all finished products within the terms provided on the agreement, from November 12, 2007 – December 30, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chairman Todd Beckel excused himself from the meeting. Vice-Chairman Bredeson resumed the meeting as follows:

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board and informed them that he has been unofficially appointed to the Wetland Committee, which the name of committee is still unofficial. This committee is to establish language in the permanent rule making process. Josh also told the board that the Lake of the Woods Sustainability Foundation will be holding a meeting on November 29, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. at the Public Safety Building in Warroad.

Chairman Todd Beckel returned to the meeting and resumed the position as Chairman.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid discussed the draft copies of commissioner proceedings.  In the past, draft copies have been sent out prior to board approval.  It is Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren’s opinion that unless you have questions relating to a specific department, the proceedings are not for the public until they have been approved.  It was the consensus of the board that the draft proceedings, prior to board approval, are to be sent to commissioners and department heads only.

Commissioner Todd Beckel requested a resolution of support for the Federal Clean Water Act requesting support from Association of Minnesota Counties.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Federal Clean Water Act Resolution

Resolution No. 07-11-03


Whereas, The Congress of the United States has taken up measures to broaden the scope of the jurisdiction of the nation’s Clean Water Act (CWA); and

Whereas, one change being sought through federal legislation will remove from the act the term “navigable waters’ and replace it with the term “waters of the United States”; and

Whereas, said change in language will negatively impact local units of government in that the US Army Corps of Engineers will be forced to review projects and applications for permits in greater numbers, which may also cause delay of permitting to local agencies; it is noted that the Corps already faces a national backlog of 30,000 permits under present definition of waters; and

Whereas, the National Association of Counties (NACo) opposes any federal efforts to change the definition in the CWA from “navigable waters,” to “waters of the United States”;

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, that Lake of the Woods County is in support of the NACo opposition to federal efforts to change the definition in the CWA from “navigable waters” to “Waters of the United States” and requests that Association of Minnesota Counties to support NACo in their opposition.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval for final payment on the contract for bituminous resurfacing projects.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to accept the County Public Works Director’s Certificate of Performance for SAP 39-601-26, SAP 39-623-03, SAP 39-626-04, SAP 39-639-02, School District #390 Access Road and County Public Works Parking Lot for Northstar Materials, Inc. of Bemidji MN in the total amount of $1,394,286.59 and hereby authorize final payment of $69,714.33. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. 

The meeting was called to recess at 10:50 a.m. and reconvened at 10:55 a.m.

Northwest Minnesota Housing and Redevelopment Authority Executive Director, Lee Meier met with the board to give a brief overview of how the Fund Advisory Committee would work for the Lake of the Woods Down Payment Assistance Program, known as “Community Seconds”.  He explained the committee would consists of at least five (5) members but no more than nine (9).  The members of the committee could be county commissioners or two commissioners and others who may be interested in housing development or any combination. The committee would meet at least once a year or more depending on the activity and the desire of the committee having input on approval of the loan requests for down payment/closing costs made by each.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to appoint Commissioner Arnesen and Bredeson, County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson and Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen to the Fund Advisory Committee. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to enter into the contract for services between Lake of the Woods County and the Northwest Minnesota Multi County Housing and Redevelopment Authority for administering the Down Payment Assistance Program.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

University of Minnesota Extension Regional Director/Area Program Leader, Nathan Johnson met with the board requesting approval of an agreement between the University of Minnesota and Lake of the Woods County to provide extension programs locally and employing extension staff and the Memorandum of Intent for Federal Fiscal Year 2008.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to enter into agreement between Lake of the Woods County and the University of Minnesota for providing extension programs locally and employing extension staff.  The term of this agreement shall be three (3) years, beginning on January 1, 2008 and ending on December 31, 2010, contingent upon the approval of the County Attorney and to authorize County Chairman and County Auditor to sign the agreement.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel to sign the Federal Fiscal Year 2008 Memorandum of Intent between Lake of the Woods County and the University of Minnesota Extension Nutrition Education Program.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Bredeson reported on the department head meeting held on November 9, 2007, in which the department heads decided that the Minnesota Government Plan for county cell phones was a good chose. The board requested Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen to draft a “Cell Phone Policy” and bring back to the board for their review and approval.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to put all county cell phones on the Minnesota Government Plan and appoint MIS/GIS Director, Brent Birkeland as the administrator.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Economic Development Director, Wyatt Johnson gave the board the latest update from ANI Pharmaceuticals.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to change the Memorandum of Understanding with ANI to a $200,000 loan at 0% interest from the Reserve Fund; $100,000 cash grant for the first year and $50,000 cash grant for the second year, with funding from the Economic Development fund; along with all criteria, due diligence performed by HRDC and subject to claw back provisions and county standards in case of non-performance and authorize the Chairman to sign. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and vote carried as follows: In favor: Commissioners Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman; Against: Commissioner Arnesen.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:22 p.m. and reconvened at 1:15 p.m.

Emergency Management Director, Holly House met with the board requesting an appointment of an alternate to the Northwest Minnesota Regional Advisory Committee and a resolution to enter into a Joint Powers Agreement with the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board.

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to appoint Alternate Representative Commissioner Bredeson to the Northwest Minnesota Regional Advisory committee.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Joint Powers Agreement to the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board

Resolution No. 07-11-04

Whereas, This agreement is entered into by the parties to this agreement, pursuant to the authority conferred upon the parties by Minnesota Statues 471.59 and 403.39.

Whereas, The parties to this Agreement wish to formulate a regional radio board to provide for regional administration of enhancements to the Statewide Public Safety Radio and Communication System (ARMER) owned and operated by the State of Minnesota. The Parties to this Agreement wish to collectively prepare and administer a plan which provides for the installation, operation and maintenance of local and regional enhancements to the statewide Public Safety Radio and Communication System (ARMER).

Whereas, Lake of the Woods County is aware that said Agreement as proposed does not contain specific provisions addressing insurance requirements;

Whereas, Lake of the Woods County understands that the Joint Powers Board shall forthwith procure insurance as required for Minnesota Counties by Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust (MCIT).  With that understanding, Lake of the Woods County shall enter into this Agreement contingent upon the Joint Powers Board established in this Agreement procuring the necessary insurance as expeditiously as possible, with said process being addressed at the first Joint Powers Board meeting.

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, That Lake of the Woods County enters into a Joint Powers Agreement with “The Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board” and authorizes the Board Chair and County Auditor to sign.  Lake of the Woods County’s participation in the Joint Powers Agreement is contingent upon the Joint Powers Board commencing the process of obtaining insurance as recommended for counties by MCIT at the Joint Power Board’s first meeting.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block and Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board to discuss the contract with the City of Baudette and the Law Enforcement formula.  After discussion, Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren suggested that Dallas and her write up a new contract and summit to the board for final approval.

County Sheriff Dallas Block and Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board to discuss the Administrative Offenses Tickets. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to hold a public hearing for consideration of adoption an ordinance for “Administrative Offenses Tickets” on December 11, 2007 at 1:30 p.m.   Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block informed the board that he will be purchasing the new squad car this year that is budgeted for 2008, and the county will not be billed for the car until 2008

Commissioner Arnesen requested that the County Board meeting on December 18, 2007 start at 8:00 a.m.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to change the published time for the County Board meeting on December 18, 2007, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Arnesen requested authorization from the board to send a thank-you to Congressman Peterson for his help with the Northwest Angle power line issues.  The board granted him authorization to do so.

Commissioner Bredeson informed the board that the County Christmas Party will be held on December 14, 2007, at the Moose Lodge and information will be sent to all employees.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 2:45 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       November 27, 2007

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

November 27, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Wade Johannesen and Penny Mio Hirst. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Bruce Hasbargen and Pete Hovland travel, affidavit of lost warrant, advertise for two vacant dispatch positions, set date for committee of the whole and remove Social Services contracts from agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Lorene Hanson to St. Cloud on December 4-6 for IFS & Paymate Year End Training and to St. Cloud on December 9-13 for Auditor’s Training; John W. Hoscheid to Minneapolis on December 3-5 for AMC Annual Conference and to St. Cloud on December 9-13 for Auditor’s Training; Bruce Hasbargen to St. Paul on November 15-17 to meet Governor Pawlenty’s staff; Pete Hovland to St. Paul on December 11-13 for MN Government IT Training.. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the minutes of November 13, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $35,228.51

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler discussed the vacant Social Services Financial Officer position with the board.  She explained that in the transition between hiring and learning, she would prefer to contract out this position rather than a temporary position.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the Social Services Financial Officer’s contract for a maximum of six (6) months with Robyn Sonstegard at a rate of pay of $30.00 per hour contingent upon the approval of the Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren and Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen and authorize the Chairman to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler thanked Robyn Sonstegard for her years of service with the county.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county except claim numbers 1034 and 1582: 

                                                Revenue                      $          17,353.72

                                                Road & Bridge           $           74,904.89

                                                Solid Waste                 $             1,727.0693,985.67

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 11/27/2007 FOR PAYMENT 11/30/2007

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        1720.81 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                             382.83 RUSS BARRETT

      66852.00 BOWMAN CONSTRUCTION CO. INC                     2051.85 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

        1011.15 CUTLER-MAGNER COMPANY                                 489.90 DELL MARKETING, LP

          665.14 GLOBALSTAR LLC                                                    366.85 GRAINGER, INC

        1125.00 HELGESON FUNERAL CHAPEL                             4302.58 HEPPNER CONSULTING, INC

        1404.17 WADE JOHANNESEN                                              1841.73 MN DEPT OF TRANSP

          375.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO                  1635.00 NEW HORIZONS MINNESOTA

          772.13 RODERICK RONE JR                                                  587.88 SIMPLEX

          661.65 STRATA CORP, INC                                                 2846.08 WOODY’S SERVICE

          515.25 3M

32 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,378.67

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….     $93,985.67  ****

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                November 13, 2007    $  84,892.13

                                                November 14, 2007    $    2,808.34

                                                November 20, 2007    $    9,869.21

                                                November 26, 2007    $  55,244.40

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid informed the board Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust Board of Directors selected Lake of the Woods County as the 2007 Most Improved County in the Property and Casualty Division.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the application and affidavit for lost warrant for OSI Education Services Inc. dated December 5, 2006 for $91.05 without furnishing indemnifying bond.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Moorman reported that Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen and himself met with Governor Pawlenty’s Chief of Staff, Matt Kramer in regards to Highway 11 and presented facts and figures on the concerns of Highway 11 and the urgent need of improvements.

Commissioner Bredeson informed the board that his road inventory in his district is now complete. Commissioner Moorman informed the board that he is still working on his road inventory in his district.

SharRay Feickert representing the Baudette Community Foundation/ Grand Theater met with the board and presented a five year historical analysis report showing the declining revenues and requested that the county make the CHI loan payment in the amount of $11,000. No board action was taken and requested them to return on December 11, 2007 meeting.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:33 a.m. and reconvened at 10:36 a.m. as follows:

Headwaters Regional Development Commission (HRDC), Development Specialists, Laurie Kramka and Matthew Dyrdahl met with the board for approval of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy that is required by the Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA), every five years.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-11-05

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County is recognized by the Economic Development Administration as a redevelopment area with special needs for economic development assistance; and

WHEREAS, the Headwaters Regional Development Commission is an Economic Development District by the Economic Development Administration to provide planning and economic development assistance; and

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners actively supports and currently participates in the economic development district activities of the Headwaters Regional Development Commission; and

WHEREAS, the Headwaters Regional Development Commission has prepared a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy in cooperation with businesses, communities, and economic development organizations in lieu of a separate county Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners approves of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy as submitted on this date.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Headwaters Regional Development Commission (HRDC), Development Specialists, Laurie Kramka and Matthew Dyrdahl, met with the board to discuss the JOBZ application for the expansion of ANI Pharmaceuticals.  Laurie explained that all JOBZ land available is not in the City of Baudette limits, but in the county surrounding the City. Therefore, the County will have to decide whether they wish to donate JOBZ square footage to the City, so they can move forward in processing a JOBZ application. She explained that if the County decides to donate the JOBZ footage, she would need a letter from the County Board, verifying their willingness to donate. The Commissioners requested that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid write a letter of support on their behalf for donating JOBZ footage to the City of Baudette.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval for final payment on the contract for box culverts.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to accept the County Public Works Director’s Certificate of Performance for SAP 39-598-54, SAP 39-598-56 and SAP 39-598-63 for Olson Construction TRF, Inc. in the total amount of $137,821.70 and hereby authorize final payment of $6,891.09.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board requested an explanation of claim no. 1034 from the Highway Department. Bruce explained that the claim was payment for a gravel crushing project that was advertised as per County Policy.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to pay claim no. 1034.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. (Commissioner Moorman was not present for vote.)

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board requesting appointment of Reed McFarlane to the Board of Adjustments, filling Greg Johnson’s vacant position.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to appoint Reed McFarlane to the Board of Adjustments.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund requesting approval for the repair of the 1999 Ford pickup and approval for the 2008 Natural Resource Block Grant.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize Josh Stromlund to get the truck repaired with a cap of $2,000.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to authorize the Chairman to sign the 2008 Natural Resource Block Grant.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund and Rick Amundson met with the board requesting approval to Plat Brooks Farm Outlots A & B.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to accept the application to Plat Brooks Farm Outlots A & B from Rick Amundson and Scott Olmsted.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block and Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board and  requested establishment of an Administrative Secretary Position, which according to MN Stat. § 387.14  allows the Sheriff to appoint employees, for whose acts the Sheriff shall be responsible and whom the Sheriff may remove at pleasure. Wade informed the board that they would look into all the legal aspects before they would appoint. The consensus of the board was to allow County Sheriff, Dallas Block to appoint an Administrative Secretary to his department if all the legal aspects were acceptable. Dallas and Wade also requested permission to advertise and hire two vacant dispatch positions.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize County Sheriff, Dallas Block and Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen to advertise and hire two vacant dispatch positions.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block requested approval for the Snowmobile Enforcement Grant.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Patty Beckel and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-11-06

  Snowmobile Enforcement Grant

WHEREAS, under the Minnesota Laws of 2007 Chapter 57, Article 1, Section 4, subdivision 9 is authorized to provide reimbursement grants to counties to cover costs related to labor and equipment dedicated to snowmobile enforcement.

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County Sheriff’s Office represents that it is duly qualified and agrees to perform all services described in this grant agreement to the satisfaction of the State.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Chairman and Sheriff are hereby authorized to sign the snowmobile enforcement grant, for the period of November 30, 2007 through June 30, 2009 in the amount of $6,341.00.

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. (Commissioner Arnesen was not present for vote.)

The board requested an explanation of claim no. 1582 from the Sheriff’s Office.  Dallas explained that this claim was paid by the County as the victim was brought to LakeWood Health Center, which is located within Lake of the Woods County.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to pay claim 1582.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to hold a committee of the whole work group along with department heads to decide on five goals for the County to accomplish in 2008 and to meet on December 7, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 12:46 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       December 11, 2007

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

October, 2007

Special County Board Meeting

October 2, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in special session on Tuesday, October 2, 2007, in the Commissioners’ room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.   Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the agenda with additions.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Joanne Kellner interviewed for the position of Human Resources Director.

After finishing with the interview at 10:00 a.m., the board discussed the position and the applicants interviewed.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to offer a contract for services for the Human Resources Director to Wade Johannesen.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried

The board discussed the following additional items:  Letter to the Editor, AMC update, Sheriff law enforcement contract with City of Baudette, ANI grant amount and solid waste projections.

The board requested County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to send letters to the applicants notifying them of the Boards’ decision.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting in recess at 12:30 p.m.

Attest:                                                                  Approved: October 9, 2007

_______________________________              __________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                         Todd R Beckel

County Auditor                                            Lake of the Woods County Board Chair

Commissioner Proceedings

October 9, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, October 9, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Steve Wymore, David Wipple, Wade Johannesen, Sandy Williamson and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the agenda with the additions.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Nancy Wendler to Brainerd on October 10-12 for MACSSA Conference.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the minutes of September 25,2007 and September 27th as presented and October 2, 2007, with corrections.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $23,639.71

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler reviewed the 2008-2009 County MFIP/CCSA Biennial Service Agreement with the Board.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the 2008-2009 County MFIP/CCSA Biennial Service Agreement as presented.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler informed the board that a social worker had been hired and that there would be introductions at the next board meeting.

The County Board requested the County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to send a letter to all department heads stating there will be no cell phone purchases until the cell phone inventory has been completed and the County board approves a cell phone policy.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the claims against the county as follows: 

                                                Revenue                      $          47,432.82

                                                Road & Bridge           $           82,298.65

                                                County Development  $                200.00

                                                Joint Ditch                  $                600.00

                                                Solid Waste                 $           27,235.59

                                                                                    $         157,767.06

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 10/09/2007 FOR PAYMENT 10/12/2007

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          427.51 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                   1411.00 AMERICAN SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINES

          800.00 ASSN OF MN COUNTIES                                           533.28 AUTO VALUE

          500.00 BAUERS COMMUNICATIONS & SECURI                481.75 WAYNE BENDICKSON

          308.21 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                              1683.88 CERES EQUIPMENT INC

        2284.87 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                           8083.12 CONTECH CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS

        1944.14 DEAN’S HARDWARE                                               1765.78 DELL MARKETING, LP

          611.02 DODDS LUMBER                                                       447.00 GRAND VIEW LODGE

        2640.00 LEE HANCOCK                                                        1930.51 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC

          860.15 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                      667.48 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC

        8738.46 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT                                            9328.50 MAR-KIT LANDFILL

        7375.00 MIDWEST CELLULAR CONCRETE INC                 4279.14 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

        4538.02 MN DEPT OF TRANSP                                           10400.00 MN MUNICIPAL UTILITIES ASSOC

          300.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO                15843.70 MN STATE DEPT-CORRECTION

        1834.40 MONITOR TIRE DISPOSAL, INC                            1417.46 KENNETH MOORMAN

        5295.85 LAW MOREN                                                             629.84 NORTHWEST MECHANICAL SERVICE I

          324.92 PITNEY BOWES INC.                                               1324.86 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

          823.18 RODERICK RONE JR                                                1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC

          322.70 SOFTWARE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL,                   846.78 SORENSON CHEV-OLDS

          585.99 STRATA CORP, INC                                                   401.99 GEORGE SWENTIK

      20711.40 TRAFFIC MARKING SERVICE, INC.                       2640.00 VOYAGEURS COMTRONICS, INC

          350.00 WAYNE’S BODY SHOP-DBA                                     625.00 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        3502.35 WOODY’S SERVICE                                               20821.80 ZIEGLER, INC

55 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       5,376.02

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….    $157,767.06  ****

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                September 25, 2007            61,223.33

                                                                October 2, 2007        350.50

                                                                October 2, 2007            8,073.26

Motion was seconded by Commissioner Bredeson.  Discussion was had and at 9:30 a.m., motion by Commissioner Arnesen to table the approval of claims until later in the meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. 

At 2:00 p.m., Chair Todd Beckel brought forward the motion to approve the claims against the county and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of affidavit of lost warrants.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the application and affidavit for lost warrant for Michael Schulz, dated August 29, 2007, in the amount of $ 600.00, without furnishing an indemnifying bond.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. 

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the application and affidavit for lost warrant for Joan Pearson, dated May 23, 2007, in the amount of $ 64.00, without furnishing an indemnifying bond.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. 

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid, reviewed the Revenue and Expenditure Guidelines as of September, 2007, with the Board. He stated that in the event they have any questions, to feel free to discuss them with him at their convenience.

The County Board reviewed documents received from Lee Meier, from Northwest Minnesota Multi-County Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA). The documents were for setting up the loan pool program, housing loan pool application procedures and copies of program parameters from participating counties.

Commissioner Bredeson updated the Board explaining various conversations he has had in regards to this program.   He mentioned a set up cost of $5000 and an interest rate of 3% at 10 years per applicant to be used for closing costs. The consensus of the Board was to ask Lee Meier to leverage grant funds available.  Commissioner Bredeson will contact Lee to draw up a contract that will be given to Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren for review.  The funding for this project will be taken out of the current reserves for loan rehabilitation.

The Law Enforcement Committee gave an update on the law enforcement contract with the City of Baudette.  They reported that County Auditor, John W Hoscheid is working on a new formula to present to the law enforcement committee for negotiating with the City, by November 1, 2007. 

Commissioner Patty Beckel gave a report from the department head meeting held Monday, October 8, 2007, as follows:  cell phone update, the need for a policy on same, survey sent to employees regarding the Christmas party and employee recognition award, meeting minutes, goals and mission statement and department head facilitator for 2008.

Chair Todd Beckel discussed the current status of the Oberstar bill and a letter sent to Oberstar inviting him to meet with the Northern Counties Land Use Coordinating Board (NCLUCB). 

Discussion was had regarding the Goals and Mission Statement. 

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the Goals and Mission Statement as follows:

“Lake of the Woods County is committed to ensure high quality services in a cost effective manner for all its citizens”

This Mission Statement will be included on all agenda letterhead for the Lake of the Woods County Board.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Bruce Biggins met with the County Board to present an offer to fill the remainder of the County Attorney’s term.  The Board thanked him for taking his time to come to the meeting.

The Board continued with discussing the County Attorney position.  The County Board requested the County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to write a letter to the potential candidates advising them that at this time, no action will be taken.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:27 a.m. and reconvened at 10:35 p.m. as follows:

County Recorder, Sue Ney met with the board regarding the final plat for Morris Point Estates.  

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the final plat of Morris Point Estates and authorize the Chairman and the County Auditor to sign the same.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

ANI Pharmaceutical discussion was had.  Wyatt Johnson met with the County Board regarding ANI Pharmaceutical financial incentive package.  Commissioner Bredeson informed the Board that Headwater Regional Finance Committee (HRFC) would perform a due diligence report at an hourly rate.  The Board discussed various options regarding a loan and grant to ANI Pharmaceutical.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize the County Board Chair to sign a memorandum of understanding with ANI Pharmaceutical with the following expansion incentives:

Ø   A $200,000 loan plus $150,000 grant from the Economic Development Fund, contingent on due diligence and collateralization done by HRFC at 3% interest and an annual payment amortized at 30 years;

Ø   Said loan to have a three year balloon and to be reviewed for extension;

Ø  One year from date of loan closing; an audit of new jobs created, jobs and retention of same;

¨      ANI will be awarded a cash incentive of $3,000 per job created/retained with a $50,000 per year cap; also contingent on the overall salary of ANI employees having increased;

¨      Annual loan payment due in the amount of $10,116;

Ø  Two years from date of loan closing; audit of new jobs created, jobs and retention of same;

¨      ANI will be awarded a cash incentive of $3,000 per job created/retained with a $50,000 per year cap; also contingent on the overall salary of ANI employees having increased;

¨      Annual loan payment due in the amount of $10,116;

Ø  Three years from date of loan closing; audit of new jobs created, jobs and retention of same;

¨      ANI will be awarded a cash incentive of $3,000 per job created/retained with a $50,000 per year cap; also contingent on the overall salary of ANI employees having increased;

¨      Annual loan payment due in the amount of $10,116;

Ø  Four years from date of loan closing; audit of new jobs created, jobs and retention of same;

¨      ANI will be awarded any remaining cash incentives of $3,000 per job created/retained; also contingent of the overall salary of ANI employees having increased;

¨      Balloon payment due in the amount of $169,652 plus interest.

Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel.  Chair Todd Beckel called for a roll call vote:   In Favor:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman; Against:  Commissioner Arnesen.  The motion carried. 

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board regarding county ownership of the School Access Road. Steve Wymore, with the Lake of the Woods School also attended the meeting.  Bruce stated that the School Access Road does meet and exceeds township standards.  It was the consensus of the County Board to have Bruce move forward with the easement, signs and to report back to the Board.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the Board to discuss engineering positions within the Public Works Department.  Bruce mentioned a potential of 3 individuals retiring in the next coming years and wanted some direction from the Board for future planning in his department.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen informed the Board that the permanent part-time office assistant has completed her 6 months probation.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to certify the permanent part-time office assistant off probation effective October 2, 2007, and to approve a step increase from Grade 6, Step 1 to Grade 6, Step 2.   Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen discussed the maximum weight restriction on minimum maintenance roads.  He explained that all the roads are marked accordingly.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:30 p.m. and reconvened at 1:16 p.m. as follows:

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the Board to discuss the Human Resource Contract.  A draft copy of the contract was presented and discussed.  Michelle gave the Board updates on pending cases and an overview of the past few weeks in the attorney office.

Veterans Service Officer, Rick Rone and Bud Hanson met with the board regarding a community storage building.   Discussion was had and it was the consensus of the Board to be in support of this project.  The Board referred this to the building committee and will give an update to Bud Hanson in a month. 

Commissioner Moorman suggested having a County Booth at Potato Day in Williams this year to answer any county related questions. Commissioner Arnesen stated we would be available to assist with this booth.  It was the consensus of the board to move forward with this idea.

Commissioner Moorman gave an update on the Transportation Advisory Committee.

Correspondence regarding a letter from an attorney interested in the county attorney position was read and discussed.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 2:45p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       October 23, 2007

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

October 23, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, October 23, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Wade Johannesen, Sandy Williamson and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following addition: Community Seconds. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Ron Norquist to Thief River Falls on October 30-31 for Property Value Course; Holly House to Thief River Falls on October 24-25 for RACC and Northwest Region quarterly meeting; Dale Boretski to Clearwater on November 12-13 for Manatron Tax Group meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the minutes of October 9, 2007 as presented.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Wade Johannesen met with the board to discuss the Professional Services Contract for the Human Resource Director.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the Professional Service Contract for Human Resource Director as presented, effective October 23, 2007 and to authorize the County Board Chairman, Interim County Attorney and County Auditor to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $28,354.87

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler reviewed the 2008-2010 TriMin Systems, Inc. professional services contract with the board.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the contract between TriMin Systems, Inc. and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2008-2010, for the provision of professional services to obtain computer programming, technical assistance, and related services to support and maintain the IFS, ACS, & SWS computer systems and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. 

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler requested a leave of absence of Heidi Olson for six months. After discussion, the consensus of the board was that they would grant a one-month leave and requested Nancy to come back later in the day to see  if the employee accepted or declined the one-month leave.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows: 

                                                Revenue                      $          37,661.90

                                                Road & Bridge           $          101,591.42

                                                Solid Waste                 $              3,641.78

                                                                                    $          142,895.10

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 10/23/2007 FOR PAYMENT 10/26/2007

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        1390.14 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                           1120.00 ARM  REGISTRATION OFFICE

          675.00 ASSN OF MN COUNTIES                                           525.00 BREEZY POINT RESORT

          981.20 CATCO                                                                      8856.02 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

        3018.82 DYNAMIC IMAGING SYSTEMS, INC                   37228.15 HANSON SILO COMPANY

        2103.46 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                      725.00 LAKE SUPERIOR COLLEGE

          600.00 LOW MASTER GARDENER                                     1829.94 LOW SOIL & WATER CONS. DIST.

          345.38 REED MCFARLANE                                                   600.00 MIDWEST MONITORING & SURVEILLA

          372.70 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP                          688.01 JEROME MOLINE

          758.07 THE NORTHERN LIGHT                                         1688.03 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT

          586.41 NW MN HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS                      1841.61 PRO ACTION UNIFORMS

          732.43 QUILL CORPORATION                                              336.54 RUTTGER’S BAY LAKE LODGE

          673.28 SIMPLEX                                                                    727.40 SOFTWARE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL,

          316.32 JOSH STROMLUND                                               49500.00 T & M SALES  DBA

          379.43 DAVID THOMAS                                                       344.56 UNIFORMS UNLIMITED

      17281.76 VOYAGEURS COMMUNICATIONS, INC                1261.28 VOYAGEURS COMTRONICS, INC

          545.89 WEST GROUP                                                             500.00 CITY WILLIAMS

35 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,363.27

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….    $142,895.10  ****

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                September 26, 2007    44,768.37

                                                October 9, 2007          44,143.73

                                                October 10, 2007        76,110.95

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of a gambling permit for the Northwest Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #8.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the application for exempt gambling for Northwest Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #8 for a raffle, which will be held at Sportsman’s Lodge on February 25, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid, reviewed the Lake of the Woods Aggregate Tax as of September, 2007, with the board. As of the 3rd quarter, $7,027.32 had been collected, and $30,000 was budgeted for FY2007.

Jeff Poolman, representing the Depot Preservation Alliance (DPA) met with the board informing them that the MN Historical Society indicated that the Grants Review Committee has recommended the approval of the DPA grant application for a gas-fired furnace. Jeff requested the $2,500 that was approved in August of 2007, be released in late 2007 or early in 2008 to the DPA so they can purchase the furnace.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to advance the 2008 Con-Con funds in the amount of $2,500 to the Depot Preservation Alliance.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board to discuss the adoption of administrative civil penalty tickets which would consist of the following: failure to obey traffic signals, speeding, improper lane use, improper turns, failure to yield right of way, stopping or parking on a roadway, other parking violation, littering, equipment violations, failure to use passenger restraints for children, seat belt, trespass, disorderly conduct, public nuisance, unlawful deposit of garbage, loud exhaust, exhibition driving, reckless or careless, off-road vehicle and snowmobile violations and others. The ticket fees would remain within the county and not sent to the state.  Dallas informed the board that he will meet with them at the next meeting for the board to consider adopting an Ordinance for Administrative Tickets. 

Commissioner Bredeson informed the board that the Headwaters Regional Development Commission has approved the pre-application to Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NWMF) and has requested a motion from Lake of the Woods County board to submit a full application to the NWMF for assistance in funding the amendments to the county ordinances.  He also thanked County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid for his assistance in getting the deeds for the two city lots in Baudette.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman that Lake of the Woods County Commissioners requests that the Headwaters Regional Development Commission submit the full application to the Northwest Minnesota Foundation for $12,000 for assistance in funding the amendments of the Lake of the Woods County Ordinances and to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel to sign. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. 

Commissioner Bredeson discussed the  Community Seconds program which allows a borrower to obtain a second lien mortgage that typically is funded by a federal, state, or local government agency and the process of setting up a board by appointment of citizens or the county board themselves.  The board requested that Commissioner Bredeson ask Lee Meier, from Northwest Minnesota Multi-County Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA) to meet with them to discuss how the board should proceed.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board and discussed the FY 2008 Clean Water Legacy grant application.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval for the purchase of a skid steer and sander.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to purchase a skid steer and a sander this year, as budgeted in the 2008 capital expenditure budget for the highway department. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Administrative Assistant, Jodi Bauers met with the board to discuss county cell phones and the possibility of changing to the MN Government Plan.  Discussion also included personal calls on county owned cell phones, Canadian home charges, pricing of new phones, switching to a 434 number (no charge for local calls).  The board requested this to be placed on the Department Heads agenda for their input and requested that Jodi attend the Department Heads meeting to present the cell phone plan.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:45 a.m. and reconvened at 1:02 p.m. as follows:

County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen and Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board and the following property owners: Walt Coninx, Russ Baron, Benita Baron, Rodney Gubbels, Judy Gubbels, Linda Roberts, Marinie Korpie, Arvid Olson and David Norquist to discuss the survey issue regarding discrepancies between the deed lines and the occupied lines west of Clementson in Government Lot 5, Section 12, Gudrid Township to see what the property owners want to do about the discrepancies.  Donn explained that they could go through a process called Establishment of Boundary Commission pursuant MN Statues 465.79, which allows the county board to appoint a Boundary Commission or the Quit Claim Deed process.  The property owners requested an estimated cost of the two options to help in their decision. The board requested that Donn determine the estimated cost and send out letters to the property owners.

Chairman Todd Beckel thanked the property owners for attending and requested that they inform the board as to which option they would prefer.

Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board and informed them that Heidi Olson would accept the one-month leave of absence that was discussed earlier in the day.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize a one-month leave of absence for Heidi Olson to start when accumulated vacation time has been exhausted.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following correspondence was acknowledged:  AMC transportation funding; Northern Counties Land Use Coordinating Board, Freeberg & Grund, Inc.; House of Representative house number 2421; Proper Economic Resource Management and MN Pollution Control Agency.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 2:06p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       November 13, 2007

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

Special County Board Meeting

October 30, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in special session on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, in the Commissioners’ room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.   Also present were:  County Auditor John W Hoscheid, Lake of the Woods County residents and media.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Northwest Angle Island road and grant criteria.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Arnesen voiced his concerns on the process with the ANI grant and loan Memorandum of Understanding.  He stated he would like to see a business plan.  Commissioner Bredeson commented on how Headwaters Regional Development Commission (HRDC) is a qualified agency to perform the due diligence, not the County Board.

Commissioner Arnesen also stated he wanted clarification and understanding of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  He indicated his concerns that we do not spend tax payers’ money without certain criteria being addressed.  The consensus of the board was the same.

Economic Development Director, Wyatt Johnson gave the County Board and audience the latest update from ANI on the Memorandum of Understanding.  He talked about JOBZ and where we were in potentially securing JOBZ exemptions.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to establish the minimum requirements for county funding:

Ø  Credit report

Ø  Project narrative and business plan

Ø  Proposed financing

Ø  Budget detail

Ø  Financial statement and balance sheet for 3 years

Ø  Projected income statement with supporting documents

Ø  Ownership

Ø  Permits

Ø  Costs

Ø  Reviewed by the Auditor’s Office

Motion seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel.

The County Board of Commissioners discussed the motion details and various options.  Commissioner Arnesen amended the motion as follows:

Lake of the Woods County will set a minimum requirement and standard application criteria policy for county funding expenditures over $20,000 a year.  The motion was put to a vote and unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to set a $50,000 per year cap from the economic development fund with no one entity receiving more that $150,000 in aggregate.  The motion died from a lack of a second.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson authorizing the Board Chair to sign the Memorandum of Understanding of a maximum of a $200,000 loan and $150,000 cash grant incentives; contingent on due diligence by HRDC and subject to claw back provisions and county standards in case of non-performance.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and was put to a vote and carried as follows:  In favor:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman;   Against:  Commissioner Arnesen. 

Commissioner Arnesen discussed with Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen the Northwest Angle Island road conditions.  Northwest Angle residents, Brian Sage and Gary Dietzler expressed their concerns about lack of gravel and/or additional gravel with the pot holing during recent rains.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen explained findings of road conditions on his visit to the Northwest Angle.  He discussed various options with the board.  It was the consensus of the Board of Commissioners to direct Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen to look at gravel crushing at the Northwest Angle.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting in recess at 10:40 a.m.

Attest:                                                                        Approved:  ________________________

___________________________________________                                        ________________________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                                                              Todd R Beckel

County Auditor                                                                 Lake of the Woods County Board Chair

September, 2007

Commissioner Proceedings

September 11, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, September 11, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the agenda with the following addendum items: Proposed Wetland Conservation Act Rule Changes and Clean Water legislation Resolution. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Leah Stephani to St. Cloud on September 26, for Understanding Older Minds Conference; Jodi Ferrier to Duluth on October 17-19, for Human Service Conference; Wayne Bendickson to Duluth on September 30 – October 3, for MAAO Conference and Todd Fadness and Tim Aery to Lake Crystal on September 13, for Twin Cities Mack and Jay/Craft Snowplow equipment.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims, CSP Check Issuance Policy and an Affidavit of Lost Warrant.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants $16,908.07

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler presented a draft Community Support Program Check Issuance Policy to the board.  The board discussed the Community Support Program (CSP) checking account and the draft policy with Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler. 

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the application and affidavit for lost warrant for Angel Maize dated August 29, 2007, in the amount of $76.00 without furnishing an indemnifying bond.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Lee Meier, from Northwest Minnesota Multi-County Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and John Wynne met with the board to discuss a Down Payment Assistance Program for Lake of the Woods County. The County Board asked Mr. Meier to send draft proposals from other Counties for review.  The consensus of the board was to move forward and to have possible funding come from the designated rehab loan fund.

Michelle Brown, Director of Public Health, Lakewood Nursing Service met with the board to review the Purchase of Service Agreement for 2008, with LakeWood Health Center and Lake of the Woods County.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to enter into the Purchase of Service Agreement with LakeWood Health Center and Lake of the Woods County for Community Health Services for a term of three years, commencing on the date of execution of the agreement and authorize the Chairman and County Auditor to sign; pending Interim County Attorney approval of the agreement. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 6:55 p.m. and as advertised, the Public Hearing for County Ordinance was opened.  Public that attended were: Dave Marhula and Mike Reed.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund went through the proposed changes to the Lake of the Woods Zoning Ordinances that the Comprehensive Land Use Planning Board and the Subdivision Control Committee have recommended.  The topic that entertained the most discussion is to change the current number of lots that require the platting process from ten (10) contiguous to four lot created regardless of ownership or when the lots are created.  After the lengthy discussion, the board recommended to take this back to the Committee for further review and recommendation.  Mr. Marhula requested to sit in the committee meeting to provide input.

The regular meeting was called to open session at 7:40 p.m.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board to review the Request for Extension of the Lake of the Woods County Comprehensive Water Management Plan.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Moorman and moved for adoption:

Resolution   No   2007-09-01

Request for Extension of the Lake of the Woods County Comprehensive Water Management Plan

Whereas, 1995 amendments to the Comprehensive Local Water Planning Act, M.S. 103B.301 gave the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) authority to extend the ending date of local water plans for a period of not to exceed 2 years, and

Whereas, Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 103B.301, Comprehensive Local Water Management Act, authorizes Minnesota Counties to develop and implement a local water management plan, and

Whereas, the Act requires that a county update and revise their local water management plan on a periodic basis, and

Whereas, the Act encourages that a county coordinate its planning with contiguous counties, and solicit input from local governmental units and state review agencies, and

Whereas, the Act requires that plans an official control of other local governmental units be consistent with the local water management plan, and

Whereas, Lake of the Woods County currently has an approved Comprehensive Local Water Management Plan (the Plan) which is due to expire on December 31, 2007, and

Whereas, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners would like to request an extension of time to update the Plan, and

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, the Lake of the Woods Board of Commissioners request an extension, in accordance with the BWSR Local Water Management Plan Update Guidance for a period of two years.  This extension would allow adequate time to be spent on each of the phases of the update process.

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Chair Todd Beckel and Land and Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund discussed with the board a resolution supporting public hearings on the impact of and proposed changes to clean water legislation.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Resolution   No   2007-09-02

Supporting Public Hearings on the Impact of and Proposed Changes to Clean Water Legislation

Whereas, since its enactment, the Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA) has led to significant and continued improvement in the quality of the nation’s waters; and,

Whereas, two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions (SWANCC in 2001, and Rapanos in 2006) favoring local government and local landowners ruled that federal agencies exceeded the authority granted them under the Act; and,

Whereas, as a result of those decisions, there is legislation being considered in Congress (H.R. 2421 and S. 1870) that would expand federal authority under the Clean Water Act, by substituting ‘waters of the U.S.’ for ‘navigable waters,’ and by adding ‘activities affecting these waters;’ and

Whereas, the National Association of Counties, along with organizations representing agriculture, forestry, mining and a broad cross-section of other interests, are opposed to this legislation; and,

Whereas, pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act, the Minnesota Legislature has enacted legislation, notably the Wetlands Conservation Act of 1991 and the Clean Water Legacy Act of 2006; and,

Whereasa legislative Subcommittee on Watersheds, Wetlands and Buffers was created in 2007, by the Minnesota House of Representatives to consider watershed policy; and,

Whereas, all water, land and people are located within the boundaries of a watershed; and,

Whereas, the foregoing federal and state legislation and actions by federal and state agencies has led to undue hardship, unfairness and unnecessary costs and confusion; and,

Whereas, there is a need for public forums to provide citizens with opportunities to testify and give local, state and federal elected officials’ information and guidance that will determine the proper course of action of federal and state legislative bodies.

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, that Lake of the Woods County supports public hearings prior to the enactment of additional clean water legislation.

Be It Further Resolved, that Lake of the Woods County authorizes Board Chair to help take testimony at such hearings in cooperation and coordination with other appropriate local and state elected officials.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board regarding the proposed wetland conservation act rule changes and motion.  He explained that some of the changes went into effect after the date of enactment and others went into effect on August 1, 2007.  The comment period for the adopted exempt permanent rules relating to the wetland rules and the WCA in general, ends on September 20, 2007, as part of the permanent rule making process.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to request the County Board Chair to sign the letter to the Board of Water and Soil Resources on the proposed wetland conservation act rule changes.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board to discuss purchasing a new furnace for the Williams Shop, which was budgeted for in 2008.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to purchase a new furnace for the Williams Shop, which was budgeted for in 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen presented information on an application for township signing replacement project.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen discussed township road inventory with the board. Bruce also discussed the committee meeting held Tuesday, September 11, 2007, with a plan going forward with Phase #2.  The Commissioners will be designating a resident or residents to assist staff from the Highway Department with the tours.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to pay designated residents a per diem of $40.00 a day, plus mileage.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the minutes of August 28, 2007. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Discussion and various comments were received from Department Heads and staff regarding the procedures and process of how the County Board arrived at determining the steps for employees for the year 2008.  After all comments were received, the board stated that the 2008 salary steps would remain as previously approved.  The Board agreed to review the process of determining steps and the step structure, with the Department Heads, for the next budget cycle.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                                Revenue                                $              20,555.87

                                                                Road & Bridge     $         186,260.08

                                                                County Development         $              34,245.60 

                                                                Solid Waste                           $           19,676.31

                                                                                                                $         260,737.86

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  9/11/2007 FOR PAYMENT  9/14/2007

     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        1183.43 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                             705.22 AUTO VALUE

      15000.00 BAUDETTE ARENA ASSOCIATION                         723.12 WAYNE BENDICKSON

        1596.00 KEITH BLOCK                                                         9313.94 BORDUN TRUCKING, LTD

          308.21 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                                540.19 CERES EQUIPMENT INC

          500.00 DEPOT PRESERVATION ALLIANCE                        630.00 EARTHWORKS CONTRACTING INC

          300.00 LEE HANCOCK                                                          665.00 BYRON HAUGER

        2982.78 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                  21880.00 INNOVATIVE BUILDING SOLUTIONS

          406.39 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS                                 672.26 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC

        2769.63 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT                                              500.00 LOW HUMANE SOCIETY

        2500.00 LOW SCHOOL – ALUMNI                                        5000.00 LOW SR CITIZENS

      10185.75 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                               1125.20 JIMMY MCCOURT

        2761.77 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP                        2736.88 KENNETH MOORMAN

        5414.19 LAW MOREN                                                           1498.49 NORTHERN FARMERS CO-OP

          623.42 NORTHWEST MECHANICAL SERVICE I           134083.50 NORTRAX EQUIPMENT COMPANY

          500.00 PEQUANA PLAYHOUSE                                           865.94 POWERPLAN

        1779.89 R & Q TRUCKING, INC                                              470.00 RINKE-NOONAN

          815.20 RODERICK RONE JR                                                1000.00 SCHOOL DISTRICT–390

          699.43 SEARS COMMERCIAL ONE                                    1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC

        2814.85 STRATA CORP, INC                                                   303.97 SYNERGY GRAPHICS, INC

          490.82 TONY DORN, INC.                                                     901.98 TRUE VALUE

          509.00 WEST GROUP                                                           4670.60 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        5000.00 WILLIAMS ARENA ASSOCIATION                          868.72 WOODY’S SERVICE

        7960.89 ZIEGLER, INC

22 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       2,731.20

FINAL TOTAL   $260,737.86

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                August 29, 2007  68,794.45

                                                                August 29, 2007       678.63

                                                                September 4, 2007      49,771.56

                                                                September 6, 2007        7,299.48     

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor John W Hoscheid discussed with the board the resolution adopting the 2008 budget and tax levy.

The following resolution was proposed by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Resolution   No   2007-09-03

Resolution Adopting 2008 budget and tax levy

Whereas, the proposed county budget for the year 2008 has been reviewed by the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners; and

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, that the following proposed budget and tax levy is hereby adopted for Lake of the Woods County for 2008:

 Revenue Fund                    $ 1,203,959

Road & Bridge                   $    424,687

Social Service                                     $    542,156

Total                                                      $ 2,170,802

Be It Further Resolved, that the following amounts be levied against the unorganized townships of Lake of the Woods County for 2008:

  TWP Road & Bridge            $   384,076*

Twp Fire – Baudette                          $     19,000

Williams                                               $     25,151

NW Angle                                             $       6,500

Total                                                      $   434,727

$7,500 of which is specifically levied to NW Angle and Island residents and designated for Calcium Chloride in the NW Angle.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman, and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid discussed with the board the adopting of the 2008 Schedule of Hourly Rates.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to adopt the 2008 Schedule of Hourly Rates, Exhibit A and Exhibit B, which includes a 3% general salary adjustment.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  See tables below:

3% general salary adjustment at Lake of the Woods County
 Minimum     Mid-Point     Maximum  
Grade123456789101112131415  
1       5.85                     9.90  
2       9.91  10.08  10.25  10.42  10.59  10.76  10.93  11.10  11.26  11.43  11.60  11.77  11.94  12.11      12.28  
3     10.52  10.69  10.87  11.05  11.23  11.41  11.59  11.77  11.95  12.13  12.31  12.49  12.67  12.85      13.03  
4     11.15  11.34  11.53  11.72  11.91  12.10  12.29  12.48  12.67  12.86  13.05  13.24  13.43  13.62      13.81  
5     11.82  12.02  12.23  12.43  12.63  12.83  13.03  13.23  13.43  13.63  13.83  14.03  14.23  14.43      14.63  
6     12.02  12.31  12.60  12.88  13.17  13.45  13.74  14.02  14.31  14.59  14.88  15.16  15.45  15.73      16.02  
7     12.75  13.06  13.37  13.67  13.98  14.28  14.59  14.90  15.20  15.51  15.82  16.12  16.43  16.73      17.04  
8     13.52  13.85  14.18  14.51  14.83  15.16  15.49  15.82  16.14  16.47  16.80  17.12  17.45  17.78      18.11  
9     14.36  14.71  15.05  15.40  15.75  16.10  16.45  16.80  17.15  17.49  17.84  18.19  18.54  18.89      19.24  
10     14.93  15.34  15.75  16.16  16.58  16.99  17.40  17.81  18.22  18.63  19.05  19.46  19.87  20.28      20.69  
11     15.84  16.28  16.72  17.17  17.61  18.05  18.50  18.94  19.38  19.83  20.27  20.71  21.16  21.60      22.04  
12     16.82  17.28  17.75  18.21  18.68  19.14  19.61  20.07  20.53  21.00  21.46  21.93  22.39  22.86      23.32  
13     17.85  18.35  18.85  19.34  19.84  20.33  20.83  21.33  21.82  22.32  22.81  23.31  23.81  24.30      24.80  
14     18.22  18.86  19.49  20.12  20.76  21.39  22.02  22.66  23.29  23.92  24.56  25.19  25.82  26.46      27.09  
15     19.37  20.05  20.72  21.40  22.08  22.75  23.43  24.10  24.78  25.45  26.13  26.81  27.48  28.16      28.83  
16     20.61  21.33  22.04  22.76  23.48  24.20  24.92  25.63  26.35  27.07  27.79  28.51  29.22  29.94      30.66  
17     21.91  22.67  23.43  24.19  24.95  25.71  26.47  27.23  27.99  28.75  29.51  30.27  31.03  31.79      32.55  
18     23.30  24.11  24.93  25.74  26.55  27.37  28.18  28.99  29.80  30.62  31.43  32.24  33.06  33.87      34.68  
19     24.78  25.63  26.49  27.34  28.20  29.05  29.91  30.76  31.62  32.47  33.33  34.19  35.04  35.90      36.75  
20     26.36  27.28  28.20  29.12  30.04  30.95  31.87  32.79  33.71  34.63  35.55  36.47  37.38  38.30      39.22  
21     28.03  29.00  29.97  30.94  31.92  32.89  33.86  34.83  35.80  36.77  37.74  38.71  39.69  40.66      41.63  
22     29.81  30.85  31.88  32.92  33.95  34.99  36.02  37.06  38.09  39.13  40.16  41.20  42.23  43.26      44.30  
23     31.70  32.80  33.90  35.00  36.10  37.19  38.29  39.39  40.49  41.59  42.68  43.78  44.88  45.98      47.08  
24     33.72  34.89  36.06  37.24  38.41  39.58  40.75  41.92  43.10  44.27  45.44  46.61  47.78  48.96      50.13  
25     35.86  37.11  38.36  39.60  40.85  42.09  43.34  44.58  45.83  47.08  48.32  49.57  50.81  52.06      53.30  
2008   Schedule of Hourly Rates 3% increase
        Exhibit B          
  Minimum      Mid-Point     Maximum  
 Grade123456789101112131415  
 1       5.85                    9.15  
 2       9.16    9.32    9.49    9.65    9.82    9.98  10.15  10.31  10.48  10.64  10.80  10.97  11.13  11.30      11.46  
 3       9.74    9.92  10.09  10.27  10.44  10.62  10.79  10.97  11.14  11.32  11.49  11.67  11.85  12.02      12.20  
 4     10.36  10.55  10.73  10.92  11.10  11.29  11.47  11.66  11.85  12.03  12.22  12.40  12.59  12.77      12.96  
 5     11.02  11.22  11.41  11.61  11.80  12.00  12.20  12.39  12.59  12.78  12.98  13.17  13.37  13.57      13.76  
 6     11.22  11.49  11.77  12.05  12.33  12.61  12.89  13.16  13.44  13.72  14.00  14.28  14.55  14.83      15.11  
 7     11.93  12.23  12.52  12.82  13.12  13.42  13.72  14.02  14.32  14.62  14.91  15.21  15.51  15.81      16.11  
 8     12.68  13.00  13.32  13.64  13.96  14.28  14.60  14.91  15.23  15.55  15.87  16.19  16.51  16.83      17.15  
 9     13.49  13.83  14.17  14.51  14.85  15.19  15.53  15.87  16.21  16.55  16.89  17.23  17.57  17.91      18.25  
 10     14.05  14.45  14.85  15.25  15.66  16.06  16.46  16.86  17.26  17.66  18.07  18.47  18.87  19.27      19.67  
 11     14.94  15.37  15.80  16.23  16.67  17.10  17.53  17.96  18.40  18.83  19.26  19.69  20.13  20.56      20.99  
 12     15.89  16.35  16.80  17.25  17.71  18.16  18.61  19.07  19.52  19.97  20.42  20.88  21.33  21.78      22.24  
 13     16.90  17.39  17.87  18.35  18.84  19.32  19.81  20.29  20.78  21.26  21.74  22.23  22.71  23.20      23.68  
 14     17.26  17.88  18.50  19.12  19.73  20.35  20.97  21.59  22.21  22.82  23.44  24.06  24.68  25.30      25.91  
 15     18.35  19.01  19.67  20.33  20.99  21.65  22.31  22.97  23.63  24.29  24.95  25.61  26.27  26.92      27.58  
 16     19.52  20.22  20.92  21.62  22.32  23.02  23.72  24.42  25.12  25.82  26.52  27.22  27.92  28.62      29.32  
 17     20.75  21.50  22.24  22.98  23.72  24.46  25.20  25.95  26.69  27.43  28.17  28.91  29.65  30.40      31.14  
 18     22.07  22.87  23.66  24.45  25.25  26.04  26.83  27.62  28.42  29.21  30.00  30.80  31.59  32.38      33.18  
 19     23.47  24.31  25.14  25.98  26.81  27.65  28.48  29.31  30.15  30.98  31.82  32.65  33.49  34.32      35.15  
 20     24.97  25.86  26.76  27.66  28.55  29.45  30.34  31.24  32.14  33.03  33.93  34.82  35.72  36.62      37.51  
 21     26.55  27.50  28.45  29.40  30.34  31.29  32.24  33.19  34.13  35.08  36.03  36.98  37.92  38.87      39.82  
 22     28.24  29.25  30.26  31.27  32.28  33.29  34.30  35.31  36.32  37.33  38.34  39.35  40.36  41.36      42.37  
 23     30.03  31.11  32.18  33.25  34.32  35.39  36.46  37.53  38.60  39.68  40.75  41.82  42.89  43.96      45.03  
 24     31.94  33.08  34.23  35.37  36.51  37.66  38.80  39.94  41.09  42.23  43.37  44.52  45.66  46.80      47.95  
 25     33.97  35.18  36.40  37.62  38.83  40.05  41.26  42.48  43.69  44.91  46.12  47.34  48.55  49.77      50.99  

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid, reviewed with the board the Revenue and Expenditure Guidelines as of August 2007.

The County Board discussed the Human Resources Director position.  The Board directed County Auditor to set up interviews, with those who have submitted proposals, for September 18th and 19th, starting at 9:00 a.m.   The County Auditor will provide a draft copy of procedures and interview questions for the Board to review, prior to September 18, 2007.  

Correspondence regarding the Beltrami Levy and Garden Island were discussed.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 9:45 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                    Approved:             September 25, 2007

____________________________                                               _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                                 Todd Beckel, Chairman

Special County Board Meeting

September 18, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in special session on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, in the Jury Room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.   Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:58 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the agenda.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Wade Johannesen interviewed for the position of Human Resources Director.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:57 a.m. and reconvened 11:02 a.m. as follows:

Carolyn Wymore interviewed for the position of Human Resources Director.

After finishing with the interviews the board discussed the position of Human Resources Director. 

The board set another special board meeting for Tuesday, October 2, 2007, to continue with the interviews.  The board requested County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to send a letter to the third applicant for an interview on October 2, 2007, at 9:00 a.m.   The County Board also requested the County Auditor to send letters to the applicants thanking them and informing them that they will be notified of their decision the first week in October, 2007. 

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting in recess at 12:13 p.m.

Attest:                                                              Approved:  September 25, 2007

_______________________________              __________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                                         Todd R Beckel

County Auditor                                                 Lake of the Woods County Board Chair

Commissioner Proceedings

September 25, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following addendum items: Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust and ANI Pharmaceuticals. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Robyn Sonstegard to Duluth on September 28 for Regional Fiscal Meeting; Bruce Hasbargen to Breezy Point on October 24-25 for County Screening Board; Leah Stephani to Duluth on October 18-19 for Health Human Service Conference. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the minutes of August 11 & 18 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid informed the board that on October 16, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. MCIT Representative Gale Sater will conduct an “on-site training” for the board and department heads.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants $31,573.94

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims, approval for NW Angle Edge Riders raffle, and resolution of support for City of Baudette lots and educational materials of absentee ballots.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                                Revenue                                $              43,231.30

                                                                Road & Bridge     $           29,886.32

                                                                Solid Waste                           $             8,183.59

                                                                                                                $           81,301.21

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  9/25/2007 FOR PAYMENT  9/28/2007

AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          408.63 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                     338.74 ARROWWOOD RESORT

          437.52 RUSS BARRETT                                                         690.00 BLUE MAXX RECYCLING

      10608.93 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                             477.90 CONTECH CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS

          556.37 CUSTOM AUTOBODY AND REPAIR                        421.74 DELL MARKETING, LP

          544.24 GCR TIRE CENTER                                                    300.22 HILLYARD INC HUTCHINSON

        1984.25 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC                                        346.60 CHARLES KOTHRADE

        2350.42 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC                                       3500.00 LOW SOIL & WATER CONS. DIST.

          930.00 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP                        1472.50 MN COUNTIES INFORMATION SYSTEM

          825.21 JEROME MOLINE                                                    3336.80 MONITOR TIRE DISPOSAL, INC

      31500.00 NORTH STAR ELECTRIC                                          308.25 THE NORTHERN LIGHT

        3294.32 NORTHSTAR MATERIALS INC                              1730.00 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT

          361.17 ST. MARTIN COOP ASSOCIATION                           411.08 SUGAR LAKE LODGE

          511.17 TRUE VALUE                                                           4905.39 WALKER PIPE & SUPPLY

          515.08 WEST GROUP                                                           4760.46 WOODY’S SERVICE

32 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       3,474.22

FINAL TOTAL     $81,301.21

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                September 13, 2007        $1,358,647.61

                                                                September 17, 2007            $     63,052.64

                                                                September 19, 2007    $          422.96              

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the exempt gambling permit for the Northwest Angle Edge Riders to conduct a lawful gambling for a raffle on March 15, 2008 at Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge and authorize County Auditor to sign. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same put to a vote was unanimously carried.

 The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Moorman and moved for adoption:

Application by a Governmental Subdivision for Conveyance of Tax-Forfeited Lands for an Authorized Public Use

Resolution No. 07-09- 03

WHEREAS, the Housing and Redevelopment authority of Baudette, MN requests  an exemption from the Rule of Reversion for purposes of redevelopment per MN Stat. Chapter 469, Economic Development,

WHEREAS, the Housing Authority is partnering with HRDC to redevelop Lots 7 & 8, Block 2, 1st Addition of East Beaudette to redevelop and provide for low-moderate income housing,

WHEREAS, the City of Baudette is at capacity for available city lots and housing where there is no other available parcels within the city to carry out this project,

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners supports the redevelopment project and authorizes County Board Chairman and County Auditor to sign.

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund updated the board on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource Pilot Project and requested approval of the Natural Resources Block Grant for county fiscal year 2008.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Chairman of the board to sign the 2008 NRBG program Allocation and Contributions Statement. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 9:55 a.m. and reconvened at 10:0 a.m. as follows:

Lake of the Woods School District Superintendent, Steve Wymore met with the board and discussed the 2007 Operating Levy Authority Referendum.

Emergency Management Director, Holly House met with the board requesting administrative appointment to the Northwest Regional Radio Board.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to nominate Commissioner Todd Beckel to the Northwest Regional Radio Board.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block, Emergency Management Director, Holly House and MIS Director, Brent Birkeland met with the board and presented a ITV “Code Red” Emergency Communication Program.

Commissioner Todd Beckel opened the Public Hearing for the Adoption of the Hazard Mitigation Plan.  No comments or letters were received.

The following resolution was proposed by Commissioner Todd Beckel and moved for adoption:

Adoption of the Hazard Mitigation Plan

07-09-04

Whereas, the County of lake of the Woods participated in a hazard mitigation planning process as established under the Hazard Mitigation Act of 2000; and

WHEREAS, the Act establishes a framework for the development of a county hazard mitigation plan; and

WHEREAS, the County as part of the planning process established an extensive public participation process and local coordination among county and neighboring local units of government, businesses and other organizations; and

WHEREAS, a plan includes a risk assessment including past hazards, hazards that threaten the county, maps of hazards, an estimate of structures at risk, estimate of potential dollar losses for each hazard, a general description of land uses and development trends; and

WHEREAS, the plan includes a mitigation strategy including goals and objectives and an action plan identifying specific mitigation projects and costs; and

WHEREAS, the plan includes a maintenance or implementation process including plan updates, integration of plan into other planning documents and how the county will maintain public participation and coordination; and

WHEREAS, the draft plan was shared with state and federal agencies for review and comment; and

WHEREAS, the County has notified the public of its intent to adopt the hazard mitigation plan, has made the comprehensive plan available to the public at the local libraries, the county Emergency Management office, and on the county web-site, and has held a public hearing prior to final adoption by the county board as required by Minnesota Statues 375.51 and 394.26.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the County:

Formally adopts by ordinance the Lake of the Woods County All Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting motions for approval for road classification change, reimbursement of county fees for passport purchase for county employees, special assessment fee schedule and to review the Hauler Licensing Provision of the Solid Waste Ordinance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to hereby change the maintenance classification for the remaining ¾ mile of County Road 84 on the East side of Section 9 in Township 158N, Range 31W from a “B” Classification to an “A” Classification.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The request for reimbursement of county fees for Employees that purchase a passport within the last twelve months died due to lack of support.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to adopt the Solid Waste Special Assessment fee schedules as proposed.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the vote carried as follows:  Voting Yes:  Commissioner’s Arnesen, Bredeson, Patty Beckel and Moorman. Voting No:  Commissioner Todd Beckel.

Lu Tasa, State Aid District Engineer met with the board and updated them on the State Aid projects that have been completed in Lake of the Woods County.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:15 p.m. and reconvened at 1:04 p.m. as follows:

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board and discussed completion of   requests from departments and requested authority from the board to proceed with the commitment process of a sex offender whom will be released from prison and to have him committed to St. Peter’s Health Facility for sex offender rehabilitation.  The board authorized Interim County Attorney to bring this matter to the Attorney General’s Office to proceed with the commitment.

Lake of the Woods County Office of Economic Development Executive Director, Wyatt Johnson met with the board to discuss ANI’s Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ANI) proposed project with the assistance of Lake of the Woods County, City of Baudette and the State of Minnesota.

County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen met with the board to inform them that he has completed the preliminary survey regarding the discrepancies between the deed lines and the occupied lines west of Clementson in Government Lot 5, Section 12, Gudrid Township. The board requested that a letter be sent to all property owners in the area to inform them that on October 23, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. the board will discuss the various options that they, as land owners have to clear up the discrepancies that were found in the preliminary survey.

Bruce Hasbargen, Public Works Director met with the board to review the Hauler Licensing Provision in the Solid Waste Ordinance.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to close the session at 3:35 pursuant MN Stat. §13D.01, Subd.3 for labor negotiations. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  Commissioners Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Bredeson, Arnesen, Moorman and County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid were present.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to call the close session open at 3:42 p.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman that Lake of the Woods County and the Operating Engineers Union Local # 49 agree that the Solid Waste Processor position held by employee Brock Stebakken, shall be moved one step in the grade and step pay scale. This employee is currently at the pay grade 10, step 8 and shall be at pay grade 10, step 9 January 1, 2008.  The hourly rate will be $18.22. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen that Lake of the Woods County and the Operating Engineers Union Local # 49 agree that the Maintenance Supervisor position held by employee Jeff Pelland, shall be moved one step in the grade and step pay scale. This employee is currently at the pay grade 15, step 4 and shall be at pay grade 15, step 5 January 1, 2008.  The hourly rate will be $22.08. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson that Lake of the Woods County and the Operating Engineers Union Local # 49 agree that the Inspector II position held by employee’s Joel Hanson and Dan Crompton, shall be moved four steps in the grade and step pay scale. These employee’s are currently at the pay grade 12, step 6 and shall be at pay grade 12, step 10 January 1, 2008.  The hourly rate will be $21.00. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. Commissioner Moorman abstained from voting.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel that Lake of the Woods County and the Operating Engineers Union Local # 49 agree that the Office Manager position held by employee Martine Carlson, shall be moved one step in the grade and step pay scale. This employee is currently at the pay grade 11, step 6 and shall be at pay grade 11, step 7 January 1, 2008.  The hourly rate will be $18.50. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board requested County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to write a letter to the editor on their behalf, to encourage residents to exercise their right to vote in the Special School Referendum that will be held on November 6, 2007.

Correspondence was read and acknowledged.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 4:24 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                    Approved:             October 9, 2007

____________________________                                               _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                                 Todd Beckel, Chairman

Special County Board Meeting

September 27, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in special session on Thursday, September 27, 2007, in the Commissioners’ room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.   Also present were:  County Auditor John W Hoscheid and Wyatt Johnson.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:18 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Wyatt Johnson met with the board to discuss ANI, economic development and funding sources.

City Clerk Tina Rennemo, City Council Members: Donald McKay and Greg Johnson, CEO of ANI Pharmaceuticals Tom Anderson and a representative from SC&H Tom Dubel all met with the board at 10:00 a.m.  Tom Anderson gave an overview of ANI and a presentation of ANI project plans with discussion following.

Further discussion was had regarding Jobz and potential incentives.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting in recess at 12:00 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                    Approved:  October 9, 2007

_______________________________              __________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                                                  Todd R Beckel

County Auditor                                                      Lake of the Woods County Board Chair

August, 2007

Special County Board Meeting

August 6, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Monday, August 6, 2007, in the Commissioners’ room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Bredeson and Ken Moorman.  Also present was County Auditor John W Hoscheid.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 7:25 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Todd Beckel laid the ground rules for the upcoming budget, these meetings are to be informational and no board action will be taken until all budgets are presented.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda for the special meeting today with additions.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The Commissioners acknowledged and discussed the receipt of the RFP’s for Human Resource Director. They will review these again at a later date.

County Recorder, Sue Ney met with the board to discuss County Recorder compliance recording requirements per MN Statutes 357.182.  The board acknowledged the receipt of her report showing her status of being 100% in compliance within 11 days for all documents for the previous year.

Meeting with the board to discuss budgets and salaries was Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen.

Commissioner Bredeson excused himself from the meeting at 11:00 a.m.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to go into closed session for union negotiation discussion.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called in closed session at 12:00 p.m.  Present were Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel and Moorman.  Discussion was had regarding union negotiations.

Chair Todd Beckel adjourned the closed session at 1:05 p.m.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to re-open the special meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chair Todd Beckel re-opened the special meeting at 1:06 p.m.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel declared the meeting in recess at 1:10 p.m.

Attest:                                                  Approved:        August 14, 2007 

______________________________        ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                             Todd Beckel

County Auditor                                     Chair of the County Board

Special County Board Meeting

August 7, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, August 7, 2007, in the Commissioners’ room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W Hoscheid, MIS Director Brent Birkeland, Public Works Director Bruce Hasbargen and Land & Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 7:10 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Todd Beckel laid the ground rules for the upcoming budget, these meetings are to be informational and no board action will be taken until all budgets are presented.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda for the special meeting today with additions.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The Technology Committee (Commissioners Todd and Patty Beckel, Brent Birkeland, Josh Stromlund, Bruce Hasbargen and John W Hoscheid) met with the board and discussed setting up a designated account for technology expenditures.  The committee recommended an initial $50,000, based on a cost schedule of upcoming and future expenditures presented by Brent Birkeland,

The Board, by consensus, approved the designated technology account starting January 1, 2008, in the amount of $50,000.  In addition; the board approved all capital expenditures, approved by the County Board in the revenue funds, will be added to the technology fund and taken out of the respective budgets.  The board also stated that additional funding would be determined by the County Board and the Technology Committee at a later date.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and requested changes to his budget.  It was the consensus of the board to accept these changes.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board and reviewed the E911 grant and budget.  The County Board discussed the possibility of alternatives for dispatch funding through the grant.  The County Board requested the County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to adjust the E911 budget and to reflect the increase in revenue with expenditures and bring back recommendations to the next board meeting.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block also discussed with the board his need for an administrative assistant.

Public Works Director Bruce Hasbargen, Bill Sindelir, Jeff Pelland, Marti Carlson and Ed Spires Solid Waste Supervisor met with the board and recommended step increases for their various staff.  Chair Todd Beckel acknowledged and thanked them for the recommendations and stated that the County Board will advise them of their decision at a later date.

The County Board discussed salaries and a system to determine salary increases for both elected officials and department heads.  They also discussed a system for determining requests from department heads for performance raises for their staff. 

The County Board requested the County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to finalize all budgets and salaries and present them at the NWA county board meeting on August 21, 2007.  The County Board also requested the County Auditor to set aside a reserve of $30,000 for a building fund starting January 1, 2008.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel declared the meeting in recess at 1:10 p.m.

Attest:                                                                        Approved:  August 14, 2007

______________________________            ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                         Todd Beckel

County Auditor                                             Chair of the County Board

Special County Board Meeting

August 13, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Monday, August 13, 2007, in the Commissioners’ room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.  Also present was County Auditor John W Hoscheid.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Todd Beckel laid the ground rules for the upcoming budget, these meetings are to be informational and no board action will be taken until all budgets are presented.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda for the special meeting today, with additions.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The County Board discussed the 2008 budget regarding staff employees and how to structure step increases for 2008.  Various options were discussed; with the consensus of the board to formalize this at the NWA Board meeting, August 21, 2007.

The Department Heads met with the board at 8:30 a.m.  The County Board Chair, Todd Beckel shared with the County Department Heads the 2008 salary adjustments.  A formal motion will be made at a later date. 

The Department Heads requested an update from the County Board on the search for a County Attorney and Human Resource Director.  The County Board shared their opinions regarding their search and will continue to identify potential candidates.

Chair Todd Beckel recessed the meeting at 10:00 a.m. as the union committee met with the union representatives for discussion. 

Chair Todd Beckel re-opened the special meeting at 11:30 a.m.

The County Board continued the discussion on options for staff employee steps.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel declared the meeting in recess at 12:45 p.m.

Attest:                                                              Approved:  August 28, 2007

______________________________                    ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                             Todd Beckel

County Auditor                                     Chair of the County Board

Commissioner Proceedings

August 14, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, August 14, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following addendum items: Travel for Josh Stromlund to the Minnesota Association of Planning and Zoning Administrators Annual Conference in Alexandria on October 3-5, 2007, Wayne Bendickson to PACE Course in Willmar on August 27-30, 2007, JOBZ letter. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Brent Birkeland to Alexandria on September 5-7 for MACO Counties Conference; Amy Ballard to Duluth on August 20-22 for Aging Conference and to St. Cloud on September 26-28 for Rule 25 Assessor Training; Travel for Cindy Kroeger and Rita Krause to Brainerd on October 7-10 for Child Support Workshops; Janet Rudd, Dale Boretski and Darren Olson to Bemidji on October 3 for MN Department of Public Safety Seminar, Josh Stromlund to the MN Association of Planning and Zoning Administrators Annual Conference in Alexandria on October 3-5, 2007 and Wayne Bendickson to PACE Course in Willmar on August 27-30.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the minutes of July 24, 30 & 31 and August 6 & 7, 2007 minutes. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Financial Officer, Robyn Sonstegard met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $51,885.28

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Rita Krause, Child Support Officer met with the board and reviewed the 2006 Child Support Funding and Collections and informed the board that Governor Pawlenty proclaimed August as Child Support Awareness Month..

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler to advertise and hire a Social Worker at Grade 12. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims, rescinding motion from July 24, 2007 meeting for Government Center North Building, approval for closing of Motor Vehicle/DL Station on October 3, 2007 for Fall Seminar and approval for Public Information Request Form.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                      $          64,817.25

                                                Road & Bridge           $          76,438.75

                                                County Development  $          25,200.00 

                                                Solid Waste                 $          25,463.71

                                                                                              191,919.71

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  8/15/2007 FOR PAYMENT  8/17/2007

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          412.58 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                     2045.66 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.

          568.37 AUTO VALUE                                                         25000.00 BAUDETTE-LOW AIRPORT

        1962.00 BREEZY POINT RESORT                                         308.21 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES

        6555.50 MARK CHAPMAN                                                   11219.18 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

      31519.78 CONTECH CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS             335.82 DIRECT SAFETY COMPANY

      10587.84 DLT SOLUTIONS, INC                                            4195.60 ESRI

          342.69 FORESTRY SUPPLIERS, INC                                   340.17 GEROY’S BUILDING CENTER

        1350.00 LEE HANCOCK                                                          529.04 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC

        3970.39 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                      447.44 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS

        1087.94 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC                                          422.81 LAKES GAS CO.

          455.00 LEROY LAVALLA                                                     4043.51 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

        1064.00 LOW TRANSFER INC                                           11466.00 MAR-KIT LANDFILL

        1090.55 MARVIN HOME CENTER                                        1808.10 JIMMY MCCOURT

          400.00 M.D. MCGEE MD,PA                                                  436.50 SCOTT MCKAY

          463.50 METRO FORMS, INC                                              2761.77 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          568.75 MN STATE AUDITOR’S                                           1245.87 JEROME MOLINE

        5355.02 LAW MOREN                                                           1520.00 NORTHERN SERVICES (DBA)

          612.50 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT            2348.25 PEART & ASSOCIATES, INC

          502.19 POWERPLAN                                                           2742.88 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

        1200.00 RAMSEY COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER              4000.00 RESERVE ACCOUNT

          414.17 ROAD MACHINERY & SUPPLIES CO                    5218.50 ROLYAN BUOYS

          639.94 RODERICK RONE JR                                             1000.00 ROSEAU COUNTY SHERIFF

        3767.70 DONALD SALVERDA & ASSOCIATES                   1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC

          369.00 SOFTREE TECHNICAL SYSTEMS INC                  3337.10 STRATA CORP, INC

          604.93 DAVID THOMAS                                                        546.31 TONY DORN, INC.

      12813.00 VANGUARD APPRAISALS, INC                              1816.25 WALKER PIPE & SUPPLY

        2949.71 WAYNE’S BODY SHOP-DBA                                    625.00 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        1887.99 ZIEGLER, INC

53 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       6,894.70

FINAL TOTAL    $191,919.71

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                July 24, 2007               $1,055,208.22

                                                July 31, 2007               $     68,304.72

                                                August 7 2007                        $    335,180.17

                                                August 8, 2007           $      49,622.68           

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to rescind the following motion from July 24, 2007 board meeting due to contractor error in bid. “Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to accept the bid of JD’s United States Seamless Inc. for option 2 of the proposal for $24,120.00 for Marvin’s Infinity windows with the funding from the Social Services reserves.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.” Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to close the Motor Vehicle/DL Station on October 3, 2007 for staff to attend the Department of Public Safety 2007 Fall Seminar according to Minnesota Deputy Registrar Rule 7406.500, subpart 2a and 2b.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the policy for the “Public Information Request Form” as presented.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Bredeson informed the board that North West Community Action has a program available called “Community Seconds” in which counties and cities can participate with income guidelines to borrow closing cost to individuals for mortgages.  The consensus of the board was to have Commissioner Bredeson look into this program.

The meeting was called to recess at 9:53 a.m. and reconvened at 10:00 a.m. as follows:

Joyce Palm and Charlene McGraw, representing Lake of the Woods Alumni Association met with the board requesting financial support for $2,500 for the purpose of the development of a Web Site and three years of Web Site Maintenance. The board informed them that funding would be determined soon.

Tim Flathers from the Headwaters Regional Development Commission  met with the board to discuss a proposal for source of funding in assisting with amendments of Lake of the Woods  Zoning Ordinance(incorporating with the Rainy Rapid River Ordinance), amending the sub-division standards to be in compliance with the State Standards.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson that Lake of the Woods County Commissioners requests that Headwaters Regional Development Commission  proceed with the pre- application to Northwest Minnesota Foundation for $12,000 and the HRDC Successful Community Challenge Grant for $6,000 for assistants in funding the amendments of the  Lake of the Woods County Ordinances  and authorize Chairman Todd Beckel to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Recorder Sue Ney met with the board to discuss waiver of execution fee of Passports for county employees and to present the Final Plat of Rivard’s River Acres.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the County Recorder, acting as the duly appointed Passport Acceptance Agent for Lake of the Woods County, to waive the portion of the passport fee that is identified as the “execution fee” for all county employees; all other cost incurred by the employee in order to obtain a passport are solely the employee’s responsibility. Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the Final Plat of RIVARDS RIVER ACRES and authorize the Chairman and County Auditor to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen met with the board to discuss the 2008 Surveyor’s Budget.  Donn explained that the budgets have remained the same for several years, while the costs for doing business have increased. He felt it seemed reasonable and fair that there should be an increase.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:10 a.m. and reconvened at 11:15 a.m. as follows:

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval for the County to agree to be the fiscal agent for the Trunk Highway 11 Task Force Committee, approval for allocation of funds to the Trunk Highway 11 Task Force Committee, Resolution of support for deficient bridge replacement and motion to accept Rivard’s River Road.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman for the County to agree that Lake of the Wood County Auditor be the fiscal agent for the Trunk Highway 11 Task Force Committee.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve a request for the County to allocate funds for $2,000 with the funding from the unallocated account to the Trunk Highway 11 Task Force Committee.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was proposed by Commissioner Moorman and moved for adoption:

RESOLUTION NO. 07-08-01

Deficient Bridge Replacement

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County has reviewed the pertinent data on bridges requiring replacement, rehabilitation, or removal, supplied by local citizenry and local units of government, and

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County has identified those bridges that are high priority and that require replacement, rehabilitation, or removal within the next five years;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the following deficient bridges are high priority and Lake of the Woods County intends to replace, rehabilitate, or remove these bridges as soon as possible when funds are available,

Old Bridge NumberRoad Number or NameTotal Project CostTownship or State Bridge FundsFederal FundsLocal or State Aid FundsProposed Construction Year
95304T-167100,00090,000 10,0002011
       

FURTHERMORE, Lake of the Woods County does hereby request authorization to replace, rehabilitate, or remove such bridges; and

FURTHERMORE, Lake of the Woods County does hereby request financial assistance with eligible approach grading and engineering costs on township bridges, as provided by law.

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was duly carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to accept Rivard’s River Road within Rivard’s River Acres Plat in part of Govt. Lots 1 and 2, Section 8, and part of Govt. Lot 1, Section 5, T-160-N, R-30-W, as unorganized township road No. 107, and acknowledge that said road has been constructed to minimum unorganized township road standards.  The road is approximately 1,475 feet in length and shall be classified at maintenance level “C”.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Arrowhead Library System (ALS) Director, Jim Weikum met with the board and discussed that the level of local support required under State Statue for the 2008 library support in Lake of the Woods County would be approximately$33,390. Jim also informed the board that ALS has been licensed and is preparing to provide all libraries and residents with access to a new “downloadable” audio book service that has proved popular in many libraries around the country. 

The meeting was called to recess at 12:00 p.m. and reconvened at 1:05 p.m. as follows:

The meeting was called to recess at 1:06 p.m. and as advertised, the Planning Commission was opened as follows:

Land and Water Planning Director discussed the Initial Plat of Morris Point Estates.  No comments were heard form the floor and no correspondence were received.

The Planning Commissioner was closed at 1:10 p.m. and the regular meeting reconvened as follows:

Mike Hirst, Feedlot Officer met with the board and presented the 2007 Annual Feedlot Report and the 2008 Feedlot Work Plan.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the Lake of the Woods County annual Feedlot Report for 2007 and authorize the Chairman to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the 2008 Lake of the Woods County Feedlot Work Plan and authorize the Chairman to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 1:44 p.m. and reconvened at 1:53 p.m. as follows:

County Sheriff, Dallas Block and Emergency Management Director, Holly House met with the board to discuss the Communications Interoperability Program, which consist of building a regional communication plan to improve interoperability and, ultimately, joint response to emergencies.  Holly also informed the board that the Hazard Mitigation Plan has been approved by the state and now the county needs to hold a public hearing for review of the plan.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to set September 25, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. as the date and time of the public hearing for the Hazard Mitigation Plan.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Colleen Hoffman from Hoffman, Dale and Swenson, PLLC audit firm met with the board to present the Lake of the Woods County 2006 Audit interview.

The board discussed and revised a letter to Governor Pawlenty in regards to JOBZ for ANI Pharmaceuticals in Lake of the Woods County.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize the Chairman to sign the letter to Governor Pawlenty in regards to JOBZ for ANI Pharmaceutical.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 4:25 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       August 28, 2007

_________________________                                  _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

Commissioners’ Proceedings

August 21, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, August 21, 2007, at the Angle Inlet School, Angle Inlet, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Moorman and Bredeson.  Others present on behalf of the County were:  County Land & Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund and County Auditor John W. Hoscheid. Also present were Northwest Angle area residents. Commissioner Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion made by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Paul Colson met with the board and discussion was had regarding the NWA Fire levy.  The County Board noted that the NWA Fire levy for 2008 is set at the same rate as 2007.

Commissioner Arnesen gave an update to the NWA area residents on the Arrowhead Library System and the ability to now download books.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid discussed a request to close the county offices on Christmas Eve for the full day instead of the one-half designated holiday per policy schedule.

Motion made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to close the county offices for the full day on Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24, 2007.  This would give the employees a full day of holiday pay instead of the scheduled one-half holiday pay.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Discussion was had regarding the audit by Hoffman, Dale & Swenson PLLC.  It was agreed to table further discussion regarding: timesheets, CSP checkbook, highway contract change orders and new policies; until the next regular board meeting, Tuesday, August 28, 2007.

Todd Sellers, Executive Director with Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation met with the board.  He gave an update on the progress of the Foundation and the projects that they are currently working on.  He asked for a renewed and updated resolution of support for the Foundation.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

Lake of the Woods County

Resolution:  Letter of Support for

Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation

Resolution No. 07-08-03

“WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods is the largest lake in Minnesota;

WHEREAS, the health and sustainability of Lake of the Woods is of vital importance to the social and economic sustainable development of Lake of the Woods County;

WHEREAS, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has placed Lake of the Woods on its draft list of impaired waters, for proposed listing on the 2008 EPA 303(d) list of impaired waters;

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods is a boundary water as defined in the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909;

WHEREAS, the 1925 Lake of the Woods Convention and Protocol assigned certain water level related responsibilities to the International Joint Commission; the International Joint Commission at present has no direct responsibilities for Lake of the Woods water quality but since 1965, has monitored and reported to governments on Rainy River water quality, a major tributary and source of water to Lake of the Woods;

WHEREAS, the International Joint Commission has brought concerns over potentially deteriorating water quality in the Lake of the Woods to the attention of the governments of the United States and Canada, and has recommended investigation by the International Joint Commission in cooperation with appropriate agencies, including those from Minnesota, Ontario and Manitoba; and

WHEREAS, the International Joint Commission could help coordinate scientific investigation, monitoring and recommended actions across the multiple jurisdictions around the Lake of the Woods to ensure timely and effective investigation;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:

THAT, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby supports the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation in its request that the question of Lake of the Woods water quality be referred to the International Joint Commission for examination and report.

THAT, a copy of this resolution shall be forwarded to the State of Minnesota, the US Department of State and the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation.”

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to vote was unanimously carried.

The County Board discussed 2008 salary steps for employees with the final decision to be formulized at the next regular board meeting, Tuesday, August 28, 2007.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid presented a packet of 2008 Con-Con requests received and distribution spreadsheets. The County Board will take formal action at the next regular board meeting, Tuesday, August 28, 2007.

Land & Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board and gave an update on the alternative shoreland management standards with discussion following.

The County Board discussed the MN Department of Corrections/Lake of the Woods County DWI Court grant. 

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Moorman and moved for adoption:

Lake of the Woods County DWI Court

Resolution of Approval by Local Unit of Government

Resolution No. 07-08-02

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County DWI Court is a post-conviction problem-solving approach that uses the power of the court in collaboration with other criminal justice partners and community members (prosecutors, defense counsel, treatment providers, probation officers, law enforcement, educational and vocational experts, community leaders, clergy and others) to closely monitor the defendant’s progress toward sobriety and recovery through ongoing treatment, frequent and random drug testing, regular mandatory check-in court appearances, and the use of a range of immediate sanctions and incentives to foster behavior change to reduce criminal behavior and enhance public safety;

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods Commissioner’s authorizes the Board Chair and the Interim County Attorney to sign the drug court funding application program information sheet;

BE IT RESOLVED, that the County of Lake of the Woods certify that the Lake of the Woods County DWI Court, being located within our jurisdiction, has Lake of the Woods County’s approval to apply for and receive funding from the State Court Administrator’s Office, State of Minnesota.

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Arnesen gave a powerline update.  He shared with the residents a tentative agreement that has been reached for easements and a possible go ahead for the new powerline.  He said there would be additional information coming in the near future.

Brian Sage met with the board regarding the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) permit travel to the Northwest Angle without a passport.  Brian requested a formal letter/resolution of support from the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  He stated that all comments must be received by August 27, 2007. 

Motion made by Commissioner Arnesen to support the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) permit travel to the Northwest Angle without a passport and to submit a letter/resolution to the Department of Homeland Security.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same was put to a vote and carried unanimously. 

The County Board directed County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to write and submit the letter/resolution of support of the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Lake of the Woods County 

Resolution of Support of

 Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

Without a Passport

Resolution No. 07-08-03

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County has a community at the Northwest Angle not contiguous by land with the rest of the state of Minnesota, except by passing through a portion of Manitoba;

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County has residents and visitors of the Northwest Angle, and believes this community is unique and are therefore extremely concerned about the impact of the proposed WHTI rule on this community;

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County Commissioners are concerned that requiring all travelers to this community to possess a passport, passport card, or other federally-issued identification document, as proposed in the Department’s Notice of Proposed Rule, will cause extreme hardship on this community’s economy and the safety and well being of its residents;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the County of Lake of the Woods hereby supports that the final rule have consideration for the land implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative permit travel to the Northwest Angle without a passport;

FURTHERMORE, BE IT RESOLVED, Lake of the Woods County believes that a combination of a driver’s license and birth certificate, which the Department has deemed to be WHTI- compliant during at least the first six months of 2008, should be deemed as acceptable documentation for all travel to and from the Northwest Angle for the foreseeable future.

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Land & Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund updated the Board of Commissioners on the sewer disposal.

County Board Chair Todd Beckel discussed the calcium chloride application and questioned attending residents if it was working.  All residents concurred that it is working excellent.  He then mentioned some funding options; one of which the calcium chloride application cost would be levied through NWA Township Road & Bridge for the upcoming years.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting in recess at 12:35 p.m.    

Attest:                                                                         Approved: August 28 2007

______________________________                             _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                                  Todd Beckel, Board Chair

Commissioner Proceedings

August 28, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, August 28, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following addendum items: Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health (ARMH), Northwest Radio and Transportation meeting, consideration of Initial Plat of Morris Point, Local Water Plan Challenge Grant, Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Joint Powers Entity, University of MN Extension and County Board Levy. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Martine Carlson to St. Cloud on August 27-28 to attend the state aid Finance Task Force Committee Meeting and Shelley Phillippe to Duluth on October 2-5 to attend the MFWCAA Annual Conference. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the minutes of August 13, 14 and 21, 2007. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims and recertification of the ARMH contract.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $17,059.54

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel to sign the ARMH contract.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board discussed the Community Support Program (CSP) checking account with Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler.  The board requested that Nancy draft a policy for the usage of the CSP checking account, have the policy reviewed by Hoffman, Dale & Swenson PPLC and bring back to the board for approval.

The board discussed the 2006 Hoffman, Dale & Swenson audit and their concerns regarding county employee time sheets.  The board requested that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid send a memo to all department heads reminding them that county employees need to sign their time sheets.  The board also discussed having a Change Order Policy for highway contracts.  This was tabled until 11:00 a.m.

Land and Water Planning Director, met with the board requesting approval of the Local Water Plan Challenge Grant and the consideration of the Initial Plat of Morris Point.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to request the Chairman to sign the 2008 Local Water Plan Challenge Grant in effect, for the time period of July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2009.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the Initial Plat of Morris Point Plat.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Baudette Bay Hockey Classic Committee Chair, Jeff Hovde and Coordinator Sara Thompson met with the board requesting funding for the 2008 Baudette Bay Hockey Classic II, which will be held on the Baudette Bay on February 9, 2008.  The board informed them that their request would be considered later in the day.

Depot Preservation Alliance Treasurer, Jeff Poolman met with the board requesting funding for the Depot.  The board informed him that his request would be considered later in the day.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:32 a.m. and reconvened 10:40 a.m. as follows:

Chairman Todd Beckel discussed with the board the 2008 Step increase for county employees.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-08-05

Employee Step Increases

WHEREAS; Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners has set a three-year plan for employee step increases based on seniority and performance;

WHEREAS; This plan consists of all eligible employees who receive consecutive positive performance reviews; to receive a one step increase over the period of the next 3 years in accordance with the Lake of the Woods County Compensation Plan;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED; that all eligible employees hired before 1990 and who have received a positive performance review, qualify for a step increase January 1, 2008.

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board to discuss the access on CSAH 8 motion and to discuss the Change Order Policy for highway contracts.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to accept the Public Works Director’s recommendation to restrict access off County State Aid Highway along Bostic Creek to Off Highway Vehicles use only.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to direct Public Works Director to provide an over run/under run report for each highway contract.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to adopt the following salary schedule, including longevity, for elected officials for the year 2008 as follows: County Auditor $57,288.24; County Recorder $50,036.20; County Treasurer $49,982.20 and County Sheriff $65,314.06. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to adopt the following salary schedule, including longevity, for appointed department heads for the year 2008 as follows: County Assessor $57,362.63; MIS Director $53,389.54; County Veterans Officer $17,741.00; Land and Water Planning Director $54,908.33; County Emergency Management Director $23,900.00; Public Works Director $92,556.60 and Social Service Director $59,132.63.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to adopt the County Commissioners salary of $15,300 for the year 2008; and to adopt the County Board Chair salary of $16,300 for the year 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve a 3% salary adjustment for all county employees excluding non-elected and elected department heads.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:05 p.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

Commissioner Todd Beckel reported to the board on the meeting he attended for the Communications Interoperability Program. This group will be preparing a budget and a plan regarding regional communications.

Commissioner Moorman reported on the meeting he attended for the AMC Transportation advisory board.  The AMC board decided that they would endorse the passing of the gas tax increase of 10 cents and a metro city tax of  05 cents.

The meeting was called to recess at 1:10 p.m. and as advertised, the Public Hearing for County Ordinance was opened.  Public that attended were: Dave Marhula and Mike Reed.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund went through the proposed changes to the Lake of the Woods Zoning Ordinances that the Comprehensive Land Use Planning Board recommended.

The Public Hearing will continue on September 11, 2007.

The regular meeting was called to open session at 2:36 p.m.

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board and gave an update from the Attorney’s office.

The meeting was called to recess at 3:04 p.m. and reconvened at 3:12 p.m. as follows:

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims, approval of liquor license, 2008 health insurance rates, Joint Powers entity needs, and University of MN Extension Committee meeting.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                      $          34,661.20

                                                Road & Bridge           $          13,225.09

                                                County Development  $                758.36  

                                                Solid Waste                 $             1,178.54

                                                                                                 49,823.19

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  8/27/2007 FOR PAYMENT  8/31/2007

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        1135.00 BORDUN TRUCKING, LTD                                       750.00 BULLBERRY SYSTEMS, INC

        1303.63 DELL MARKETING, LP                                          20822.00 ELK RIVER CHRYSLER, INC

        1330.00 EMERGENCY FILM GROUP                                   1500.00 GM CONSTRUCTION INC

        4880.00 HOFFMAN, DALE, & SWENSON, PLLC                 2578.88 JAKE’S QUALITY TIRE INC

        1172.50 LAVALLA SAND & GRAVEL INC                               463.10 MN DEPT OF TRANSP

          375.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO                 489.78 NORTHLAND FIRE PROTECTION

          647.04 NW MN HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS                       500.00 RASMUSSEN RENOVATIONS

          650.00 MICHAEL REED                                                         760.15 RODERICK RONE JR

        1225.00 T & M SALES  DBA                                                     355.87 T R JOBBING

          758.36 UNIVERSITY OF MN                                                 515.08 WEST GROUP

        4815.45 WOODY’S SERVICE

24 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       2,796.35

FINAL TOTAL     $49,823.19

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                August 14, 2007         1,066.86

                                                August 15, 2007         9,110.45

                                                August 21, 2007       583,087.68

                                                August 21, 2007       125,163.98       

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the On-Sale, Off-Sale intoxicating Liquor License and Cigarette License for North Point 07, LLC, DBA North Point Bar and Grill from October 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, contingent upon the approval from the County Sheriff and Interim County Attorney.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

John informed the board of the following correspondence:  Northwest Minnesota Foundation (received the confirmation for them to proceed with the application of funding for the amendments of Lake of the Woods Zoning Ordinance and amending the sub-division standards to be consistent with State Statutes); University of Minnesota Extension (invitation for attending a workshop on “Committees that Work: Common Traps-Creative Solutions”) and Hubbard County levy.

Commissioner Bredeson informed the board that the BWSR tour went well.

Commissioner Bredeson spoke with the board about raising the cap on county contribution for health insurance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to set the 2008 county contribution for family health insurance up to $875.00 per month and the single health insurance up to $525.00 per month.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to offer county employees the following Health Insurance Major Medical plans for 2008: $500 and $1,000 deductible with preventive care and $1,200 and $2,500 Health Savings Account (HSA). For the HSA plans only, any excess county contribution will be deposited directly into the employees health savings account. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board approved the following requests for the Con Con distribution for 2008:

Baudette Arena – $15,000, Williams Arena – $5,000, Baudette Bay Hockey Classic – $8,000, Baudette Economic Development/Jt Pwrs – $25,000, Depot Preservation- $2,500, LOW Humane Society – $1,000, LOW School Alumni Foundation – $2,500, Pequana Playhouse – $500, School District 390/Enrichment Program – $2,500, U/M Extension $7,000, Williams Public Library – $500, LOW Sr Fishing – $500 and Take A Kid Fishing – $600.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 4:30 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:      

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

July, 2007

Commissioner Proceedings

July 10, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, July 10, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Bredeson, and Moorman.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, John Oren, and Sandy Williamson. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the pledge of allegiance.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following addition:  EMPG Grant. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the minutes of June 26, 2007, with corrections. Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board and requested approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioner’s Warrants       $28,102.69

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

MIS Director, Brent Birkeland met with the board for approval of the updated Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement with Minnesota Counties Computer Cooperative (MCCC) and signature on the agreement.  The update references MN Statutes that limit individual member liability in joint arrangements.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement with Minnesota Counties Computer Cooperative (MCCC) and to authorize the County Board Chair to sign contingent on the approval of the County Attorney.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Emergency Management Director, Holly House met with the board and presented the Pandemic Flu Plan for approval.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the Pandemic Flu Plan for Lake of the Woods County.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Holly also reviewed the Emergency Management Program Grant (EMPG) with the board in the amount of $7,781. 

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the EMPG Grant as presented.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board for approval of the Federal Boating Safety Supplement Grant Agreement and resolution.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Patty Beckel and moved for adoption:

A Resolution Authorizing the Federal Boating Safety Supplement Grant Agreement

Resolution 07-07-01

WHEREAS, under the provisions of M.S. 84.085 Subd 1(c), the Sheriff of each county is required to carry out the provisions for recreational boating safety promulgated by the Commissioner.

WHEREAS, M.S. Section M.S. 84.085 Subd 1 (c) provided for the allocation of funds by the Commissioner to assist in the funding of specific items for recreational boating safety.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Chairman, Auditor and Sheriff are hereby authorized to execute the Federal Boating Safety Supplement Grant Agreement, for the period of July 1, 2007 through September 14, 2007 in the amount of $6,802.00.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Jenny Moorman, with the Lake of the Woods School Enrichment Program, met with the board requesting funding from the County.  There was discussion regarding what actually is “School –Wide Enrichment Program”.  Jenny explained the various components of the program and how it affects the students in addition to alternative projects for their efforts on learning. The consensus of the Board was to follow the budget protocol and there was no action taken.

The board discussed the 2008 Lake of the Woods County Budget. Chairman of the Board discussed the following. Levy discussion, various funding sources, designated equipment fund, rates by townships to be determined at a later date, increase 3% in county levy,  $50.00 increase in health insurance, 3% salary increase for all non-elected official county employees, and county program aid distribution of funds to remain the same as 2007. All budget request forms should be turned into the Auditor’s office by July 24th. Budget meetings will be held on July 26th, 27th, 30th and 31st, from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board.

The County Board Chair closed the regular meeting at 11:00 a.m. and as advertised opened the Highway Public Hearing at 11:00 a.m.               

The Highway Public Hearing was closed at 12:00 p.m. and the meeting reconvened as follows:

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the 5-Year Plan as presented by the County Public Works Director.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to vote was duly carried.

The meeting was recessed at 12:07 p.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board.  The board discussed the zone change for Mike Reed.  Josh presented the Findings of Fact and Decision:    

Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners

Findings of Fact and Decision

Name of Applicant:  Mike Reed                                                                    Date:  July 10, 2007

Project Proposal:  Applicant is requesting a zone change from a Natural Environment District to a Residential Development District and a Commercial-Recreation District for the purpose of platting a subdivision.

  1. Is the requested use consistent with maintaining the public health, safety, and welfare? YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  A mandatory Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) has been conducted and all comments were addressed.  The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners issued a “Negative Declaration” on June 12, 2007, therefore; an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not necessary.  The EAW process investigates the possible impacts to fish, wildlife, water and ecologically sensitive resources, land suitability, impact of water quality, erosion and sedimentation potential, traffic capacity and emissions that the project may produce.

2. Is the requested use consistent with the goal of preventing and controlling water pollution, including sedimentation and nutrient loading?                                                                                                                                                   YES (X) NO (  )

Why or why not?  This project is not located within the shoreland area of a river or lake.  However, runoff from the road and ditch construction along with the increase in the amount of impervious surface, the runoff will eventually make it to Bostic Creek and Lake of the Woods through the existing county ditches.  As part of the subdivision process, to ensure erosion and sedimentation is controlled on-site, a Stormwater Management Plan will be developed, which will include temporary and permanent erosion control methods.

3. Will the requested use not adversely affect the site’s existing topography, drainage features, and vegetative cover?                                                                                                                                                                                                                            YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Grading and filling activities will consist of constructing roads and ditches, dwellings, out-buildings, and septic systems, which will alter the site’s existing topography, drainage features and vegetative cover.  However, out of the ~110 acres in this proposal, ~6.5 acres will be converted into dwellings and septic systems (54 lots x 2500 sq ft structures + 2800 sq ft septic system), ~ 2.5 acres for driveway (54 x 2000 sq ft), ~9 acres for road and ditch construction (6000 lineal feet x 66’ ROW) and ~1 acre for out-building construction (54 x 768 sq ft).  Total approximate grading and filling activity will be 19 acres.  It is presumed that landowners will take it upon themselves to plant trees shelterbelts which will provide privacy, screening and reduce noise.

4.  Is the requested use’s site location reasonable in relation to any floodplain and/or floodway of rivers or tributaries?                                                                                                                                                             YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  According to the county’s 100 year floodplain layer, which is generated from the county’s GIS program, the land in question is not located within the floodplain.

5. Has the erosion potential of the site based upon the degree and direction of slope, soil type, and existing vegetative cover been adequately addressed for the requested use?

                                                                                                                                                                                        YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  This component has been addressed in the EAW process and will be addressed as part of the Stormwater Management Plan.

6. Is the site in harmony with existing and proposed access roads?        

                YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  The proposed road design has preliminary approval Highway Engineer.  Modifications or changes, if needed, will be addressed as per the platting process.

7. Is the requested use compatible with adjacent land uses?

                                                        YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  This area has a history of mixed commercial and residential uses.  There are five resorts located in the immediate area and numerous residential dwellings.  The properties owned by the resorts are commercial zoned and the subdivisions located to the east of the property in question is also commercial zoned but primarily has residential use.

8. Does the requested use have a reasonable need to be in a shoreland location?

                                                                                                                                                                                        YES (  )  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Not applicable, the project is not located within the shoreland area.

9. Is the amount of liquid waste to be generated reasonable and the proposed sewage disposal system adequate to accommodate such?      YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  The liquid waste to be generated will consist primarily of waste generated from dwellings.  The property (other than the wetland areas) has adequate soils to handle some type of septic system.  Dwellings will be sized according to Chapter 7080.  Industrial wastewater treatment systems receiving nonhazardous wastes and systems serving facilities not classified as dwellings are regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as Class V injection wells under Code of Federal Regulations, title 40 parts 144 and 146.  These federal regulations, along with Chapter 7080, cover systems serving other establishments and systems serving more than 20 persons.

10. Will the visibility of structures and other facilities as viewed from public waters comply with Section 901 of the Zoning Ordinance or Section 5.3 of the Rainy/Rapid Rivers Shoreland Ordinance?                                                                                      YES (  )  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Not applicable, the project is not located within the shoreland area.

11. Is the site adequate for water supply and on-site sewage treatment systems?

                                                                                                                                                                                          YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Adjacent properties have individual wells and the property (other than the wetland areas) has adequate soils to handle some type of septic system.

12. Are the affected public waters suited to and able to safely accommodate the types, uses, and numbers of watercraft that the use will generate?                                                                                                                                                                         YES (  )  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Not applicable, the project is not located within the shoreland area.

If all answers to the Findings of Fact-Criteria are “Yes” the criteria for granting the conditional use permit have been met. The conditional use permit will maintain the goals of safety, health, and general welfare of the public. 

The specific conditions of approval are as follows:  The recording of the zone change request be submitted simultaneously with the recording of the final plat to ensure that each lot and block designation is finalized.

Approved  (X)       Denied  (  )

This is in accordance with Section 1104 of the Lake of the Woods Zoning Ordinance or Section 3.4 of the Rainy/Rapid Rivers Shoreland Ordinance.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the zone change, requested by Mike Reed, from a Natural Environment District to a Residential Development District and a Commercial-Recreation District for the purpose of platting a subdivision; with the condition that the zone change be recorded simultaneously with the recording of the final plat to ensure that each lot and block designation is finalized.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was duly carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund reviewed approved conditional use permits for Terry Senkyr, Cindy Snobeck and William Schillewaert.

Terry Senkyr:  Conditional Use Permit review – no violation, will revisit as needs arise.

Cindy Snobeck:  Conditional Use Permit review – no complaints at this time.

William Schillewart: Conditional Use Permit review – Josh is to get further information on the                                      commercial operation and vegetative buffer and contact William Schillewaert.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund presented the 2008-2009 Challenge Grant Application and stated the County will receive $11,553.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund & Corryn Trask, with the Lake of the Woods Soil & Water District, gave an update on the Bostic Creek Watershed. They reviewed where we are at the present time and where we are headed with all the government agencies, necessary prevention and possible solutions. Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund is to continue to update the Board of Commissioners of their progress.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims.

It was the consensus of the board to pull claim number 1069 for further review at the next regular board meeting July 24, 2007.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                    Revenue                      $     37,385.88   

                                    Road & Bridge           $     97,470.23

                                    County Development $           200.00

                                    Solid Waste                 $     20,246.29

                                                                        $   155,302.40    

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  7/10/2007 FOR PAYMENT  7/13/2007

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          675.00 SAMUAL ALBRECHT                                                 359.96 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE

        1734.95 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                             675.00 ASSN OF MN COUNTIES

        1203.18 RUSS BARRETT                                                    25845.10 BORDUN TRUCKING, LTD

          519.83 BREEZY POINT RESORT                                         308.21 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES

        3174.09 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                         4612.50 KELLY COLE

          645.59 DEAN’S HARDWARE                                               6956.25 EARTHWORKS CONTRACTING INC

        1200.00 CITY FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA                            3937.50 KEN FISH

          330.00 JOHN HAGLUND                                                     4781.25 HASBARGEN FARMS INC

        3605.00 BYRON HAUGER                                                      590.00 HIBBING COMMUNITY COLLEGE

        4568.79 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                      359.47 CHARLES KOTHRADE

          846.05 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS                              780.85 LAKES GAS CO.

        8625.00 LAVALLA SAND & GRAVEL INC                               597.10 LOCATORS SUPPLIES INC

        2273.73 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT                                              302.67 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MN

      11908.80 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                                   520.65 MARVIN HOME CENTER

          540.16 JIMMY MCCOURT                                                     984.55 SCOTT MCKAY

        4762.50 TIM MIOVAC                                                            4279.14 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

        2500.00 MN MUNICIPAL UTILITIES ASSOC                          300.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO

          330.00 MN POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY                     460.99 JEROME MOLINE

        2677.51 LAW MOREN                                                           3975.00 NORMAN JOHNSON TRUCKING, INC.

          404.17 NORTHERN FARMERS CO-OP                               700.00 NORTHLAND COMMUNITY & TECHNICA

          320.28 NORTHWEST MECHANICAL SERVICE I               2027.40 LESLIE PULLAR

          703.77 QUILL CORPORATION                                           1820.72 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

          320.47 REED’S SPORTING GOODS                                  1750.00 RINKE-NOONAN

          946.38 RODERICK RONE JR                                             1000.00 SCHOOL DISTRICT–390

        1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC                                                      5160.51 STRATA CORP, INC

        4725.00 T & M SALES  DBA                                                   5016.96 UAP DISTRIBUTION INC

        1200.00 UND FORENSIC PATHOLOGY                              1003.20 US FOOD SERVICE

        2640.00 VOYAGEURS COMTRONICS, INC                          625.00 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        3145.70 WOODY’S SERVICE

57 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       7,296.47

FINAL TOTAL   $155,302.40

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                    June 26, 2007              $       3,100.54

                                    June 29, 2007              $       1,497.50

                                    July 3, 2007                 $     98,639.27

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid reviewed DNR Ditch correspondence with the board.  The County Board requested the Auditor’s office to respond to the Administration Law Judge by July 18, 2007.

Commissioners Bredeson and Patty Beckel updated the board of the last department head meeting.  Discussed topics were:

  1. Passports;
  2. Human Resource office; County Auditor, John W Hoscheid was requested to RFP for a Contract Human Resource person for two days a week;
  3. Consent agenda discussion;
  4. Attorney discussion – fulltime vs. part-time;
  5. Flexible Department Heads schedules;
  6. Leadership and Strategic planning document – to be addressed next board meeting

Commissioner Arnesen updated the Board on his meeting with US Representative Collin Peterson and US Senators Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman.

The Commissioners agreed to have the Comprehensive Land Use Planning Board Committee to work with the DNR land exchange program and update the board regularly.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to add Commissioner Moorman to the Comprehensive Land Use Planning Board Committee.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was duly carried.  It was noted that with three commissioners on the Comprehensive Land Use Planning Board Committee, scheduled meetings will be posted.

Correspondence was reviewed regarding the NW Gasifier Project.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 3:40 p.m.

Attest:                                                             Approved: July 24, 2007

________________________________        ____________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                          Todd Beckel

County Auditor                                             Chairman of the County Board

Commissioner Proceedings

July 24, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, July 24, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen, Moorman and Bredeson. Also present were County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Sandy Williamson and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following addendum items: consideration of claim number 1069, which was pulled from July 10, 2007 meeting, Highway software, budget items, City of Williams and Baudette deeds and union discussion.   Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Holly House to Breezy Point on September 16-19 for MN Association of Emergency Managers Conference; Janet Rudd to St. Cloud on September 13-14 for Annual MDRA Conference; Marti Carlson to Bemidji on September 5-7 for District 2 Highway Accountants meeting; Bill Sindelir to Breezy Point on September 26-29 for MN/DOT Right of Way Professionals Workshop; Bruce Hasbargen to Grand Rapids on September 13-14 for MN Solid Waste Administrators Association Annual Conference. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the minutes of July 10, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board for approval of claims, lawful gambling for Ducks Unlimited, approval of claim number 1069 from the July 10, 2007 meeting, budget dates and update on deeds for the City of Williams and Baudette.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                      $           184,550.28

                                                Road & Bridge           $            147,359.60

                                                County Development  $                   241.64

                                                Solid Waste                 $                 4,29075

                                                                                                  184,550.28

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  7/24/2007 FOR PAYMENT  7/27/2007

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                  AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          710.97 RUSS BARRETT                                                      8307.00 CERES EQUIPMENT INC

      13063.93 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                         1500.00 KELLY COLE

      14868.89 CONTECH CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS             509.63 CUSTOM AUTOBODY AND REPAIR

          712.50 EARTHWORKS CONTRACTING INC                      700.00 ERICKSON TIMBER PRODUCTS

        1443.75 KEN FISH                                                                   750.00 LEE HANCOCK

          712.50 HASBARGEN FARMS INC                                      7385.00 HOFFMAN, DALE, & SWENSON, PLLC

        1425.00 LAVALLA SAND & GRAVEL INC                               370.62 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MN

          712.50 TIM MIOVAC                                                              380.67 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO

          300.00 MN SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENG               3307.20 MONITOR TIRE DISPOSAL, INC

        1537.50 NORMAN JOHNSON TRUCKING, INC.                   800.00 NORTH EAST TECHNICAL SERVICE,I

        4989.69 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT              340.19 OFFICE DEPOT

        1294.02 POWERPLAN                                                             700.00 PRO-WEST & ASSOCIATES, INC

          453.93 ROAD MACHINERY & SUPPLIES CO                    2545.35 SOFTWARE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL,

        1096.11 STRATA CORP, INC                                                1441.13 GEORGE SWENTIK

          712.50 T & M SALES  DBA                                                 86613.53 TRI-CITY PAVING INC

      15391.64 UNIVERSITY OF MN                                               1265.22 WALKER PIPE & SUPPLY

          782.75 WAYNE’S BODY SHOP-DBA                                    515.08 WEST GROUP

                                    50 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       8,352.61                                     FINAL TOTAL…….    $185,991.41  *

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                July 10, 2007             $       2,615.05

                                                July 10, 2007               $      59,556.84

                                                July 18, 2007               $     14,893.88

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board discussed claim number 1069, which was pulled from July 10, 2007 meeting.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the claim against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue          $1,441.13

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen that all appointed committee members need to have board approval for payment by the county prior to overnight travel/out of state travel.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the application for exempt gambling for Lake of the Woods Ducks Unlimited for a raffle, which well be held at Sportsman’s Lodge on September 15, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board discussed the upcoming department budget session.  The protocol will be that each department head should bring in the number of employees of which they request a step increase and the associated cost of each, bring in any major budget changes with explanation of why; and the department heads personal request of increase.

County Auditor John W. Hoscheid discussed the City of Baudette lots in which the City needs to provide the Department of Revenue with the name of the Housing Regional Development Authority according to MN Statue 469; the City of Williams deed for the Madoll lot was discussed and is in the process of being resolved by the State; John informed the board that he has had two requests for the RFP for the Human Resource Director.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board and requested approval of claims and discussed the Prepaid Medical Assistance Program (PMAP).

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Commissioner’s Warrants       $31,096.56

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the BluePlus Prepaid Medical Assistance (PMAP) request for proposal.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board discussed the Government Center North’s window replacement.  The consensus of the committee was to go with the Infinity fiberglass replacement windows by Marvin Windows.  The contractor would be JD’s United States Seamless, Inc. out of Roseau MN, because they are the local contract installers for this area.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to accept the bid of JD’s United States Seamless Inc. for option 2 of the proposal for $24,120.00 for Marvin’s Infinity windows with the funding from the Social Services reserves.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Northwest Community Action Director, John Wynn met with the board requesting approval of Minnesota Small Cities Development Program Contract, Resolutions of adoption of Residential Antidisplacement and Relocation Assistance Plan, Excessive Force Policy and Fair Housing Plan; motion to authorizing Chairman Todd Beckel to sign the certification for a drug-free workplace.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to enter into the Administrative Services Contract between Lake of the Woods County and Northwest Community Action, Inc. for the Minnesota Small Cities Development Program for establishing a “Buy-Fix-Sell program and authorize Chairman Todd Beckel to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following Resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-07-01

Adoption of Residential Antidisplacement and Relocation Assistance Plan

BE IT RESOLVED the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby adopts the Residential Antidisplacement and Relocation Assistance Plan for Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel to sign the Certification for a Drug-Free Workplace according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) certification.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following Resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-07-02

Prohibition of the use of Excessive Force

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County has received federal funding through the Minnesota Small Cities Program (SCDP) under the HUD Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and,

WHEREAS, Section 519 of the Department of Veteran Affairs and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act of 1990 requires that all CDBG recipients adopt and enforce a policy to prohibit the use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies within the recipient’s jurisdiction against any individuals engage in non-violent civil rights demonstrations; and

WHEREAS, all recipients of CDBG funds are further required to follow a policy of enforcing applicable state and local laws against physically barring entrances or exits to a facility that is the subject of a non-violent protest demonstration; and

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County endorses a policy prohibiting the use of excessive force and will inform all law enforcement agencies within its jurisdiction of this policy,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, Lake of the Woods County hereby prohibits any law enforcement agency operating within its jurisdiction from using excessive force against any individuals engaged in nonviolent civil rights demonstrations.  In addition, Lake of the Wood County agrees to enforce any applicable state or local laws against physically barring entrances or exits from a facility or location that is the subject of a non-violent protest demonstration.  Lake of the Woods County further pledges enforcement of this policy within its jurisdiction and encourages any individual or group who feels that Lake of the Woods County has not complied with this policy to file a complaint.

Information and assistance relative to excessive force complaints shall be provided by calling the Lake of the Woods County Auditor’s Office at 218-634-2836.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following Resolution was offered by Commissioner Patty Beckel and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-07-03

Adoption of Fair Housing Plan

BE IT RESOLVED, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby adopts the Fair Housing Plan for Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota.

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:12 a.m. and reconvened at 10:20 a.m. as follows:

Bud Hansen and Larry Olson, representing the Oktoberfest Committee met with the board to discuss the Community Service Storage Building, which was previous discussed with the board back in November of 2005.  They presented the board with the proposed plans and estimated cost for the concrete and building materials.  The board still supports the possibility of the construction of the building; however, they would like representatives from the Lake of the Woods Fair Association to meet with them to discuss more details.

MIS Director, Brent Birkeland met with the board to update them on the last Technology Committee meeting.  The committee discussed the creation of a Technology Fund for perpetual countywide technology procurement.  The committee agreement was that the delivery of services and public data online was a top priority along with internet access to maps, documents and tax records.  Brent explained that in the next month, the committee would review expenditures over the last few years and attempt to identify immediate and future costs that will allow for cost effective, cross departmental technology that would draw from a permanent funding process such as the Technology Fund.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board requesting that a Public Hearing be set to review proposed ordinance changes.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to set a public hearing for August 28, 2007 at 1:10 p.m. to review the proposed ordinance changes.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval for purchases of a computer, software and an excavator.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize the Public Works Director to purchase a computer not to exceed $2,000 for the highway department.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize Pubic Works Director to purchase the AutoCAD software updates up to $11,500 from the highway department’s budget.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to purchase and excavator not to exceed $135,000 for the highway department.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:45 a.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

The board discussed the meeting with the Union Representative requesting the board to consider performance evaluation for step increases.  No board action was taken.

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moran met with the board to update them on how things were working out in the office.  The board requested that she meet with them once a month. (some conflicts may occur due to scheduling problems).

The following committee updates were given:  Airport Commission purchased a fuel truck; Building Committee discussed storage space for vehicles and Joint Powers Natural Resource board hired an attorney for the DNR rule changes for ditch payments.                                                                            

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 1:58 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       August 14, 2007

_________________________                                  _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Todd Beckel, Chairman

Special County Board Meeting

July 30, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Monday, July 30, 2007, in the Commissioners’ room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel and Ken Moorman.  Absent was Commissioner Bredeson. Also present was County Auditor John W Hoscheid.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Todd Beckel laid the ground rules for the upcoming budget, these meetings are to be informational and no board action will be taken until all budgets are presented.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the agenda for the special meeting today with additions.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Meeting with the board to discuss budgets and salaries were the following departments:  MIS, Treasurer, Land & Water, Recorder, Assessor, Emergency Management, Sheriff and Social Services.

There was discussion of potential funding for ANI.  Commissioner Patty Beckel to facilitate the same and report back to the board.

The next special board meeting to discuss budgets will be Tuesday, July 30, 2007.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel declared the meeting in recess at 1:00 p.m.

Attest:                                                  Approved:  August 14, 2007

______________________________        ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                             Todd Beckel

County Auditor                                     Chair of the County Board

Special County Board Meeting

July 31, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, July 31, 2007, in the Commissioners’ room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel and Ken Moorman.  Absent was Commissioner Bredeson. Also present was County Auditor John W Hoscheid.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Todd Beckel laid the ground rules for the upcoming budget, these meetings are to be informational and no board action will be taken until all budgets are presented.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the agenda for the special meeting today with additions.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Meeting with the board to discuss budgets and salaries were the following departments:  Auditor, Veterans Service Officer, Extension and Highway.  Other budgets discussed were Maintenance, Attorney and misc departments.

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to support and approve the request for twenty (20) days donation of vacation for a catastrophic illness.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The Commissioners requested the County Auditor to review and provide salaries for elected officials and department heads from the data base.

Discussion regarding tax levies was had, and for budget purposes only, to calculate 4% increase for County levy and 10% increase for Township Road & Bridge levy.  The proposed levy will be finalized at the next budget meetings.   

The next special board meetings to discuss budgets will be Monday, August 6th and Tuesday, August 7th, starting at 7:00 a.m.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel declared the meeting in recess at 1:00 p.m.

Attest:                                                  Approved:  August 14, 2007

______________________________        ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                             Todd Beckel

County Auditor                                     Chair of the County Board

June, 2007

Special County Board Meeting

June 5, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in special session on Tuesday June 5, 2007, in the Commissioners Room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Todd Beckel, Moorman, Bredeson, Patty Beckel and Arnesen. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. for evaluating the performance of the following individuals Bruce Hasbargen, Public Works Director, Nancy Wendler, Social Service Director, Josh Stromlund, Land and Water Planning Director, Wayne Bendickson, County Assessor and Holly House, Emergency Management Director who are subject to the authority of the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners.

With no further business before the Board, Chairman Todd Beckel declared the meeting to recess at 12:00 p.m.

Attest:                                                             Approved:  June 12, 2007

________________________________        ____________________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor  Chairman Todd Beckel

Lake of the Woods County

Board of Equalization

June 11, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Equalization met on Monday, June 11, 2007 with the following members present:  Commissioners: Ed Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Kim Bredeson and Ken Moorman.  Also present were: County Assessor Wayne Bendickson, Assistant Assessor Ron Norquist and County Auditor John W Hoscheid.  Deputy Recorder Christie Russell swore in the members of the Board of Equalization.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Meeting with the board was Daniel Zimney, property owner in Gudrid Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed and explained that the land value had increased in that area, however his house value had not increased.  They will review his values again next year.  No action was taken.

Meeting with the board was Richard Corle, property owner in Gudrid Township.  He commented on the current valuations.  No action was taken.

County Assessor Wayne Bendickson issued reports detailing comparisons of taxes by land classifications for payable years 2006 and 2007 and estimated market value comparisons for assessment years 2006 and 2007.  He also reviewed new constructions for the current and previous years.

Motion by Commissioner Ed Arnesen to adjourn the County Board of Equalization meeting for 2007, seconded by Commissioner Ken Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  Chair Todd Beckel adjourned the County Board of Equalization meeting for 2007 at 9:50 a.m.

Attest:                                                                          Approved:        June 12, 2007

___________________________                              ________________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                                Todd Beckel, Chair of the County Board

Commissioner Proceedings

June 12, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, June 12, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: travel for Dale Boretski and John W. Hoscheid to St. Cloud on June 21-22 for Basic Drainage Administration Seminar; Holly House to Bemidji on June 27-28 for Homeland Security   Exercise and Evaluation Program, July 10-11 to St. Paul for Emergency Management Certification and July 24-26 to Duluth for Emergency Management Certification; Jodi Bauers to Bemidji on June 25-26 for ArcGIS training; Bruce Hasbargen to Bemidji on September 5-6 for the Annual County Engineers Seminar; Steve Sindelir to Alexandria on July 22-25 for Ag Inspector Course; Bruce Hasbargen to Lutsen on August 15-17 for AMC Leadership Development Summit.. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the minutes of May 22, May 29, June 5, June 11 and Board of Equalization of June 11.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chairman Todd Beckel welcomed Senator Saxhaug and Representative Anzelc to the meeting.  The board, along with other citizens discussed issues and concerns affecting our communities and county. Chairman Todd Beckel, along with the board thanked Senator Saxhaug and Representative Anzelc for meeting with them.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, met with the board requesting approval of claims, to certify Office Support Specialist off probation/request step increase, approval to advertise/fill Social Service Supervisor position, update on Outpatient/Aftercare Chemical Dependency  Treatment  Program RFP, designation of Representative for the L.O.W./Children and Families Collaborative Board and approval for the MN Care Contract.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants         $26,800.46

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner  Bredeson to certify Office Support Specialist off probation effective June 8, 2007 and to approve a step increase from Grade 6, step 1 to Grade 6, step 2.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler to advertise and hire a Social Service Supervisor.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to appoint and authorize Commissioner Todd Beckel as a designated Representative to the Lake of the Woods Children and Families Collaborative. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to extend the MN Care Contract for one more year and authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and Social Service Director to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Emergency Management Director, Holly House met with the board to request approval for the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Memorandum of Understanding.

Chairman Todd Beckel excused himself from the meting and Vice Chairman Bredeson resumed the meeting.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to enter into the Memorandum of Understanding between Lake of the Woods County and the designated facilities that may be used to support personnel who are providing emergency public services to designated populations affected by a disaster or public health emergency.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:36 a.m. and reconvened at 10:45 a.m. as follows:

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval of claims, liquor licensing approval, Chamber of Commerce request of funds and to discuss a cement slab/picnic tables for the Government Center North Building.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                       $          34,383.36

                                                Road & Bridge $         125,189.55

                                                Joint Ditch                    $                600.00      

                                                County Development    $             8,831.41

                                                Solid Waste                  $            23,952.58

                                                             192,956.90

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  6/12/2007 FOR PAYMENT  6/15/2007

        AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        1871.94 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                             5509.49 ED ARNESEN

          517.79 AUTO VALUE                                                            4000.00 BAUDETTE-LOW CHAMBER OF COMMER

          515.83 WAYNE BENDICKSON                                                308.21 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES

        2000.00 CLEAN COUNTY FUND                                             6511.38 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

        2325.00 KELLY COLE                                                           46780.25 CONTECH CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS

        3294.39 DELL MARKETING, LP                                               5358.75 EARTHWORKS CONTRACTING INC

        3235.94 ERICKSON ENGINEERING INC                                    2475.00 HASBARGEN FARMS INC

        5640.00 HOFFMAN, DALE, & SWENSON, PLLC                       605.44 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC

        3238.04 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                         838.65 INSIGHT PUBLIC SECTOR

      23512.50 LAKE COUNTRY CHEV                                             1109.74 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS

        1367.55 LAKES GAS CO.                                                       3037.50 LAVALLA SAND & GRAVEL INC

        3678.54 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT                                                 400.00 LOW HOME COUNCIL

      10039.50 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                                   1122.49 JIMMY MCCOURT

        1013.65 SCOTT MCKAY                                                           353.74 PHILIP MILLER

        2475.00 TIM MIOVAC                                                              2761.77 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

        1472.50 MN COUNTIES INFORMATION SYSTEM                      300.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO

          400.00 MN POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY                        1141.88 JEROME MOLINE

        2484.00 KENNETH MOORMAN                                                2418.75 NORMAN JOHNSON TRUCKING, INC.

          643.26 NORTHERN FARMERS CO-OP                                    495.26 THE NORTHERN LIGHT

          927.41 NORTHSTAR MATERIALS INC                                    415.18 NORTHWEST BEVERAGE, INC.

          929.91 PRO SOURCE TECHNOLOGIES INC                           1804.50 LESLIE PULLAR

          361.18 QUILL CORPORATION                                               3192.16 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

        1968.75 SCOTT RAVNDALEN                                                4331.41 RINKE-NOONAN

        1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC                                                           600.28 STRATA CORP, INC

        2250.00 T & M SALES  DBA                                                   1139.16 TRI-STAR RECYCLING, INC

          661.55 TWIN RIVER SPORTS                                                  934.67 US BEARINGS AND DRIVES   BR31

        1207.71 WALKER PIPE & SUPPLY                                            441.00 WEST GROUP

        5327.78 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC                      3957.07 WOODY’S SERVICE

42 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       5,503.45

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….    $192,956.90  ****

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                May 22, 2007              $474,843.41

                                                May 22, 2007              $       540.00

                                                May 29, 2007              $760,640.69

                                                June 1,   2007              $ 319,280.91                          

                                                June 6,   2007              $   74,601.33  

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the following Intoxicating Liquor, 3.2 Malt Liquor and Cigs license from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008 contingent upon the approval of the County Sheriff and County Attorney as follows:  On/Off and Sunday Liquor License:  Adrian’s Resort, Angle Inn Resort, Ballard’s Resort, Borderview Resort, Jerry’s Restaurant and Lounge, Morris Point Lakeview Lodge, Randall’s Resort, Riverbend Resort, Rock Harbor Lodge, Schuster’s Resort, Sportsman’s Lodge, Wigwam Resort, Zippel Bay Resort, Northwest Angle Resort and Restaurant; On and Sunday Liquor License: Cyrus Resort, Rosalie’s Restaurant and Lounge, Ken-Mar-Ke Resort, Riverview Resort, Flag Island Resort, Sportsman’s of Oak, Wheelers Point Resort; Off Sale Only: Log Cabin Liquors Inc.; Cigarette License: Adrian’s Resort, American Legion, Ballard’s Resort, Bay Store, Borderview Lodge, Cenex, City of Baudette, City of Williams, Cyrus Resort, Border Bait, Flag Island Resort, Holiday Station, Howard’s , Jeanette Mcatee, Jerry’s Restaurant and Lounge, Ken-Mar-Ke Resort, Lake of the Woods Foods, Log Cabin Bait, Log Cabin Liquors, Log Cabin Bait, Long Point Resort, Morris Point Lakeview Lodge, Grumpy’s Northwest Angle Bar & Grill Inc., Randall’s Resort, Riverbend Resort, Riverview Resort, Rock Harbor Lodge, Schuster’s Resort, Sportsman’s Lodge, Sportsman’s of Oak, Too Tall’s, VFW Club, Wheeler’s Point, Wigwam Resort, Zippel Bay Resort; 3.2 On- Sale Malt Liquor: Long Point Resort, Oak Island Resort and Ship’s Wheel Resort; 3.2 Off Sale Malt Liquor: Bay Store, Cyrus Resort, Border Bait, Oak Island Resort, Long Point Resort, Oak Island Resort, Rock Harbor Lodge.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. Commissioner Arnesen abstained from voting.

John informed the board that a request was made to have a cement slab/picnic table area at the Government Center North building.  The cost would be approximately $3,000.  The board’s consensus was to wait for a firm cost.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to donate the levied amount of $2,500 to the Chamber of Commerce to help offset the cost of the fireworks display.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen met with the board along with the following people:  Rodney and Judy Gubbels, Richard Corle, Gloriann Fischer, Jim Clementson, Walt Coninx, Keith Fox, Dave Thomas,  Russ and Benita Baron, David Norquist, George Swentik, Linda Roberts and County Recorder, Sue Ney to discuss a survey issue regarding discrepancies between the deed lines and the occupied lines west of Clementson in Government Lot 5, Section 12, Gudrid Township.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen to do a preliminary survey in Government Lot 5, Section 12, Gudrid Township with the funding to come from the Economic Development/Con-Con remonumentation fund up to $4,500.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:40 p.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

Chairman Todd Beckel resumed the meeting.

Chairman Todd Beckel closed the meeting at 1:05 p.m. and as advertised opened the Planning Commission.

Vernon Reinert Lot 9, Block 1, Riverside Plat               A Conditional Use Permit as

                                    Section 17, T-161N, R-31 W              required by the Lake of the

                                    (Baudette Township)                            Woods County Zoning

                                                                                                Ordinance and the Rainy/

                                                                                                                                Rapid Rivers Shoreland

                                                                                                Management Ordinance, to

                                                                                                allow the applicant to move

                                                                                                more than ten (10) cubic

                                                                                                yards of material within

                                                                                                the shore impact zone of the

                                                                                                Rainy River for the purpose

                                                                                                of a rip-rap project.

Monte Burnham            Lot 10, Block 1, Riverside                    A Conditional Use Permit as

                                    Plat Section 17, T-161N,                     required by the Lake of the

                                    R-31 W                                               Woods County Zoning

                                    (Baudette Township)                            Ordinance and the Rainy/

                                                                                                Rapid Rivers Shoreland

                                                                                                Management Ordinance, to

                                                                                                allow the applicant to move

                                                                                                more than ten (10) cubic

                                                                                                yards of material within the

                                                                                                shore impact zone of the

                                                                                                Rainy River for the purpose

                                                                                                of a rip-rap project.

Mike Reed                   The east 1980’, more or                       A Petition to Amend the

                                    less, of the SE1/4 of                              Zoning Ordinance, for a zone

                                    the SE1/4 of Section                             change from a Natural

                                    20, T-162N, R-32W (wheeler)            Environment District to a

                                    Only applies to proposed                      Residential Development

                                    platted lots.                                           District and a Commercial-

                                                                                                Recreation District for the

                                                                                                purpose of platting a

                                                                                                Subdivision.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund presented the application for a conditional use permit requested by Vernon Reinert and Monte Burnhaim.  No comments were heard from the floor and no letters were received.  Josh presented the application for a request for a zone change for Mike Reed.  Comments were heard from the floor. A letter was received but not read at this time.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to continue the Planning Commission on the Reed Zone Change to the June 26 meeting at 1:00 p.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The planning commission was closed at 1:50 p.m the regular meeting reconvened as follows:

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board to request approval of a negative declaration on the Morris Point Estates Subdivision.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Patty Beckel and moved for adoption:

RESOLUTION NO. 07-06-01

A RESOLUTION ORDERING A NEGATIVE DECLARATION ON THE MORRIS POINT ESTATES SUBDIVISION ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET (EAW)

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County is the Regulatory Governmental Unit has duly prepared an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the proposed Morris Point Estates Subdivision; and

WHEREAS, the EAW is based on the construction of 50 unattached residential dwellings and a 30 unit RV campground; and

WHEREAS, the County has submitted a copy of the EAW to all public agencies on the EAW distribution list, publishing EAW availability in the EQB Monitor on April 9 , 2007, all of which were done in accordance with applicable State laws, rules, and regulations; and

WHEREAS, the 30-day comment period ended on May 9, 2007, with three regulatory agencies commenting; and

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County acknowledges the comments from the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and

WHEREAS, the comments received do not support a need for an Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed project; and

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County has considered the comments that were received and shall complete the Record of Decision supporting the declaration of negative need, including responses to the commenting regulatory agency, and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners has made a negative declaration on the need for an Environmental Impact Statement for the Morris Point Estates Subdivision.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval to set a public hearing for the five year construction plan, approval for funds for Salt/Sand Storage Facility and also informed the board that CN would like to meet with the board on June 26, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. to discuss the Pitt Crossing.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to set a public hearing for highway construction five-year plan as July 10, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

RESOLUTION NO. 07-06-02

Salt/Sand Storage Shed

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County desires to use part of it’s Regular County State Aid Highway (CSAH) Construction Account fund for a portion of the Highway Salt/Sand Storage Facility  Project and:

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County requests a level of funding for this project based on the percentage of CSAH mileage (81.22%) to total mileage.

WHEREAS, the total estimated cost of the facility is $120,000.00.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the County of Lake of the Woods hereby requests Regular CSAH Construction Account funds in the amount of $97,464.00 for the Highway Salt/Sand Storage Facility Project.

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Lake of the Woods Historical Society Executive Director, Marlys Hirst met with the board to request authorization to apply to GIZIIBII for assistant for the  renovation plans of the Museum and also gave the Commissioners a tour of the facility and to show the plans for renovation.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize the Historical Society to seek assistance thru the GIZIIBII Association in obtaining grant funds for the proposed Museum Addition and Renovation project and authorize the Chairman to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board discussed the closed session on June 12, 2007 on the performance evaluation of Social Worker Supervisor Bobbi Brandt.  The board concurred with the recommendation of the Social Service Director, Human Resource Director and County Attorney.

The board discussed the vacancy position of the County Attorney.  No action was taken.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 4:35 p.m.

Attest:                                                                          Approved:        June 26, 2007

_________________________                                  _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                               Todd Beckel, Chairman

May, 2007

Commissioner Proceedings

May 8, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Moorman, Todd Beckel and Bredeson. Commissioner Arnesen was absent. Also present were County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Travel for Wayne Bendickson to St. Paul on May 1, for Legislative and June 7, for State Board, May 22-23 to St. Cloud for Assessor Seminar; Dale Boretski and Brent Birkeland to Alexandria on June 4-6 for MCCC Annual Summer Conference; ITV Resolution, Board Room Policy and DNR correspondence. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Sue Ney to Albertville on May 23-24 for Fidlar user group meeting; Marti Carlson to St. Cloud on May 8-9 for Finance Task Force meeting; Wayne Bendickson to St. Paul on May 1, for Legislative and May 6, for State Board, May 22-23 to St. Cloud for Assessor Seminar and Dale Boretski and Brent Birkeland to Alexandria on June 4-6 for MCCC Annual Summer Conference.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the April 24, 2007 minutes.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

RESOLUTION NO. 07-05-01

COURT ITV USAGE

WHEREAS, it is the Lake of the Woods County Board’s belief that the Criminal Rules Committee proposed ITV rules are overly restrictive and would cause delay in court appearances and increased transportation and staff costs, which monies could be better spent improving underlying socioeconomic problems thereby reducing the need for jail cells in the future; and

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board believes that an increased use of ITV procedures not only would be cost-effective, but would treat individuals charged with crimes in a fair and timely manner, regardless of individuals’ socioeconomic status; and

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board believes that ITV should be used for various court appearances without restricting the physical location of the parties and discretion left with the District Courts and parties for the use of ITV in other court hearings; therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED that the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners respectfully requests the Supreme Court adopt ITV rules that allow for the use of ITV in a common sense manner consistent with public needs while maintaining the constitutional rights of individuals. 

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board to request approval of claims and discussed the RFP for the delivering of Chemical Dependency Treatment and Education Services for the county.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county:

Commissioner warrants $29,184.43

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Emergency Manager, Holly House met with the board to request approval of the Joint Powers Agreement with the North West Region of Homeland Security Emergency Management (HSEM) and the Hold Harmless Agreement with Sacred Heart Church. 

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel to sign the Hold Harmless Agreement with Sacred Heart Church and the Diocese of Crookston for storm shelter use.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and County Attorney, Philip Miller to sign the Joint Powers Agreement for (HSEM) Region 3 Emergency Managers with the removal of section 7.2.2. expenditures, paragraph c. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board to request approval for claims.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                       $   22,040.31

                                                Road & Bridge $   25,084.46

                                                Co. Development         $     4,557.84

                                                Solid Waste                  $   17,852.43

                                                                                    $   69,535.04

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  5/08/2007 FOR PAYMENT  5/11/2007

        AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                  AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        1860.76 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                             1571.10 AUTO VALUE

          304.34 TODD BECKEL                                                             308.21 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES

        4168.56 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                             1835.29 CONSTRUCTION BULLETIN

          314.74 ENGINEERING REPRO SYSTEMS                                803.90 BRUCE HASBARGEN

        1412.00 HELGESON FUNERAL CHAPEL                                   707.84 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC

          609.10 HOLLACE HOUSE                                                     1073.13 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY

          941.78 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS                                 1930.74 LAKES GAS CO.

        2370.22 LITTLE FALLS MACHINE, INC                                      721.50 LOW COUNTY TREASURER

        3785.75 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT                                                 302.67 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MN

        9322.65 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                                   2761.77 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          717.00 MN COUNTY ATTORNEYS ASSN                               300.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO

          620.17 OCCUPATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CTR.                       308.85 ALAN PHILLIPPE

          420.94 PITT & QUARRY SUPPLIES, INC                                1248.70 LESLIE PULLAR

          922.16 R & Q TRUCKING, INC                                               4000.00 RESERVE ACCOUNT

      10765.80 ROAD MACHINERY & SUPPLIES CO                           547.18 RODERICK RONE JR

          486.50 LAWRENCE SIPE                                                       1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC

   5849.09 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

47 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,492.60

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….     $69,535.04

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                April 24, 2007              $  28,478.88

                                                April 27, 2007              $   18,007.50

                                                May   8, 2007              $  13,364.28

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen met with the board to discuss the estimated cost for the preliminary survey issue west of Clementson in Government Lot 5, Section 12, Gudrid Township to prepare a drawing showing the discrepancies between the deed lines and the occupied lines at $4,200.00. The board requested a letter be sent to the surrounding land owners that may be affected in this issue and request them to meet with the County Board and County Surveyor on June 12, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. at the regular scheduled board meeting.

Commissioner Bredeson presented the Board Room Reservation Policy:

Lake of the Woods County Government Center Building

Board Room Reservation Policy

Purpose

Interested parties may schedule and reserve the County Board Room in the Government Center Building for educational and/or useful community purposes.  County facilities may not be reserved for religious, commercial, or partisan political uses or endorsements.

Scheduling

Scheduling and room reservations for the County Board Room must be made through the Office of the Auditor.  Scheduling is done on a first-come, first served basis; however, Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners will take precedence over any and all requests.  Request to schedule the County Board Room for video conferencing or to view a satellite downlink will be the responsibility of the facilitator of the meeting to set-up.

Board Room cannot be scheduled on paid holidays, weekends or evenings when no staff is available to lock-up.  A County employee facilitating the meeting and taking responsibility for locking up and coordinating procedures with Maintenance Department and their own Department Supervisor would be the only exception.

Use Expectations

It is expected that groups using the Government Center Building will leave the facilities in the same condition in which they were found (ex. tables and chairs in proper order, waste in proper containers).  Users will be responsible for and will be charged for damage to equipment or the facility.  The county will not provide refreshments, coffee or paper products. Requests for access to county photocopying machines and fax machines are only available during regular business hours.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to adopt the Board Room Reservation Policy as presented.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 9:55 a.m. and reconvened at 10:00 a.m. as follows:

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and reviewed the NACE conference he attended in Milwaukee, WI. Informed the board that the department is trying out the Norstar injector spray unit from Ottertail County and they are asking $10,000.00 for the unit.  Bruce discussed the Sandy Shore/Phalen outlet.  The board will look at this on their annual road tour on May 15, 2007.

The board reviewed the Salt/Sand Storage unit for the Public Works Department.  The consensus of the board was to keep moving forward with the Fabric Roof building and use State Aid Construction dollars to build.

The board reviewed the Calcium Chloride application for the Northwest Angle.  The board placed this on the May 22, 2007 meeting when Commissioner Arnesen will be present to represent his district.

Chairman Todd Beckel at 11:00 a.m., as advertised, called for opening of bids for a Precast Concrete Box Culvert Installations of the following:  S.A.P. 39-598-54, S.A.P. 39-598-56, S.A.P. 39-598-63. The following bids were opened:

Cormican’s Inc.                        $177,563.21

Gladen Construction Inc.          $154,290.50

Holte Contracting                     $165,212.20

Lian Construction                     $160,267.00

Midwest Contracting, LLC       $160,395.00

Olson Construction TRF, Inc    $137,821.70

Taggaret Company                   $153,489.40

The following bids were opened:  S.P. 39-598-35, Minn Project BROS (109) and S.P. 39-598-52, Minn BROS 3907 (124) Bridge Replacement.

Gerit Hanson Contracitng Inc.     $550,555.00

M-K Bridge Construction              $537,732.00

Robert R. Schroeder Const. Inc.  $664,642.00

Swingen Construction Company $602,993.00

Wanzek Construction Company  $706,199.00

Bid Openings S.P. 39-598-35, Minn Project BROS 3907 (109) and S.P. 39-598-52, Minn BROS 3907 (124) Bridge Replacements award to follow at the May 22, 2007 Board meeting.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen will bring back the recommendation to award the bid for the Precast Concrete Box Culvert Installations of the following:  S.A.P. 39-598-54, S.A.P. 39-598-56, S.A.P. 39-598-63 later today.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board and discussed the previous conditional use reviews that are up for review.  Josh recommended that the board review these on their annual road tour on May 15, 2007.  Josh informed the board  he spoke with Dan Thul and Mike Larson on the Bostic Creek/Bay Survey and the request to evaluate north of Bridge.  They informed him that following the 2002 flood a survey may have been done, and are researching it.

Wells Fargo Bank representatives Personnel Banker Amanda Risser and Regional Program Manager Tom Ruemmele met with the board and presented the Wells Fargo Membership Banking Program for employees of Lake of the Wood County as an enhancement to the counties current employee benefits.  The consensus of the board was to name County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid as the Counties Program Coordinator for this program and have John sign the term of agreement.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:52 a.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and recommended to award the bid for the Precast Concrete Box Culvert Installations of the following:  S.A.P. 39-598-54, S.A.P. 39-598-56, S.A.P. 39-598-63 to Olson Construction TRF, Inc.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to award the bid for S.A.P. 39-598-54, S.A. P. 39-598-56 & S.A.P. 39-598-63, Precast Concrete Box Culvert Installations, to the lowest responsible bidder, Olson Construction TRF, Inc. of Thief River Falls, MN for $137,821.70.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Maury Olson met with the board to discuss the possibility of gasification usage in Lake of the Woods County.  This was placed on the May 22, 2007 agenda for further consideration.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 2:30 p.m.

Attest:                                                                          Approved:        May 22, 2007

______________________________                        ______________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                               Todd Beckel, Chairman of the Board

Commissioner Proceedings

May 22, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman.  Also present were County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Travel for Shelley Phillippe, Business Adventure, Human Resource Department, Coast Guard Radio, DNR Letter, and Roseau County EDA.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows:  travel: Phillip Miller for MCAA Board of Director’s Meeting on May 18 at St. Cloud; Mark Hall, Lorene Hanson and John W. Hoscheid for MACO Conference on July 24-27 at Breezy Point, Christie Russell for Passport Training on June 11 at St. Cloud: Shelley Phillippe for MFIP DWP Conference on June 5-6 at St. Cloud. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the May 8, 2007 minutes.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, met with the board requesting approval of claims and to certify Social Worker/Mental Health Practitioner off probation and request step increase.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants         $45,414.12

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to certify Social Service Worker/Mental Health Practitioner off probation effective May 15, 2007 and to approve a step increase from Grade 12, step 1 to Grade 12, step 2.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Becky Dornheim, Social Service Supervisor for the Mental Health met with the board and explained that Lake of the Woods Social Services was picked to participate in a Pilot Project for the Illness Management Recovery for the Community Support Program.

Bill Mouw, representative from the Baudette Community Foundation met with the board to discuss the finances of the Grand Theater.  No board action was taken at this time.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to transfer the administration of the Rainy Rapid Board to Koochiching County for the next five years in accordance with the Rainy Rapid River Shoreland Ordinance.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 9:55 a.m. and reconvened at 10:04 a.m. as follows:

Mike Larson, DNR Fisheries Supervisor met with the board and discussed the rule changes from the letter dated April 25, 2007 and discussed various invasive species.

The board discussed appointed department heads job evaluation reviews.  The board set June 5 & 11 to conduct the reviews.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen, along with Jeff Pelland and Bob Peterson met with the board to request approval for purchase of a new pickup, calcium chloride at the NWA, permission to sell 1997 Chevrolet pickup, to purchase a spray unit and award bid from May 8, 2007 meeting.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize the Public Works Director to purchase a new pickup truck from the highway budget and  not to exceed $24, 000.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to sell on bids Unit 973, a 1997 Chevrolet Fleetside Pickup.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to change agreement with Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation for applying Calcium Chloride on the road leading to the Northwest Angle, to a maximum cost of $5,000 with the funds from the unallocated fund to be transferred to the Highway. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to award the bid for S.P. 39-598-35, & S.P. 39-598-52, Bridge Replacements, to the lowest responsible bidder, M-K Bridge Construction, of Walnut Grove, MN for $ 537,732.00.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize Public Works Director to purchase a spray unit at the cost of $8,520.00.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Bruce went over the 2007 Road Tour results with the board.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:10 p.m. and reconvened at 1:04 p.m. as follows:

Maury Olson met with the board to discuss the Biomass 2007 Conference he attended on May 15-16 in Grand Forks, ND.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid, met with the board to request approval of claims and approval of rehab loan subordinate.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                       $          31,592.12

                                                Road & Bridge $          12,791.52

                                                County Development    $            4,531.86

                                                Solid Waste                  $            3,414.38

                                                           52,329.88

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  5/22/2007 FOR PAYMENT  5/25/2007

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          317.72 AIRGAS SAFETY                                                        303.68 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE

          540.00 BLUE MAXX RECYCLING                                          1087.49 DIRECT SAFETY COMPANY

        4537.36 FARMER’S UNION OIL COMPANY                               705.30 FRONTIER PRECISION INC

        1350.00 LEE HANCOCK                                                            301.35 HSBC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

      16608.53 LAKE OF THE WOODS MARINE, INC                           466.79 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC

          486.00 LOCATORS SUPPLIES INC                                        2765.00 MN COUNTIES INSURANCE TRUST

          500.00 MN STATE OF-CPV PROGRAM                                 1300.00 NEW HORIZONS MINNESOTA

        1160.00 NORTH EAST TECHNICAL SERVICE,I                          557.89 THE NORTHERN LIGHT

          887.23 OFFICE DEPOT                                                            552.73 POWERPLAN

        1113.70 LESLIE PULLAR                                                         4531.86 RINKE-NOONAN

        1449.47 ROLYAN BUOYS                                                      1230.77 RODERICK RONE JR

          427.26 T R JOBBING                                                               300.00 UNIVERSITY OF MN

          370.95 US FOOD SERVICE                                                     781.60 WEST GROUP

        1932.15 WOODY’S SERVICE                                                    384.00 ZIEGLER, INC

          430.00 5TH DISTR JAIL ADMIN ASSN

45 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,951.05

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….     $52,329.88  ****

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                May 8, 2007                $63,451.83

                                                May 9, 2007                $99,214.53

                                                May 10, 2007              $46,905.72

                                                May 16, 2007              $ 9,882.98                              

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to subordinate the Rehabilitation Loan of Lavon E. McGuire dated January 28, 1997 and to record Lake of the Woods County as the second mortgage holder and authorize Chairman Todd Beckel to sign. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Attorney, Philip Miller met with the board and resigned his position as Lake of the Woods County Attorney, effective June 17, 2007.  The board thanked Philip Miller for his years of service as the County Attorney and congratulated him on his newly appointed position as Koochiching County Attorney.

The board discussed the vacancy of the County Attorney.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to set May 29, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. as the date for a special meeting to consider the  appointment of an interim/or full time  County Attorney.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Bredeson discussed a letter that was received on Bio Engineering (goat farm) to relocate in Lake of the Woods County.  The board requested that a letter be sent stating that Lake of the Woods County has supported businesses financially in the past.

Commissioner Todd Beckel informed the board that the Coast Guard Auxiliary has a boat  in the Warroad area without radio equipment. The consensus of the board was to have Commissioner Todd Beckel look into the cost of a radio since Lake of the Woods County has full jurisdiction on Lake of the Woods.

The following correspondence was acknowledged: Letter from City of Baudette, Roseau EDA, DNR Letter, Thank-you letter from Take-A-Kid fishing, Positively MN and Senate file No. 238 “Freedom to Breath Act of 2007.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to close the meeting at 2:37 p.m. pursuant MN Stat. § 13D.05, Subd. 3(a.) performance evaluations of Bobbi Brandt.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to close the closed session at 2:50 p.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chairman Todd Beckel opened the meeting at 2:51 p.m. as follows:

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler to appoint a temporary Social Service Supervisor.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 3:10 p.m.

Attest:                                                                          Approved:        June 12, 2007

_________________________                                  _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                               Todd Beckel, Chairman

Special County Board Meeting

May 29, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board meeting met in special session on Tuesday, May 29, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioners Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Bredeson, Moorman and Arnesen.   Also present were: County Auditor John W Hoscheid, County Sheriff Dallas Block, Public Works Director Bruce Hasbargen, County Recorder Sue Ney, Land & Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund, Human Resource Director Leslie Pullar, Rita Krause, George Swentik, Amy Ballard, Sara Thompson, Katie Pieper, John Oren, and Penny Mio Hirst.  Chair Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda for the special meeting today with the following change:  the Coast Guard Auxiliary Radio scheduled for 2:10 p.m. was taken off the agenda.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to accept the resignation of Lake of the Woods County Attorney, Philip K Miller, effective 11:59 p.m., June 17, 2007.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The County Board discussed appointment of an Interim-County Attorney.   Said position to assist in the time period following the effective date of Philip Miller’s resignation and the eventual appointment of one to fulfill his term of office. County Attorney Philip Miller recommended to the County Board that it consider Michelle E Moren for this appointment.  Comments were also received from the Department Heads present, as well as Michelle E.Moren.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to appoint Michelle E Moren as Interim County Attorney, effective 12:01 a.m., June 18, 2007, but begin paying her effective June 13, 2007, at the monthly rate of $5,000 per month, plus mileage.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Human Resource Director Leslie Pullar discussed setting up a committee to gather information, including, qualifications, experience, screening resumes, interview questions, finalists, and other options. 

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to form a selection committee for the position of County Attorney.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Committee members will include County Sheriff Dallas Block, Commissioner Todd Beckel, Commissioner Bredeson, County Attorney Philip Miller, Michelle Moren and Human Resource Director Leslie Pullar.  Ms. Pullar will bring appropriate information to the next regular meeting for review with the County Board.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Todd Beckel declared the meeting in recess at 3:42 p.m.

Attest:                                                             Approved:  June 12, 2007

________________________________        ____________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                           Todd Beckel

County Auditor                                               Chair of the County Board

April, 2007

Lake of the Woods County Commissioners’

Ordinance Workshop

April 4, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met for an Ordinance Workshop on Wednesday. April 4, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Government Center, with the following members present:  Commissioner Bredeson, Arnesen, Moorman, Todd Beckel and Patty Beckel.  Chairman Todd Beckel called the workshop to order at 8:00 a.m.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the agenda with the following additions:  closing of county, catastrophic illness donation request and cormorant discussion. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to close the Government Center from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.,on April, 9  2007, except for essential departments, so the staff can attend Jeff Stephani’s funeral and that all employees, essential and non-essential, will get their regular pay whether they attend Jeff Stephani’s funeral or not.  Overtime pay will be paid according to the Fair Labor Standards Act and Lake of the Woods County Personal Policy.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve ten (10) days of donation of vacation for Catastrophic Illness.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund, met with the board to conduct the Ordinance Workshop with the board.

The board discussed with no action the Cormorant Issues that face Lake of the Woods.

With no further business before the Board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the Workshop closed  at 1:12 p.m.

Attest:                                                             Approved:  April 10, 2007

________________________________        ____________________________________

Janet E. Rudd, Deputy Auditor             Todd Beckel, Chairman of the Board

Commissioner Proceedings

April 10, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, April 10, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Moorman, Arnesen, Todd Beckel and Bredeson.   Also present was County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Affidavits of lost warrants, Calcium Chloride, Meet and Greet Meeting on April 17, Cell Phones and NWA meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Robyn Sonstegard on May 9 to St. Cloud for SSIS Fiscal Meeting, May 10 to Brainerd for Regional Meeting and June 26-29 to Brainerd for the AMSSA Conference; Marti Carlson on May 9-11 to St. Cloud for MN County Highway Accountants Assoc. Annual Conference and Philip Miller on April 20 to St. Paul for MN County Attorney’s Association Board of Director’s Meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the March 27 and April 4, 2007 minutes.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board to request approval of claims and authorization to move forward with the Outpatient/Aftercare Chemical Dependency Treatment Program RFP.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the claims against the county:

Commissioner warrants $25,966.82

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to authorize Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler to proceed with the request for proposal (RFP) Outpatient/Aftercare Chemical Dependency Treatment Program for Lake of the Woods County.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the application and affidavit for lost warrants for Albert Brecke, dated March 14, 2007, for $206.56 and March 28, 2007 for $48.44 without furnishing an indemnifying bond.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Colleen Oestreich, GIZIIBII RC&D Coordinator met with the board to review the 2006 Annual Report.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board to request approval for claims, a Lease for Lawful Gambling and to discuss the Government Center North Windows.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                       $  45,586.83

                                                Road & Bridge $  18,950.66

                                                Solid Waste                  $   21,433.65

                                                                                    $  85,971.14

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  4/10/2007 FOR PAYMENT  4/13/2007

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          464.53 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                            347.47 AMERICAN SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINES

        1786.15 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                               341.10 AUTO VALUE

          415.00 BAUERS COMMUNICATIONS & SECURI                    1785.29 BERT’S TRUCK EQUIPMENT OF MOOR

          993.42 BLACK BOX CORPORATION                                      308.21 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES

        2465.83 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                           13181.55 CPS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

          330.11 CREATIVE FORMS & CONCEPTS INC                          511.80 TONY CROW

        1191.16 CROWNE PLAZA RIVERFRONT                                  493.84 CUSTOM AUTOBODY AND REPAIR

          382.82 DEAN’S HARDWARE                                                 1421.92 DELL MARKETING, LP

          485.00 GOVERNMENT TRAINING SERVICES                        1693.59 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC

        2986.15 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                         304.43 HSBC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

          727.54 INSIGHT PUBLIC SECTOR                                          2993.55 KEEPRS, INC – CY’S UNIFORMS

          591.99 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS                                 4354.43 LAKES GAS CO.

          436.50 LAKEWOOD HEALTH CENTER                                  3662.50 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

          480.00 LOW TRANSFER INC                                                 9211.95 MAR-KIT LANDFILL

          911.09 SCOTT MCKAY                                                         4651.50 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

        2500.00 MN MUNICIPAL UTILITIES ASSOC                               300.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO

          450.00 MN POST BOARD                                                        910.51 JEROME MOLINE

          440.51 KENNETH MOORMAN                                                  684.03 THE NORTHERN LIGHT

        2493.69 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT                  1128.70 LESLIE PULLAR

          898.56 R & Q TRUCKING, INC                                               2000.00 RESERVE ACCOUNT

        1035.29 RODERICK RONE JR                                                  1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC

          489.90 JIM THOMPSON BOAT CANVAS                              2217.22 TONY DORN, INC.

          702.77 US FOOD SERVICE                                                   2640.00 VOYAGEURS COMTRONICS, INC

44 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       5,419.54

FINAL TOTAL     $85,971.14

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                March 28, 2007           $  20,642.12

                                                March 31, 2007           $105,768.72

                                                April     5, 2007            $  45,973.05

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize Maintenance Supervisor, Matt Mickelson to hire a contractor to remove three windows from the Government Center North Building , have Marvin Windows measure for correct sizing of  windows and to assist in determining the replacement cost of the rest of the windows at the Government Center North Building.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the vote carried as follows:  Voting yes:  Commissioners Bredeson, Arnesen, Moorman and Patty Beckel.  Voting no:  Commissioner Todd Beckel.

Arvid Jaranson, representing Take-A-Kid Fishing Committee met with the board requesting funds for the 10th annual Take-A-Kid Fishing, which will be held on June 20, 2007.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to donate $600.00 as budgeted from the Economic Development fund.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Janice Nelson, representing Lake of the Woods Women of Today met with the board requesting funds for the Willie Walleye Day that will be held on June 2, 2007.

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to donate $500.00 as budgeted from the Cultural Recreation Fund. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Wyatt Johnson, newly hired Director of the Office of the Economic Development, met with the board to  introduce himself, and to present a brief update of the office.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:24 a.m. and reconvened at 10:30 a.m. as follows:

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen introduced newly hired permanent/part-time office assistant Jodi Bauer to the board, discussed the construction of the Salt/Sand Storage Shed, presented the Solid Waste Ordinance section review and the Calcium Chloride application request at the NWA.

The board discussed the construction of the Salt/Sand Storage Shed and requested Bruce do research for alternative funding and other types of structural designs. The Solid Waste Ordinance discussion was moved to a different meeting due to lack of time allocated.  Bruce informed the board that the Manitoba Transportation Department would charge Lake of the Woods County approximately $3,000 per mile to apply Calcium Chloride on the 10-miles of Canadian roadway to the Northwest Angle; Lastly Bruce informed the board of a major break down on the excavator.

County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen met with the board to discuss a survey issue west of Clementson. The board directed Donn to get an estimate to locate and survey the occupation lines in Government Lot 5, Section 12, Gudrid Township and to prepare a drawing showing the discrepancies between the deed lines and the occupied lines.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to go into closed session at 11:30 a.m. pursuant Minn. Stat. § 13D.05, Subd. 3 (b), Attorney-Client Privilege, to discuss settlement options from the Chuck Larsen Hearing. Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  The following were present:  County Attorney Philip Miller, Commissioners Arnesen, Bredeson, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel and Moorman.

The meeting was called to open session at 11:40 a.m.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to go into closed session at 11:44 a.m. pursuant Minn. Stat. §13D.05, Subd. 3(d), security briefing and report. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and  the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  The following were present:  County Sheriff Dallas Block, Commissioners Arnesen, Bredeson, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel and Moorman.

The meeting was called to open session at 12:04 p.m., was called to recess at 12:05 p.m., and reconvened at 1:04 p.m.

Chairman Todd Beckel closed the meeting at 1:05 p.m. and as advertised opened the Planning Commission.

Kim Barsness               Lot 6, Block 1, Rainy River Retreat                  A Conditional Use                                            Section 24, T-162N, R-32 W                          Permit as required by

                                                                                                            the Lake of the

                                                                                                            Woods County                                                                                                                         Zoning Ordinance, to

                                                                                                            allow a commercial

                                                                                                            business consisting of

                                                                                                            bait shop to expand

                                                                                                            onto an adjoining

                                                                                                            lot that is zoned as a

                                                                                                            Residential                                                                                                                                Development District.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund presented the application for a conditional use permit requested by Kim Barsness.  No comments where heard from the floor and no letters were received.

The Planning Commission was closed at 1:18 p.m. and the meeting reconvened as follows:

Josh went over the ISTS proposed changes with the board.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid requested approval for the Lease for Lawful Gambling for the Baudette Arena Association.

The following Resolution was proposed by Commissioner Patty Beckel and moved for adoption:

A Resolution Approving a Lease for Lawful Gambling Activity

Resolution No. 2007-04-01

WHEREAS, the Baudette Arena Association has submitted a lease for lawful gambling activity for Minnesota lawful gambling to be conducted at  the following establishment: Oak Harbor Golf Course at 2805 24th St., Baudette, located in the township of Wabanica, in Lake of the Woods County.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby approve said application for submission to the Minnesota Gambling Control Board.

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The Commissioners discussed the Lake of the Woods County Commissioners’ Meeting dates.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to clarify that the Northwest Angle Meetings, that were set on January 2, 2007 are special meetings, not regular scheduled meetings.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Board Meeting Dates:

County Board meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 9:00 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Room of the County Government Center in Baudette, Minnesota unless otherwise noted below:

Below are the dates and times of the regular County Board meetings for 2007:

DATE                         TIME                                      DATE                         TIME

January 9, 2007              9:00 a.m.                                July 10, 2007               9:00 a.m.

January 23, 2007            9:00 a.m.                                July 24, 2007               9:00 a.m.

February 13, 2007         9:00 a.m.                               

February 27, 2007         9:00 a.m.                                August 14, 2007           9:00 a.m.

(Lake of the Woods School)                                                                            

                                                                                    *August 21, 2007         10:00 a.m.

                                                                                    (NWA)

                                                                                    August 28, 2007           9:00 a.m.

March  13,   2007        9:00 a.m.                                 September 11, 2007     6:00 p.m.

*March  20,   2007      10:00 a.m.                                September 25, 2007     9:00 a.m.

(NWA)

March 27,    2007        9:00 a.m.                                            

April 10,      2007         9:00 a.m.                                 October  9, 2007         9:00 a.m.

April 24,     2007          9:00 a.m.                                 October 23, 2007        9:00 a.m.

May 8,       2007          9:00 a.m.                                 November 13, 2007     9:00 a.m.

May 22, 2007              9:00 a.m.                                 November 27, 2007     9:00 a.m.

June 12, 2007              9:00 a.m.                                 December 11, 2007     9:00 a.m.

June 26, 2007              9:00 a.m.                                 December 18  2007     9:00 a.m.

                                                                                    December 31, 2007     9:00 a.m. 

*Special Meetings

The Commissioners requested that Deputy Auditor, Dale Boretski: Land and Water Panning Director, Josh Stromlund; Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen; County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson; Emergency Management Director, Holly House; County Sheriff, Dallas Block and County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid  attend the Meet and Greet meeting with the Department of Natural Resources on April 17, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Commissioners Patty Beckel and Bredeson reported to the board on the Department Heads Meeting held on April 5, 2007.  Overnight Travel/Training approvals were discussed. The consensus was that each department has a board approved budget, and that department heads are entrusted with managing their departments, it should be unnecessary to obtain approval for overnight travel and training prior to the event. The consensus of the board was this is used as a communication tool and they still want all departments to continue to using the consent agenda for overnight travel; On a matter regarding the employee parking lot, it was suggested  “Reserved” or “Staff Parking” signs be placed to address peak hour conditions when court is in session and/or meetings are being held.   No board action was taken.

The board discussed the Leadership Training session.  The tentative date has been set for June 19 & 20, 2007 at the Ambulance Garage.

Commissioner Todd Beckel discussed the LUP land payments.

With no further business with the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 2:35 p.m.

Attest:                                                              Approved:  April 24, 2007

_____________________________              ___________________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                   Todd Beckel, Chairman of the Board

Commissioner Proceedings

April 24, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, April 24, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Moorman, Arnesen, Todd Beckel and Bredeson.   Also present was County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Travel for Rita Krause to St. Cloud on May 2-3, North West Board of Aging, Consolidated Conservation Lands and Compensation Time. Remove Motion for Calcium Chloride from the agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for  Bruce Hasbargen to Bloomington on June 20-22 for the 2007 Summer Conference of Minnesota County Engineers Association; Rita Krause to St. Cloud on May 2-3 for Child Support Meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the April 10, 2007 minutes.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board to request approval of claims.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the claims against the county:

Commissioner warrants $34,396.27

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Emergency Manager, Holly House met with the board and discussed the Joint Powers Agreement with the North West Region of Homeland Security Emergency Management (HSEM).  Holly explained that County Attorney Phillip Miller viewed the Joint Powers Agreement with some changes to be made before the county enters into the agreement.  The consensus of the board was for Holly to go forward with the preliminary process to enter into the Joint Powers Agreement.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board to request approval for claims, a Resolution of support for North West Community Action Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, Resolution for Forfeited City Land and first quarter Revenue/Expenditures for 2007.

.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                       $   13,929.83

                                                Road & Bridge $     5,523.50

                                                Co. Development         $     1,604.00

                                                Forfeited Tax                $        154.00

                                                Solid Waste                  $   74,920.20

                                                                                    $   96,131.53

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  4/24/2007 FOR PAYMENT  4/27/2007

        AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                  AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          384.00 BAUDETTE BUILDERS, INC                                        1730.13 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

          600.00 ROBERT COOK                                                           662.03 GLOBALSTAR LLC

        2845.00 HOFFMAN, DALE, & SWENSON, PLLC                     1034.00 LOW COUNTY TREASURER

          467.34 MARIO’S AUTO BODY SHOP                                      509.06 SCOTT MCKAY

          340.00 MN STATE – DEPT OF PUBLIC SAFE                           433.75 MORT’S HEATING INC

      73540.71 NORTHWEST MECHANICAL SERVICE I                       428.89 PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER, INC

        1128.70 LESLIE PULLAR                                                           357.80 QUILL CORPORATION

          860.91 RODERICK RONE JR                                                    515.08 WEST GROUP

        4096.00 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC                      2596.13 WOODY’S SERVICE

29 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       3,602.00

FINAL TOTAL     $96,131.53

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                April 10, 2007              $  93,307.70

                                                April 10, 2007              $       587.15

                                                April 18, 2007              $  29,270.29

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ADMINISTRATION OF THE MINNESOTA

HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY’S

FAMILY HOMELESS PREVENTION AND ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

                                                RESOLUTION NO. 07-04-02

WHEREAS, the need for homeless prevention and assistance exists in Lake of the Woods County; and

WHEREAS, Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. desires to administer the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program in Lake of the Woods County in accordance with all applicable State and Federal regulations; and

WHEREAS, in order to administer the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program in Lake of the Woods County, it is necessary for Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. to file a resolution of approval executed by the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners with the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency  and authorize Chairman Todd Beckel and County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to sign.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. is hereby authorized to:

  1. Submit a proposal to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for funds from the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program to assist people in Lake of the Woods County;
  2. Administer the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program in Lake of the Woods County, according to the program guidelines, contingent upon funding being granted.

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board reviewed the 2007 Revenue/Expenditure first quarter report.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-04-03

WHEREAS, the county board of commissioners of the county of Lake of the Woods, State of Minnesota, desires to offer for sale certain parcels of land that have forfeited to the State of Minnesota for nonpayment of taxes; and,

WHEREAS, said parcels of land have been viewed by the county board of commissioners and have been classified as non-conservation lands as provided for in Minnesota Statutes 282.01.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Lake of the Woods county board of commissioners hereby certifies that all parcels of land on the attached list have been viewed and comply with the provisions of Minnesota Statutes 85.012, 92.461, 282.01, Subd. 8 and 282.018 and the 1991 Laws of Minnesota, Chapter 354, Article 10, Section 9, amending M.S. Section 282.018, Subd. 2 (1990).  The county board of commissioners hereby certifies that the soil and water conservation district of Lake of the Woods County has reviewed the following land sale list and identified any and all non-forested marginal and wetlands.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Lake of the Woods county board of commissioners hereby requests approval from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the sale of said lands.

total

                                                                                                                         APPRAISED     DESCRIPTION                   SEC   TWP   RNG      LAND    TIMBER     VALUE

  1. Lot 007, Block 002                                                    $3,000  +  $       0   =  $  3,000.00
  2. Lot 008, Block 002                                                    $1,700  +  $       0   =    $ 1,700.00

First Addition to East Beaudette according to the plat of record.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The board discussed correspondence from the Association of Minnesota Counties  informing counties of the cost savings by purchasing through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance. The board requested that this be brought to the department heads for their input on using this vendor for purchases.

Lee Hervey, from Voyageurs Comtronics met with the board and discussed the Digital Television (DTV) that Congress passed setting February 17, 2009 as the deadline for the DTV transition.  The reason for switching from analog to DTV is for improved picture and sound quality. This will also free up areas of the broadcast spectrum for public safety (like the fire/ police departments, and emergency rescue) as well as other valuable uses. Since Lake of the Woods County provides local TV to the area, and with passage of  the new law requiring DTV, the county will have to upgrade with new equipment for the translators to be able to pick up the digital signals which will bring 12 Channels verses the 3 Channels now available or not offer local TV in the area.

Public Works Assistant Engineer, Bill Sindelir met with the board along with Public Works Staff Jeff Pelland, Lee Hancock, Craig Slick, Bob Peterson, Todd Fadness and Mike Anderson. Jeff informed the board that Ottertail County could not be reached before the meeting to get a price on the Norstar injector spray unit and requested this to be discussed at later meeting.  Jeff briefed the board on the Decatur, Illinois Caterpillar trip and informed the board that the backhoe has been fixed. 

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board and discussed the consideration of approval for Kim Barness Conditional Use requesting to expand a commercial business consisting of a bait shop onto an adjoining lot that is zoned as a Residential Development District. Proposed project description was discussed with the Board. Items of discussion included the reason for the request because of the proposed minnow regulations that will be going in effect as a result of the spiny water flee being present in the Rainy Basin. In addition, the septic tank location is not available at this time and in order to meet the required setback of 10 feet, the proposed addition of 18’X18′  (actual size is 256 square feet) had a ”jog” in it to meet this requirement. Discussion on the size of the addition ensued. The consensus of the Board was that in order to meet the septic tank setback an addition of not to exceed 400 square feet should be adequate for extra storage and the minnow tanks and the dimension of the addition left up to the landowner. Josh then went through the Findings and Facts:

Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners

Findings of Fact and Decision

Name of Applicant:   Kim Barsness (Border Bait Co.)     Date:   April 24, 2007

Project Proposal:   Applicant is requesting to allow a commercial business consisting of a bait shop to expand onto an adjoining lot that is zoned as a Residential Development District.

  1. Is the requested use consistent with maintaining the public health, safety, and welfare?

                                                                                                            YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Proposal will not generate waste, consistent with surrounding land uses, is attached to current business, and no increase in traffic.

2. Is the requested use consistent with the goal of preventing and controlling water pollution, including sedimentation and nutrient loading?                                                                                                            YES (X) NO (  )

Why or why not?  Project will not have any bearing on water pollution.

3. Will the requested use not adversely affect the site’s existing topography, drainage features, and vegetative cover?                            YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  The project will have minimal effect on the existing topography, drainage features, and vegetative cover.

4. Is the requested use’s site location reasonable in relation to any floodplain and/or floodway of rivers or tributaries?                                                                                                                                                                         Yes(X)  NO( )

Why or why not?  Project is not located in the floodplain or within the shoreland area.     

5. Has the erosion potential of the site based upon the degree and direction of slope, soil type, and existing vegetative cover been adequately addressed for the requested use?

                                                                                                             YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  The site is not an erosion problem because of the flat topography and type of project proposal.

6. Is the site in harmony with existing and proposed access roads?        

                                                                                                            YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  The project has no relationship to access roads.  However, the existing business is adjacent to Highway 172 and Pickerel Trail.

7. Is the requested use compatible with adjacent land uses?

                  YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  The proposed project will be attached to current business.  Adjacent lot to the West has business and located in the Resort Area of the County.

8. Does the requested use have a reasonable need to be in a shoreland location?

                                                                                                             YES (  )  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Not applicable.  The project area is not located within a shoreland area.

9.  Is the amount of liquid waste to be generated reasonable and the proposed sewage disposal system adequate to accommodate such?                                                                                                                                 YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  The project will not increase the amount of waste generated.  Also, the project is located within the Wheeler’s Point Sanitary District.

10. Will the visibility of structures and other facilities as viewed from public waters comply with Section 901 of the Zoning Ordinance or Section 5.3 of the Rainy/Rapid Rivers Shoreland Ordinance?                                                                                                                                                                      YES (  )  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Not applicable.  Project is not located within a shoreland area.

11. Is the site adequate for water supply and on-site sewage treatment systems?

                                                                                                              YES (X)  NO (  )

Why or why not?  The site already has a water supply and a septic system.  Also, the project site falls within the Wheeler’s Point Sanitary District.       

12. Are the affected public waters suited to and able to safely accommodate the types, uses, and numbers of watercraft that the use will generate?                                                                                                                        YES (  )  NO (  )

Why or why not?  Not applicable.  Project is not located within a shoreland area.

If all the applicable answers to the Findings of Fact Criteria are “Yes” the criteria for granting the conditional use permit have been met. The conditional use permit will maintain the goals of safety, health, and general welfare of the public. 

The specific conditions of approval are as follows:  Addition to structure not to exceed 400 square feet in size.

Approved  (X)       Denied  (  )

This is in accordance with Section 1104 of the Lake of the Woods Zoning Ordinance or Section 3.4 of the Rainy/Rapid Rivers Shoreland Ordinance.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the Conditional Use Permit for Kim Barsness with the condition of the addition not to exceed 400 square foot in size.

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Josh discussed the continuation of the HDR Study “Lake of the Woods County Bostic Creek Flooding and Sediment Source Investigation and Sediment Reduction Study” which was completed in June 2005.  The focus of the study will be to reduce the ditch, stream bank erosion, and reduce sedimentation. Josh explained the Plan of Action of the Data Acquisition, which will include the survey work and field portion-the stretch of the Bostic, including the channelized portion between County Road 8 and County Road 4 will be surveyed.  Data will be gathered to provide a topographic survey of the area.

The consensus of the Board was to have Josh move forward with the Data Acquisition of the Bostic Creek area.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:00 p.m. and reconvened at 1:05 p.m. as follows:

The board discussed the “Meet and Greet” meeting with the DNR Regional Managers on April 17, 2007. The Commissioners will review the topics of concerns and bring their topics later.

Commissioner Moorman discussed a letter he received from the North West Board of Aging.  He notified the board that they maybe requesting funding in the upcoming future.

Commissioner Todd Beckel discussed a letter the DNR sent Chief Judge Krause requesting a rules hearing for determining drainage benefits to state-owned lands in Consolidated Conservation (Con-Con) areas which are found in parts of Aitkin, Beltrami, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall and Roseau counties. Commissioner Todd Beckel explained that since 1984, in Con Con Areas in NW MN, there has been an ongoing disagreement between County government and the Minnesota DNR regarding payment of Ditch Tax Assessments.  In 1993, after court action, settlements on all accounts were made by the State.  Since that time, all assessments owed to these ditch systems have gone “unpaid” by the DNR with now close to $3,000,000 owed to neighboring counties.

The board discussed the following with no action:  compensation time, airport fuel truck, DOT meeting, Mar-kit meeting Arrowhead Library budget and the Leadership Training.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 2:22 p.m.

Attest:                                                                          Approved:        May 8, 2007

______________________________                        ______________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                               Todd Beckel, Chairman of the Board

March, 2007

Commissioner Proceedings

March 13, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, March 13, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Moorman, Arnesen and Bredeson.  Chairman Todd Beckel was absent due to other obligations for the county. Also present was Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Vice Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the agenda with the following addition:  Leadership Training and remove Maintenance from the agenda. Remove travel for Philip Miller on March 15 and 23 from the consent agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for  Philip Miller on March 16 to St. Paul for MCAA Board of Director’s meeting; Shelley Phillippe on April 9-10 to Brainerd for Claims and Collections training. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the February 27, 2007 minutes.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board to request approval of claims and give an overview of the Lake of the Woods Children and Families Collaborative for the year 2006.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county:

Commissioner warrants $23,231.24

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Nancy explained the Lake of the Woods Children and Families Collaborative was formed to enhance existing services, create and fund new services and coordinate opportunities in both prevention activities and intervention services.  The following programs received collaborative funds in 2006:  Lake of the Woods School Social Worker, SELF, Young Parents Plus, Youth Education on Drug and Alcohol Use, Reading/Math Camp, School Nursing Prevention and Intervention Services, Parenting Education and Youth Skill Development/Elementary School Social Worker.

Jim Courneya from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Mike Hirst, Feedlot Officer for Lake of the Woods County met with the board to discuss the possibility of adopting a Feedlot Ordinance for the County.  At this time, Lake of the Woods County runs under the State Ordinance.

The consensus of the board was to have the Land Use Committee and the Soil and Water Conservation District  look into the Feedlot Ordinance.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:04 a.m. and reconvened at 10:10 a.m. as follows:

Deputy Auditor, Lorene Hanson met with the board and requested approval for claims, discussed the request for funding from MN Small Business Development, Warroad Community Education and a letter from the Rinke Noonan Law Office on the anticipated legal cost for the  road inventory that the county requested the law firm to complete.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue                       $  29,602.21

                                                Road & Bridge $172,718.43

                                                Co. Development         $       200.00

                                                Solid Waste                  $ 12,193.79

                                                                                    $214,714.43

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  3/13/2007 FOR PAYMENT  3/16/2007

        AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                 AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          371.52 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                            709.19 ARROW PRINTING

        2039.32 AUTO VALUE                                                          58041.82 BERT’S TRUCK EQUIPMENT OF MOOR

          308.21 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                                   500.00 CMRS-FP

        5577.54 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                               722.52 CONSTRUCTION BULLETIN

          300.20 FRONTIER PRECISION INC                                           371.17 THEODORE FURBISH

          560.52 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC                                            1427.86 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY

          420.29 HSBC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS                                     780.12 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS

          583.23 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC                                             351.09 LOCATORS SUPPLIES INC

          450.00 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT                                                 376.81 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MN

        8619.30 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                                     463.50 METRO FORMS, INC

        2761.77 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP                              375.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO

      13772.64 MN STATE DEPT-CORRECTION                                   521.60 JEROME MOLINE

          335.93 OFFICE DEPOT                                                            819.51 PRO MAC MANUFACTURING LTD

          895.80 LESLIE PULLAR                                                           898.56 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

          870.86 REED’S SPORTING GOODS                                       2000.00 RESERVE ACCOUNT

          884.60 RTVISION INC                                                              334.14 SHERATON BLOOMINGTON HOTEL,

          396.19 T R JOBBING                                                               572.26 TONY DORN, INC.

          307.16 TRUE VALUE                                                           98205.19 TWIN CITIES MACK & VOLVO TRUCK

          645.60 VOYAGEURS COMMUNICATIONS, INC                     1856.23 WOODY’S SERVICE

41 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       5,287.18

FINAL TOTAL   $214,714.43

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                            February 27, 2007       $ 38,134.43    

                                                March 1,       2007       $    6,920.00

                                                March 5,       2007       $113,217.82

                                                March 7,       2007       $  29,933.73

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to contribute to the Minnesota Small Business Development Center $500.00 (partner level) per year, for the years of 2008, 2009 and 2010, with the funding from the Economic Development account. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to table the request from the Warroad Community Education Director for $998.00 until the March 27 meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the anticipated legal cost of up to $10,000 with the funding from the unallocated account for the Lake of the Woods County Road Inventory to be paid to Rinke Noonan Law Firm whom Lake of the Woods County hired for this project.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board requesting approval for the 2007 Annual Boat and Water Safety grant.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

A Resolution Authorizing the Annual Boat and Water Safety Grant

Resolution 07-03-01

WHEREAS, under the provisions of M.S.86B.105, the Sheriff of each county is required to carry out the provisions of Chapter 86B, and the boat and water safety rules promulgated by the Commissioner.

WHEREAS, M.S. Section 86b.701 and the MN Rules provided for the allocation of funds by the Commissioner to assist in the funding of the Sheriff’s duties.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Vice Chairman, Auditor and Sheriff are hereby authorized to execute the annual county boat and water safety agreement, for the period of January 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008 in the amount of $6,580.

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Moorman spoke about the Strategic Planning Session the county held on February 28, felt that this was a worthwhile training, and would like to see more leadership training programs held.

The board discussed the GIZIIBII member- at- large per diem, which was tabled from the March 13th meeting.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the per diem of $40.00 plus mileage for the member- at- large appointed to the GIZIIBII Committee for Lake of the Woods County to attend the regional meetings.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

DNR Wild Life Manager, Jeff Dittrich met with the board to discuss the Bernard land acquisition, which was tabled from the February 27, 2007 meeting. The board requested that the DNR explore the possibility of a like value of land exchange with the county.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to deny the request from Mr. Bernard for a land acquisition with the DNR based upon the county policy of “NO NET LOSS” that was adopted on December 23, 1997.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Bredeson and Patty Beckel discussed issues that were discussed at the Department Head meeting with no action were:  Technology fund and the Commissioners’ Room usage (this was sent to the Building Committee).

The meeting was called to recess at 11:22 p.m. and reconvened at 12:34 a.m. as follows:

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the County Public Works Director to hire the following part-time/temporary seasonal help and to advertise for same:

  • Intermediate Equipment Operators
  • Engineering Technician/Laborers

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to table the request for approval of the part time/temporary seasonal help for a step increase until the March 27, 2007 meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to award the bid for SAP 39-601-26, SAP 39-623-03, SAP 39-626-04, SAP 39-639-02, School #390 Access Road & Public Works Parking Lot, Bituminous Surfacing, to the lowest responsible bidder, North Star Materials, Inc. of  Bemidji, MN, in the amount of  $1,374,702.64. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Bruce discussed the construction of the salt/storage facility with the board.  He informed them that the quote he received from Wheeler Lumber for a 16’ High Structure would cost approximately $89,995, which does not include labor, bituminous, service doors, electrical work, concrete pads below the posts, temporary bracing, or any site preparation.  Bruce estimated the additional cost would be approximately $62,000.

Bruce discussed the prototype Caterpillar motor grader that the Highway Department has been field-testing since February of 2006.  The operators have evaluated the new joystick controls, cab improvements, and overall operation of this new grader. The Caterpillar Product Support and Engineering Teams at Decatur has requested that our staff meet with them and give feedback on the prototype motor grader.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize Jeff Pelland, John Craig, Lee Hancock, Mike Anderson, Craig Slick, Todd Fadness and Bob Peterson to travel to Decatur, Illinois to give a presentation on the operation and maintenance of the Cat 140M field follow motor grader. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was duly carried.

Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust Account Executive, Gail Sater met with the board and gave the 2007 member report to the board.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board to review the 2006 budgets for Solid Waste and Highway.

With no further business with the board, Vice Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 3:25 p.m.

Attest:                                                              Approved:  March 28, 2007    

_____________________________              ___________________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                   Todd Beckel Chairman of the Board

 

 

Commissioners’ Proceedings

March 20, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, March 20, 2007, at the Angle Inlet School, Angle Inlet, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Moorman and Bredeson.  Others present on behalf of the County were:  County Engineer Bruce Hasbargen, County Land & Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund and County Auditor John W. Hoscheid. Also present were area residents: Paul Colson, Karen Colson, George Risser and Deb Kellerman. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the agenda.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Engineer Bruce Hasbargen discussed the issue of applying calcium chloride on the Canadian portion of the road to the NWA.  He stated that the Canadian Department of Transportation would do the work and Lake of the Woods County would pay for the cost if requested.  This would be for the approximately 10-mile section and at an approximate cost of $1,000 per mile.  Bruce was going to find out additional information and report back to the board.

Commissioners Arnesen and Todd Beckel gave an update on the meetings regarding right of way for the road and utilities that have been held with the DNR, Red Lake Band and County Officials.

County Land & Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund updated the Board of Commissioners on the sewer disposal and possible site when the snow has melted.

Deb Kellerman updated the Board of Commissioners on passports and requested the Board of Commissioners to continue to pursue the funding of the cell towers.

DNR representative, Pegg Julson gave a presentation on fire wise protection with discussion following.

County Auditor John W Hoscheid presented a Strategic Planning Retreat proposal by Don Salverda to the County Board of Commissioners.  This was discussed and tabled for a future meeting.

There being no further business before the Board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting in recess at 12:00 p.m.    

Attest: ______________________________             Approved: ____________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                               Todd Beckel, Chairman of the Board   

Commissioner Proceedings

March 27, 2007

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Moorman, Arnesen Todd Beckel and Bredeson.   Also present was Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the agenda with the following addition:  Travel for John W. Hoscheid to St. Paul on March 27-28 for AMC Legislative Conference, Holly House to St. Cloud on May 2-3 for an Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP); lost warrant for Northern Light, Lutheran Social Service Nutrition Program; Capricia Matthias request for funds; Tom Kratzke- Bostic Creek update; cormorants; minnows; LUP Lands; WACA; ditch pilot project/road inventory. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Holly House on April 23-27 to Brooklyn Park for Mass Casualty Training and May 2-3 for HSEEP training. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the March 13 and 20, 2007 minutes.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board to request approval of claims, lost warrant, Lutheran Social Service Nutrient Check and to certify Mental Health Supervisor off probation and request a step increase.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county:

Commissioner warrants $39,574.02

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to approve the Mental Health Supervisor off probation and approve a one-step increase on the compensation plan effective March 18, 2007. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to deposit the reimbursement check for $550.68 from Lutheran Social Services Nutrient Project into the designated reserve account for the Brink Center.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the application and affidavit for lost warrant for the Northern Light dated October 18, 2006, without furnishing an indemnifying bond.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board and requested approval for claims, discussed the 2006 Deputy Registrar Reviews, Lake of the Woods Drifters Snowmobile Club request to donate to Sheriff’s posse, motor pool expense, approval of set-up license for Ships Wheel Resort and resolutions for sponsorship of snowmobile trails

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                            Revenue                       $  27,906.64

                                                Road & Bridge $     3,141.11

                                                Solid Waste                  $        471.85

                                                                                    $  31,519.60

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  3/27/2007 FOR PAYMENT  3/30/2007

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          445.79 AMERICAN SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINES                       487.93 CREATIVE FORMS & CONCEPTS INC

      10599.50 DELL MARKETING, LP                                                 520.95 HOLLACE HOUSE

          818.33 LIBERTY BUSINESS SYSTEMS, INC                          1472.50 MN COUNTIES INFORMATION SYSTEM

        1650.00 NEW HORIZONS MINNESOTA                                   1725.30 PITT & QUARRY SUPPLIES, INC

        1699.50 LESLIE PULLAR                                                           506.41 SIMPLEX

        7984.32 SOFTWARE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL,                       515.08 WEST GROUP

27 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       3,093.99

FINAL TOTAL     $31,519.60

Further moved to authorize the payment of auditor’s warrants as follows:

                                                                March 14, 2007     $66,944.37

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

John went over the 2006 Deputy Registrar Review for which the office received a one (excellent rating) from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.  The county board congratulates Deputy Registrar/Deputy Auditor Janet E. Rudd, Deputy Auditor Darren Olson and Deputy Auditor Dale Boretski for a job well done.

Lake of the Woods Drifter Club requested permission to donate $1,500 to the Lake of the Woods Sheriff’s Posse to purchase emergency search and rescue equipment.

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to accept the donation of $1,500 from the Lake of the Woods Drifters Club to Lake of the Woods Sheriff’s Posse to purchase emergency search and rescue equipment.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

John presented the 2006-year end Motor Pool Expenses to the board.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the Set-up permit to Ships Wheel Resort from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008 and authorized County Auditor John W. Hoscheid to sign and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Alcohol & Gambling Enforcement Division to issue the permit.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

 The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Arnesen and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-03-01

Sponsorship of Snowmobile Trails Assistance Program

BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County will act as the legal sponsor for an application for funding to the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resource for NW Angle Islands maintenance of snowmobile trails managed by Northwest Angle Edge Riders.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon approval of its application by the state, the Lake of the Woods County may enter into an agreement with the State of Minnesota for the above referenced project and that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in the agreement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid is hereby authorized to serve as the fiscal agent for the above referenced project.

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Patty Beckel and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-03-02

Sponsorship of Snowmobile Trails Assistance Program

BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County will act as the legal sponsor for an application for funding to the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resource for Big Traverse maintenance of snowmobile trail managed by Lake of the Woods Drifters.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon approval of its application by the state, the Lake of the Woods County may enter into an agreement with the State of Minnesota for the above referenced project and that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in the agreement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid is hereby authorized to serve as the fiscal agent for the above referenced project.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Bredeson and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-03-03

Sponsorship of Snowmobile Trails Assistance Program

BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County will act as the legal sponsor for an application for funding to the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resource for Border Trails maintenance of snowmobile trails managed by Border Trails.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon approval of its application by the state, the Lake of the Woods County may enter into an agreement with the State of Minnesota for the above referenced project and that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in the agreement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid is hereby authorized to serve as the fiscal agent for the above referenced project.

Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Moorman and moved for adoption:

Resolution No. 07-03-04

Sponsorship of Snowmobile Trails Assistance Program

BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County will act as the legal sponsor for an application for funding to the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resource for BISF SECTION 3 maintenance of snowmobile trails managed by Border Trails.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon approval of its application by the state, the Lake of the Woods County may enter into an agreement with the State of Minnesota for the above referenced project and that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in the agreement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid is hereby authorized to serve as the fiscal agent for the above referenced project.

Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Chairman Todd Beckel brought before the table (tabled from the March 13 meeting) Warroad Community Education’s request for financial support for $988.00 (based on the number of participants from the summer of 2006) for children who participate in the Warroad Community Education, (live in District 390). The board requested that a letter be sent informing Warroad Community Education, Lake of the Woods County does not fund Community Education elsewhere.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board to request a step increase for seasonal help, to set the annual road tour date and inform the board that the Mar-Kit- Sanitary Landfill Annual meeting will be held on April 11, 2007  at the Pizza Ranch in Roseau at 11:30 a.m.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to grant returning seasonal help on to step and one additional step on the part-time compensation plan.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to set May 15, as the date for the Lake of the Woods County annual road tour.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:08 a.m. and reconvened at 10:12 a.m. as follows:

The Commissioners discussed the following topics with no action:  LUP Lands, Wetlands, minnows and Head Waters Financing Committee.

Capricia Matthias met with the board requesting funding to attend the Congressional Youth Leadership Council.  No board action was taken.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board.

Motion by Commissioner Patty Beckel to accept from Mike Reed the application to plat the SE1/4 of Sec. 20, TWP 162N, R-32W, Morris Point Estates. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion by Commissioner Bredeson to approve the county designating the required match up to $25,000 for the Challenge Grant proposal.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Tom Kratzke discussed with the board “Bostic Creek” issues.

The Commissioners discussed the Strategic Planning and acknowledge the letters were received from the Department Heads.  The consensus of the board was to move forward with the planning and get dates when they could meet again.  Commissioner Moorman and County Auditor John W. Hoscheid will work on this.

Maintenance Supervisor, Matt Mickelson met with the board to discuss the window repairs and the sidewalk to be poured between the Government Center North and the County Government Center. The consensus of the board was to have the windows replaced this year and referred project over to the building committee.

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to accept the lowest bid of $1,500 from GM Construction for the sidewalk between the Government Center North Building and the Government Center.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The County Board set a special meeting for April 17, 2007, at 10: 00 a.m. for a Meet and Greet Meeting with the Department of Natural Resources Regional Management Teams.

The Commissioner discussed the motion from the March 13, 2007, for the anticipated legal cost of the Road Inventory to be paid to Rinke Noonan Law Firm. The board wants the money to come from the economic development fund, not the unallocated fund.

With no further business with the board, Chairman Todd Beckel called the meeting to recess at 12:05 p.m.

Attest:                                                              Approved:  April 10, 2007

_____________________________              ___________________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                   Todd Beckel Chairman of the Board