December, 2008

Commissioner Proceedings

December 12, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Friday, December 12, 2008 in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

Call to Order

Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen, Bredeson and Moorman. Also present were: County Auditor, John W Hoscheid; Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd; Tom Hanson and John Oren.

ELECT COMMISSIONER, TOM HANSON

Chairman Bredeson polled the board on inviting Elect Commissioner Hanson to the table to join in on discussion, but without voting on any decisions.  The board all concurred and Chairman Bredeson invited Elect Commissioner Hanson to the table.

Approval of Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions: Travel for Peder Hovland on December 15-18, 2008 for MN Government IT Conference; Christmas Holiday; JPA with Minnesota Secretary of State, Hiring Freeze, Wheeler’s Point sewer project, Resort Shoreland Rules, LGA.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  

Consent Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Mark Hall on January 13-16, 2009 for MACATFO conference; Peder Hovland on December 15-18, 2008 for MN Government IT Conference.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Approval of Minutes

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the commissioner minutes of November 25, 2008.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler

Claims

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the following claims against the county:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $   40,712.06

Motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

2009 BUDGET

Commissioner Arnesen discussed the session he attended at the AMC conference which was called “Show Me the Money” that was delivered by Jim Mulder, AMC Executive Director.  The session consisted of the budget deficit projection of $426 million for the State of Minnesota for end of fiscal year 2009. Arnesen stated that ramification of the County’s budget may need to be addressed, discussed the possibility of a hiring freeze. After discussion, the consensus of the county board was to possible wait on the union contract’s and employee salary adjustments until after January to see what the State outlook is with the deficit.

MERIT STEP INCREASE, TIER III PLAN

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to give a one step increase according to the Three-year Tier Plan that was adopted on August 28, 2007 to all eligible employees hired from January 1, 1990 to December 4, 2002 that received a positive performance review, in accordance with the Lake of the Woods County Compensation Plan.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

2009 IRS MILEAGE RATE 

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to set the mileage rate at the standard IRS rate for 2009.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

HUMAN RESOURCES CONTRACT

The board discussed the renewal of the Human Resource Contract with Contractor Wade Johannesen. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Bredeson to renew the Human Resource Contract as presented.  The motion died of a lack of a second.

The board discussed the deficit with Wade and discussed his contract, the possibility of a six (6) month contract until they know where they will be financially later in the year. Wade discussed his concerns of his insurance cost that he needs to renew.  The consensus of the board was for him to renew his insurance and if his contract was canceled then the county would reimburse him for his cost. This was placed on the December 16, 2008 board agenda.

COUNTY PROGRAM AID-(CPA)

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid discussed the CPA with the board.  He explained that the second payment of $218,000 should be coming on the 15th of the month.

ADOPTION OF 2009 BUDGET AND TAX LEVY

RESOLUTION ADOPTING 2009 BUDGET AND TAX LEVY

Resolution No. 2008-12-01

The following Resolution was proposed and moved for adoption by Commissioner Todd Beckel.

WHEREAS, the certified county budget for the year 2009 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 2009:

                        Revenue Fund                       $1,247,446

                        Road & Bridge                      $   449,580

                        Welfare                                  $   558,437

                        Total                                       $2,255,463

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following amounts be levied against the unorganized townships of Lake of the Woods County for 2009:

                        Twp Road & Bridge             $  403,905*

                        Twp Fire – Baudette              $    19,000

                        Williams                                 $    26,400

                        NW Angle                              $      6,500

                        Total                                       $  455,805

$8,500 of which is specifically levied to NW Angle residents and designated as follows: Calcium Chloride ($7,500) and Lighting ($1,000).

Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

LAKE OF THE WOODS SUSTAINABILITY FOUNDATION-RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT

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

SUPPORT FOR LAKE OF THE WOODS WATER QUALITY TO BE REFERRED TO THE INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION FOR EXAMINATION AND REPORT AND THESE BILLS MAY BE REINTRODUCED IN THE 86 LEGISLATIVE SESSION;

Resolution No. 08-12-02

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 list of impaired waters (2008 303[d] list);

WHEREAS, the 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 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 in 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;

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;

WHEREAS, Bills HF3991 and SF3712 were introduced into the 85 Legislative Session of the State of Minnesota, seeking resolution that the question of Lake of the Woods water quality be referred to the International Joint Commission for examination and report and these bills may be reintroduced in the 86 Legislative Session;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:

THAT, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby supports that 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, the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation

Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the vote carried as follows: Voting for: Commissioners Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.  Voting against: Commissioner Arnesen.

RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR MINNOW DELIVERY TO THE NORTHWEST ANGLE

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

Resolution No. 2008-12-03

WHEREAS, 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 Manitoba Fisheries regulations does not allow ground transportation for minnow delivery through Manitoba and back into the United States to the Northwest Angle, located in Lake of the Woods County, State of Minnesota, USA

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby request that the Manitoba Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, authorizes minnow delivery to the Northwest Angle by licensed Minnesota dealers to licensed Minnesota Minnow retailers

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners request support of this resolution from the International Joint Commission, the State of Minnesota, Lake of the Woods Sustainability Foundation and the US Department of State.

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

REVIEW OF THE BAUDETTE/LAKE OF THE WOODS AIRPORT/AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

The board reviewed the 2008 profit and loss budget and the 2009 budget for the Baudette/Lake of the Woods Airport and the Economic Development Office.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid

Claims

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the following claims against the county:

                                                Revenue                      $  61,631.39

                                                Road & Bridge           $  98,109.72

                                                Co. Development        $    1,245.00

                                                Solid Waste                 $  17,725.58

                                                                                    $178,711.69

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 12/12/2008 FOR PAYMENT 12/15/2008

     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          454.41 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                   1969.34 AUTO VALUE BAUDETTE

          547.00 BLACKDUCK FIRE & SAFETY EQUIP                     329.41 BOB BARKER COMPANY INC

          683.56 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                              3686.01 CENEX CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

        3868.58 ELECTION SYSTEMS & SOFTWARE, I                    558.82 MARK ERICKSON

        2600.00 LEE HANCOCK                                                        4228.54 HEPPNER CONSULTING, INC

          462.25 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC                                      1042.77 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY

        1404.17 WADE JOHANNESEN                                                761.47 LAKEWOOD HEALTH CENTER

        4000.00 LAVALLA SAND & GRAVEL INC                            383.94 LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.

        1077.07 LOW FOODS                                                             2990.61 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

        6384.15 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                                 800.00 KEVIN MCLAIN

          425.00 MN ASSN OF COUNTIES                                         2821.47 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          777.00 KENNETH MOORMAN                                            5428.22 LAW MOREN

          303.47 MORT’S HEATING INC                                          10788.00 MSOP-MN SEX OFFENDER PRGRM-462

        1021.90 NOBLE THRIFTY WHITE                                          404.68 OFFICE DEPOT

      14000.00 PRO-WEST & ASSOCIATES, INC                              881.36 QUILL CORPORATION

      85106.17 R & Q TRUCKING, INC                                            1748.14 RODERICK RONE JR

        1340.02 ROSEAU COUNTY COOPERATIVE ASSN                303.97 ROY SCHARFENKAMP

        3500.00 SJOBERG’S INC                                                          490.87 T R JOBBING

        1666.07 TOTALL                                                                   1878.33 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        1806.35 WOODY’S SERVICE

56 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       5,788.57

FINAL TOTAL    $178,711.69

Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants:

                                                November 26, 2008    $     1,804.28

                                                December 3, 2008       $ 341,648.83

                                                December 6, 2008       $      (203.83)

                                                December 6, 2008       $  170,131.48

                                                December 9, 2008       $1,031,395.91

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

Capital Expenditure Policy

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to accept the revised Capital Expenditure Policy dated December 12, 2008 as presented. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT WITH MN SECRETARY OF STATE-SENATOR RE-COUNT

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to sign the Minnesota Secretary of State’s JPA effective November 19, 2008 and expiring January 1, 2009. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

LAKE OF THE WOODS TOURISM BUREAU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DENELLE CAUBLE

Executive Director, Denelle Cauble met with the board and presented the annual report to the board. Denelle informed the board that she had no update from the Department of Transportation on the Scenic-byway.

Denelle reported that she just received notice from Hoffman/Dale and Swenson, LLC that the bureau is up for an audit this year and verbally requested $2,000 from the county to help with audit expenses.  The board gave no commitment at this time due to possible budget deficit.

ASSISTANT ENGINEER, BILL SINDELIR

Assistant Engineer, Bill Sindelir met with the board requesting approval to set a public hearing for the highway department 5-year construction plan.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to set the public hearing date to receive input on the proposed five-year construction plan for Lake of the Woods County as January 27, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote ,was duly carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:30 a.m. and reconvened at 10:35 a.m. as follows:

COUNTY SURVEYOR, DONN RASMUSSEN

County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen met with the board to discuss the process of a boundary commission.  Ida Connix was present and verbally petitioned the county board to move forward with a boundary commission to clear up the boundary line issues that are in questions in Gudrid Township.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to accept the verbal petition from landowner Ida Connix to establish a boundary commission in Gudrid Township. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the vote carried as follows:  Voting for: Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.  Voting against:  Commissioner Todd Beckel.

The board discussed the re-appointment of the County Surveyor. No action was taken.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY

The board discussed the 2008 Christmas Holiday.  The consensus of the board was to leave the holiday as is per the personnel policy.

LESSARD OUTDOOR HERITAGE COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

The board discussed the Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council that was formed by the legislators and the appointments of the membership on the council with no member being appointed in the entire northern half of the state, leaving that all “unrepresented”.  The board reviewed the draft letter and requested that this letter be sent to the Governor Pawlenty, Senator Saxhaug, Representative Anzelc, Speaker of the House and the Senate Leader.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the letter as presented and authorize Chairman Bredeson to sign.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

LAKEWOOD HEALTH CENTER

Contract- home health services

Public Health Director, Michelle Brown met with the board and discussed the Home Health Services Contract.  The board took no action on the contract due to a three (3) percent increase from last year; the board requested that they wanted the same rate as last year’s contract and to see what LakeWood could do with the contract.

GRAND THEATER

Commissioner Todd Beckel informed the board that a board member from the Grand Theater approached him amount the payment that is do on the theater and was possible looking for funding from the county and he also discussed the tax exempt status of the theater.  No action was taken.

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

PLANNING COMMISSION

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 1:01 p.m. and opened the Planning Commission. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Director, Josh Stromlund presented the final plat of Marina Estates to the Commissioners.  Josh informed the board that the insurance has been secured for the unfinished road; the plat meets all compliances and recommends having the plat approved.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Planning Commissioner at 1:05 p.m. and open the regular meeting.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the final plat of Marina Estates. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

WETLAND CONSERVATION ACT RULES

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund presented a resolution to oppose the proposed Wetland Conservation Act Rules to the board.

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

Resolution No. 08-12-04

Resolution to Oppose Proposed Wetland Conservation Act Rules

Regarding Mandatory Reporting of Exemptions

WHEREAS,  the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA), including portions of Minnesota Statutes, chapters 103A, 103B, 103E, 103F, and 103G, became effective on January 1,1992 and is administered by local government units (LGU) with technical assistance from Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) and oversight by the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR); and

WHEREAS,  Minnesota Statutes and current Rule 8420 exempts certain activities from regulation under the WCA and an exemption applies whether or not the LGU has made an exemption determination; and

WHEREAS,  the current Rule 8420 does not require landowners to gain approval or report activities that are exempt from the WCA; and

WHEREAS,  the 1994 and 1996 amendments to the WCA which resulted in the exemptions that are contained in current Rule 8420, and assurances that landowners conducting exempt activities would truly be exempt without additional requirements, was a significant reason for Northern Counties to adopt the WCA; and

WHEREAS,  the BWSR draft Rule 8420 now proposes to require landowners to report all exemptions; and

WHEREAS,  the Rule proposal requires a level of technical expertise that landowners do not possess; and

WHEREAS,  in order to comply with the requirement, landowners will request assistance from the LGU or SWCD; and

WHEREAS,  the amount of technical assistance required will be greater in rural areas, particularly in northern Minnesota where wetlands are abundant; and

WHEREAS,  the current amount of funding provided for implementation of the WCA is insufficient to   effectively implement the program requirements under current rules; and

WHEREAS,  the proposed WCA rule provision to require landowners to report exemptions will result in the increased costs to LGUs without any increase in funding for implementation proposed or likely with a projected $5 Billion state budget deficit; and

WHEREAS,  the proposed Rule language to require landowners to report exempt activities is in direct conflict with Minnesota Statute 103G.2241, subdivision 11 and the intent and spirit of WCA; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Lake of the Woods County opposes any changes to the WCA rules which would require landowners to report exempt activities.

Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

HIRING FREEZE

Commissioner Arnesen spoke to the board of a possible hiring freeze due the deficit that the State is in. No action was taken at this time.

Old/New Business/other

Old:

There have been no new updates on the ANI, LOW County Reverse Phone System, County TV, City of Williams (Williams Community Center – old school) or the Investment Policy. 

NEW

None

OTHER

Commissioner Patty Beckel:

  1. Informed the board on a meeting she attended with the Wheeler’s Point Sewer District. She reported that there are election issues with the directors of the sewer district and that the County Board can reappoint members of the sewer district, which she will bring back to the board at a later date.
  2. Reported on the Shoreland Rules Update Forum that she attended on December 1, 2008.  She stated that resorts are given special rules for PUDs and density issues.
  3. Attended the Oak Harbor Golf Course meeting, will be holding another meeting for past members, current members and community to attend to see how the area can help keep the golf course here.

Chairman Bredeson

Chairman Bredeson shared a thank-you letter from the Irv Anderson’s family, and distributed minutes from the Bovine TB meeting to the board.

PLANNING COMMISSION

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 1:38 p.m. and reconvened the Planning Commission.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund, Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren and Attorney Alan Fish met with the board and presented the final plat of River’s Edge Estate.  Interim County Attorney stated that the deeds are in order and the plat now has public access.  Josh recommended approving the final plat under the condition that the road bond and insurance needs to be in effect for the unfinished road.  

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the planning commission at 1:45 p.m. and open the regular meeting. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the final plat of River’s Edge Estate with the contingent that the road bond and insurance is in effect for the unfinished road. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

UNION AGREEMENTS

The board discussed the union agreements and directed the Labor/Management Committee to meet with the union representatives to discuss the upcoming deficit.

CRIME STOPPERS

Chairman Bredeson shared a letter from the Crime Stoppers requesting support for proclaiming January as Crime Stoppers Month.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to proclaim January as Crime Stoppers Month.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 1:58 p.m. and reconvened at 2:00 p.m. as follows:

PUBLIC HEARING- LAKE OF THE WOODS ORDINANCE REVIEW

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 2:01 p.m. and open the Public Hearing for the Lake of the Woods Ordinance Review.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Josh reviewed the consideration of proposed changes to the Lake of the Woods Ordinance.  The board discussed growth management policy as well. 

Commissioner Todd Beckel excused himself from the meeting at 3:00 p.m.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to close the Public Hearing at 3:40 p.m. and open the regular meeting at 3:41 p.m.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Recess

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 3:45 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                 Approved:       December 31, 2008

_____________________________                                                  ____________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                                                    Kim Bredeson, Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

December 16, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in special session on Tuesday, December 16, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

Call to Order

Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 8:36 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen, Bredeson and Moorman.  Also present were: Tom Hanson and County Department Heads.

Approval of Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  

State of Minnesota Shortfalls

Discussion was had regarding the projected shortfalls from the State of Minnesota.  Commissioner Arnesen shared his viewpoint on how he envisions these reductions and how they may affect Lake of the Woods County.  Indications from the State of Minnesota are a reduction in County Program Aid (CPA) and other sources. 

Comments were received from various Department Heads and the Board was asked “Does the County Board have a plan?”  The consensus of the Board was only to advise the Department Heads and Staff of this issue, and future meetings will determine a plan once the Board receives funding or lack of funding information.

Union Committee Meeting  

The Union Committee met with the board.  The Union Committee agreed to work at the 2008 salary schedule until funding sources are determined.

Non-Union Employees, Elected Officials & Department Heads

The County Board, by consensus, stated that all non-union employees, elected officials and department heads would be working at the 2008 salary rate schedule until funding sources are determined.  

County Surveyor

The County Board discussed the position of County Surveyor and it was noted that there was no contract found on file for the County Surveyor.  The County Board requested the County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to discuss this with the Interim County Attorney and to get a recommendation as to the best way to move forward.  This will be placed on a future board agenda in 2009.            

Human Resource Contract

Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board.  Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to renew the Human Resources contract effective January 1, 2009, for 6 months; at the 2008 rate and hours.  In the event the Board terminates said contract prior to the 6 months, Lake of the Woods County will be responsible for reimbursing the “Errors and Omissions Insurance”.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Minnesota Housing Finance Agency

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to have the County Board Chair sign the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Request for Proposal for the 2009 Minnesota City Participation Program Contract.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Grand Theater

The Grand Theater budget shortfalls were discussed.  There was not action taken at this time and this item will be placed on a future agenda in 2009.

Temporary Hiring Freeze

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to institute a temporary hiring freeze.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, carried as follows:  For:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman;   Against:  Commissioner Todd Beckel. 

Boundary Commission

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

Boundary Commission

Resolution No.  08-12-05

WHEREASthe Lake of the Woods County Board has the authority to establish a Boundary Commission to review property descriptions of disputed areas in their respective jurisdiction per Minnesota Statutes 465.79;

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board assigns the duties of the Boundary Commission to the Lake of the Woods Planning Commission and designees and shall be referred to as the “Boundary Commission” for the purposes as set forth;

WHEREAS, the disputed area that the Boundary Commission will be reviewing has been deferred to the Boundary Commission’s judgment to determine;

WHEREAS, the Boundary Commission will have the authority to solicit professional services including but not limited to land surveying and attorney services;

WHEREAS, the costs incurred by the Boundary Commission, including but not limited to, land surveying fees, attorney fees, and per diem shall be assessed to the benefited properties on a per parcel basis per Minnesota Statutes 429;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Board hereby establishes a Boundary Commission to resolve property discrepancies as outlined above, and that said Boundary Commission will be dissolved upon completion of their duties.

Motion was seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote, carried as follows:  For:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman;   Against:  Commissioner Todd Beckel.

Motion was made by Commissioner Bredeson to schedule a public hearing on January 27, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Room of the Lake of the Woods County Government Center to discuss options to correct the boundary issues.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:45 p.m. and reconvened at 2:00 p.m.  Commissioner Arnesen was absent for the remainder of the meeting.

2009 Budget

The County Board discussed the 2009 budget with the Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen.  The consensus, of all, was to delete 1 pickup to balance the highway budget.

Further discussion was had by the board reviewing the 2009 budget.

Recess

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 2:55 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                 Approved:       December 31, 2008

_____________________________                                                  ____________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                                                    Kim Bredeson, Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

December 31, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Wednesday, December 31, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

Call to Order

Vice Chair Patty Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman. Absent was:  Commissioner Bredeson.  Also present were: County Auditor, John W Hoscheid; Tom Hanson; Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen and John Oren.

Approval of Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with additions:  Wheelers Point Sanitary District Board Members Resolution, State Land Acquisition Resolution, MRCC prioritizing of issues for legislative session and cormorant meeting.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  

Consent Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Lorene Hanson to Bloomington on January 13-16, 2009 for MACATFO Conference, Rita Krause to Brainerd on January 7-8, 2009 for Child Support training; John W Hoscheid to Bloomington on January 12-16, 2009 for MACATFO Conference and Shelley Pepera to Brainerd on January 7, 2009 for Child Support training. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Approval of Minutes

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the commissioner minutes of December 12, 2008 and December 16, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

LakeWood Health Center

Michelle Brown from Lakewood Nursing Service met with the board to discuss the Purchase of Service Agreement between Lake of the Woods County Board and LakeWood Health Center.  Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the Purchase of Service Agreement between Lake of the Woods County Board and LakeWood Health Center with approved changes, beginning January 1, 2009 and terminating December 31, 2009; and authorizing Vice Chair Patty Beckel and County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to sign said agreement.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler

Claims

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board requesting approval of claims.  Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the following claims against the county:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 32,898.80

Commissioners’ Warrants      $ 16,754.46

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

Contracts

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the following 2009 contract renewals and to authorize Vice Chair Patty Beckel and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign the same:

2009 Contract Renewals between Lake of the Woods County Social Services and:

  1. Lutheran Social Services for the provision of caregiver training and education, respite care and companion services;
  2. Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota for the provision of intensive in-home family based services and CADI/TBI family counseling and training services;
  3. LakeWood Health Center for the provision of housing with services for Alternative Care, Elderly Waiver and Community Alternatives for Disabled Individuals programs;
  4. LakeWood Health Center for the provision of homemaker services, respite care services, companion services and personal care services;
  5. LakeWood Health Center  for the provision of skilled nursing services, home health aide services and in-service education;
  6. LakeWood Health Center for the provision of long term care consultation, skilled nursing services, RN supervision for personal care assistants, homemaker, home health aide, and personal care assistant services, and public health nurse case management services for the waivered programs;
  7. LakeWood Health Center for the provision of respite care services, companion services and caregiver training and educations services for the waivered programs;
  8. LakeWood Nursing Service for the provision of medication management and medication education for eligible Community Support Program consumers.

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the contract between Stellher Human Services and Lake of the Woods County Social Services effective January 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009, for the provision of Children’s Mental Health Crisis Services and to authorize Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler to sign the same.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Surveyor

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board and discussed the position of county surveyor and options for the county.  Michelle Moren recommended having a professional service contract and will research Minnesota Statutes regarding the appointment of a county surveyor.  No action was taken at this time and the Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren will review and report back to the board in January 2009.

Boundary Commission

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to appoint County Surveyor Donn Rasmussen, Commissioner Elect Tom Hanson, Greg Johnson, Reed McFarlane and Tom Mio as members of the Boundary Commission Board.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Far North Transit

Steve Butler representing Far North Transit met with the board to discuss the 2009 Public Transit Service Agreement and Transit Vehicle Lease Agreement. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the Transit Vehicle Lease Agreement and the Public Transit Service Agreement between Lake of the Woods County Board and Roseau County Committee on Aging effective January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009, and authorize Vice Chair Patty Beckel to sign the same.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid

Claims

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the following claims against the county:

                                                Revenue                              $ 66,085.93

                                                Road & Bridge                   $ 13,700.17

                                                County Development         $   2,255.00

                                                Solid Waste                        $   4,665.58

                                                                                            $ 86,706.68

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 12/31/2008 FOR PAYMENT 1/02/2009

       AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          489.08 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                   1819.55 AMERICAN SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINES

        1600.00 ANOKA COUNTY                                                    3668.64 ED ARNESEN

          672.95 JULIE BERGGREN                                                   1001.27 BRAD’S PLUMBING & HEATING, INC

        1012.60 CLYDEWARNER MFG                                             1425.00 COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTATION

        1327.26 CREATIVE FORMS & CONCEPTS INC                     497.57 CUSTOM AUTOBODY AND REPAIR

          527.66 GALL’S, INC.                                                              470.00 GOVERNMENT TRAINING SERVICES

          376.78 GRAINGER, INC                                                         340.00 GREATER NORTHWEST EMS

        1486.15 H & L MESABI                                                           314.30 LORENE HANSON

        1071.36 HOLIDAY INN DULUTH                                           506.01 HOLIDAY INN RIVERCENTRE

        2500.00 KOOCHICHING CO TREASURER                            3747.91 LAKES GAS CO.

          701.50 LAKEWOOD HEALTH CENTER                             1757.48 LOW COUNTY TREASURER

          347.14 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MN                   3540.00 MAXIMUS, INC

          975.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO                    735.42 JEROME MOLINE

        5570.96 LAW MOREN                                                         10440.00 MSOP-MN SEX OFFENDER PRGRM-462

          360.00 NORTH EAST TECHNICAL SERVICE,I                  1474.64 NORTHERN OVERHEAD DOOR CO  (DB

          406.19 NORTHERN SPORTS & MACHINE – DB                 3290.57 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT

          343.92 PITNEY BOWES INC.                                               1587.34 PRO MAC MANUFACTURING LTD

          496.87 GEORGE SWENTIK                                                   604.49 T R JOBBING

          364.41 TRAVELODG MOORHEAD                                   15815.00 UNIVERSITY OF MN

          804.97 US FOOD SERVICE, INC                                          2567.17 WAYNE’S BODY SHOP-DBA

          528.00 WELLS FARGO BANK MINNESOTA, NA               1329.34 WEST GROUP

        3088.33 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

37 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,723.85

FINAL TOTAL     $86,706.68

Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants:

                                                October 28, 2008                    $ 433,942.25

                                                October 31, 2008                    $        280.00

                                                November 7, 2008                  $ 139,451.88

                                                November 8, 2008                  $   46,408.99

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, carried as follows:  For:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel and Moorman.  Against:  Commissioner Todd Beckel.

Resolution

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

Resolution Supporting

Maintenance of Local Title and Registration Services

Resolution No.  08-12-6

WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota established a public/private deputy registrar system to provide citizens convenient locations to conduct title registration services for motor vehicles and DNR recreational vehicles: and,

WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota in 1949 established a user service fee on motor vehicle transactions to be retained by the deputy registrar to defray the cost of providing the local service; and,

WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota has shifted increased costs and responsibilities onto the deputy registrar such as regular replacement schedules of computers and associated electronic equipment, printing of previously supplied state forms, and expanded auditing tasks with additional risks and potential liability that was previously the responsibility of the State; and,

WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota now competes with deputy registrar offices for the retention of some user fees that were traditionally retained primarily by deputy registrars; and,

WHEREAS, collectively the deputy registrar system handles over one billion dollars of state funds for the State of Minnesota annually on a cash basis only with considerable risk whereby dishonored checks are the responsibility of the deputy registrar in the full amount tendered after remitting the bulk of those funds to the State; and,

WHEREAS, the user service fee that should fully support the cost for providing motor vehicle transactions no longer covers the operational costs to maintain most deputy registrar offices.  Public deputy registrars must use property tax levy proceeds to subsidize this service.  Rural areas with lower volumes are in jeopardy of losing service.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners supports the State Legislature authorizing the acceptance of more secure alternative payments at deputy registrar offices; and to achieve a greater retention of existing fees or a user service fee increase in the year 2009 to maintain local title and registration service to the citizens of Minnesota.

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

Government Center – Fire Alarm Quotes

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid, presented a quote from Simplex Grinnell for a relay for the Government Center fire alarm system.  The board discussed the fire alarm system and requested County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to receive additional quotes for the installation of this device and report back to the board.

Fund Transfer

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize a transfer of funds in the amount of $747.40 from the Revenue Fund to the Forfeited Tax Fund to alleviate a deficit balance carried forward over years from the payment of Ditch 2 assessments on forfeited lands with no corresponding revenues from lease or sale of forfeited lands.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

LakeWood Regional Healthcare Foundation

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid presented a letter from LakeWood Regional Healthcare Foundation requesting financial support to help provide needed health care facilities and services for the people of our region.  No action was taken.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:20 a.m. and reconvened at 10:30 a.m.

2009 Elected Officials & Department Heads Salaries

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to adopt the County Commissioners salary of $15,300 for year 2009; to adopt the County Board Chair salary of $16,300 for the year 2009 and to adopt a committee meeting per diem of $100 for the year 2009.  The salaries and per diems are remaining the same as the 2008 salary schedule. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Elected Officials – Commissioners:

Ed Arnesen                $15,300.00

Todd Beckel                15,300.00

Patricia Beckel             15,300.00

Tom Hanson                 15,300.00

Kenneth Moorman       15,300.00

Board Chair                 16,300.00

Motion by Commissioner Moorman to adopt the following salary schedule, including longevity, for elected officials for year 2009. The salaries are remaining the same as the 2008 salary schedule.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Elected Officials – Department Heads:

Dallas Block               $65,314.06

Mark Hall                     49,982.20

John W Hoscheid         57,288.24

Susan Ney                    50,036.20

Motion by Commissioner Arnesen to adopt the following salary schedule, including longevity, for appointed department heads for the year 2009.  The salaries are remaining the same as the 2008 salary schedule.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Appointed Officials – Department Heads:

Wayne Bendickson    $57,362.63

Brent Birkeland           53,389.54

Bruce Hasbargen          92,596.60

Holly House                 23,900.00

Rick Rone                    17,741.00

Josh Stromlund            55,043.33

Nancy Wendler            59,132.63

MN Rural Counties Caucus

Correspondence from Dan Larson, MN Rural Counties Caucus (MRCC) asking counties to prioritize MRCC issues for the upcoming legislative session was discussed and a list of priorities were itemized. 

State Land Acquisition    

Discussion was had regarding the Dean Bernard land acquisition by the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  A resolution stating the same was discussed with no action taken at this time.  County Auditor, John W Hoscheid was requested to write a letter and ask the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Dean Bernard to attend the January 13, 2009 regular scheduled board meeting.

Cormorant Meeting Date

There was discussion to have another cormorant meeting with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  No action was taken at this time.   County Auditor, John W Hoscheid was requested to contact the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and set a date for a conference call or meeting with them and was to report back to the board.

Drainage Authority – County Ditch 1

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular session at 11:00 a.m. and open the Drainage Authority meeting.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  Those attending the meeting were:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel and Moorman.  Also attending were:  Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen; County Auditor, John W Hoscheid; Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren; John Oren; Milo Ravndalen and local citizens of Lake of the Woods County.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen explained the history of the County Ditch 1 and the current issue on the property of Milo Ravndalen.  The board referenced a letter from Kurt Deter, Rinke Noonan – Attorneys at Law, which was discussed at a previous board meeting.  This letter stated that under MN Statutes §103E, no work can be done on a county ditch project that has not been authorized by the Drainage Authority.  Under MN Statutes §103E.011, the Drainage Authority is the only one who has the ability to make orders to construct and maintain drainage systems.  Under MN Statutes §10E.081, Subd.2, a person may not willfully obstruct or damage a drainage project or system. 

Discussion was had with options for Milo Ravndalen to comply with and to restore the Ditch 1 to the satisfaction of the Public Works Director and the Ditch Authority.  A date will be set no later than Tuesday, March 31, 2009, for the Ditch Authority to meet and discuss funding options.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Drainage Authority meeting at 11:50 a.m.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

The regular meeting reconvened at 11:51 a.m.

Wheelers Point Sanitary District Board Members Resolution

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

Resolution for

Election of Wheelers Point Sanitary District Board Members

Resolution 08-12-7

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners adopted the creation of a sanitary district for Wheelers Point District on September 27, 2005;

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners is the central related governing body of the Wheelers Point Sanitary District;

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners has the authority to elect members to the Wheelers Point Sanitary District Board by resolution to fill expired terms;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners elect Allan Thompson and Ron Stauss for a term to expire January 2, 2012, and Kent Spears and Brian Ney for a term to expire January 3, 2011.

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Old/New Business

The board discussed the following old and new business: 

Old:

There have been no new updates on the ANI, LOW County Reverse Phone System, County TV, City of Williams (Williams Community Center – old school) or the Investment Policy.  

New:

There were no new updates at this time.

Committee Meeting Reports:

Commissioner Todd Beckel gave an update on the Northwest Regional Radio Board meeting and the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources meetings he attended this month. The board also discussed the StoneGarden grant that the County is participating in.

Other – Bredeson Resolution:

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

Resolution

Recognizing Years of Service

Resolution No.  08-12-8

WHEREAS:  Commissioner Bredeson has served the residents of Lake of the Woods County for the last six years as Commissioner for District two (2);

WHEREAS:  Commissioner Bredeson will be retiring from county service, effective January 5, 2009;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:  that the County Board of Commissioners extends its deepest appreciation to Commissioner Bredeson for his years of service.

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

Correspondence:

Correspondence was read and discussed:

  1. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in reference to Notice of Sale of State Metallic Minerals Leases
  2. Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources in reference to Drainage Records Modernization Grants
  3. Minnesota Department of Revenue in reference to the Unallotment of Aids/Credits Impacting Lake of the Woods County

Adjournment

With no further business before the board, Vice Chair Patty Beckel adjourned the meeting at 1:20 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                 Approved:       January 6, 2009

_____________________________                                                  ____________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                                                    Patty Beckel, Chair

November, 2008

Commissioner Proceedings

November 12, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Wednesday, November 12, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

Call to Order

Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen, Bredeson and Moorman. Also present were: County Auditor, John W Hoscheid; Tom Hanson; Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren.

Approval of Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  

Consent Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Holly House to Duluth on December 7 – 8, 2008, Association of MN Emergency Managers meeting and Rita Krause to St. Paul on December 3 – 4, 2008 for Child Support training. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Approval of Minutes

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the commissioner minutes of October 28, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Closed Session – Pursuant to MN Statute § 13D.03 Labor Negotiations

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular session at 9:05 a.m. pursuant MN Statute § 13D.03 for union negotiations. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The following were present in closed session:  Commissioners Arnesen, Bredeson, Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel and Moorman.  Also present were: Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen and County Auditor, John W Hoscheid.   

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the closed session at 9:25 a.m. and open the regular session.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Note:   The entire closed meeting was recorded by County Auditor, John W Hoscheid.

The meeting reconvened at 9:26 a.m.

Union Negotiations – Open

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the following union negotiations:

  • Increases of $ 0.45, $ 0.50 and $ 0.55 per hour for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively;
  • Border Pass Cards are to be provided at County expense for all employees required to cross into Canada in the course of County business;
  • A maximum of 100 hours compensation time will be allowed to be carried over into the next calendar year.  Adjustments for 2009 to be made in January 2009 and years 2010 and 2011 adjustments to be made in December 2009 and 2010 respectively; 
  • 2009 insurance contribution is a maximum cap of $875 for family coverage and 2010 and 2011 cap contributions will not be less than $875;
  • The August “opener” will be used for step adjustments;
  • Grade adjustments and job description modifications will be coordinated through Human Resources as required / requested;

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Assessor’s Office

Human Resource Director Wade Johannesen met with the board regarding the open position in the Assessor’s office.  Wade recommended to the Board to approve the Assessor’s office to move forward with the full time position instead of a contract for the position.  It was the consensus of the board to move forward with the full time position. Wade stated that the applications will be screened, finalists interviewed and recommendation to hire will be submitted to the Board for approval.            

Personnel Policy – Changes / Additions

Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board to review the updated Travel Policy and Car Pool Policy.  The Board made some minor changes and asked Wade to present the revised policies at the next regular scheduled board meeting.

Lake of the Woods Historical Society

Funding request from Lake of the Woods Historical Society for the County Museum renovation and addition was discussed.  No action was taken at this time and this will be placed on the next regular scheduled board meeting.

Lake of the Woods Sustainability Foundation

Lake of the Woods Sustainability Foundation Executive Director, Todd Sellers gave a brief update and progress report on the Foundation.  He included the State of the Basin Report, Nutrient Budget and Water Quality Model Study and emerging collaboration between Ontario and Minnesota.  Todd discussed the status of the legislative initiative that Lake of the Woods County supported last year and that the Foundation is looking for the Boards’ support again this year.  The Foundation will send a letter of support to be approved at the next regular scheduled board meeting.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:13 p.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m.

Planning Commission

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular session at 1:00 p.m. and open the Planning Commission hearing.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Area citizens attended the planning commission hearing in consideration of the final plat of Rivers Edge Estate with various comments. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Planning Commission hearing and to set a continuation hearing at the next board meeting on November 25, 2008, at 2:00 p.m.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The regular meeting reconvened at 1:40 p.m.

Land & Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund

Land & Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund updated the board on the ordinance amendment.  There will be an ordinance amendment open house on Tuesday, November 18, 2008, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Room at the County Government Center in Baudette, MN.  The purpose of this open house will be to consider the proposed ordinance amendments to the Lake of the Woods Zoning Ordinance.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen

County Ditch 1

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen updated the board on County Ditch 1.  They discussed a letter received from Kurt Deter, Rinke Noonan – Attorneys at Law.  This letter states that under MN Statutes §103E, no work can be done on a county ditch project that has not been authorized by the Drainage Authority.  Under MN Statutes §103E.011, the Drainage Authority is the only one who has the ability to make orders to construct and maintain drainage systems.  Under MN Statutes §103E.081, Subd.2, a person may not willfully obstruct or damage a drainage project or system. 

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren was present and advised the county board to request the land owner to attend a future county board meeting to discuss this issue.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen presented a list of County Ditch 1 projects prioritized as of October 28, 2008, that was a result of the recent County Ditch 1 Committee road tour.

MN DOT Temporary Storage

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen reviewed an agreement between Lake of the Woods County and Minnesota Department of Transportation for storage of snow plow trucks.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to enter into an agreement between Minnesota Department of Transportation and Lake of the Woods County for storage of snow plow trucks, effective upon the date signed by all necessary county and state officials as required by MN Statutes §16C.05, Subd.2 and terminating on October 31, 2009.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Transportation Formula

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen updated the board on the transportation formula.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to appoint Commissioners Moorman and Patty Beckel to the transportation formula committee and have Bruce Hasbargen advise them of the date, time and location of the meetings.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the following claims against the county:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $   7,211.92

Commissioners’ Warrants      $ 21,732.56

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid

Claims

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the following claims against the county:

                                                Revenue                      $ 36,146.35

                                                Road & Bridge           $ 38,857.54

                                                County Development  $   1,085.00

                                                Solid Waste                 $ 20,207.03

                                                                                    $ 96,295.92

                                                   WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 11/12/2008 FOR PAYMENT 11/14/2008

     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                 AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          348.50 ARROW PRINTING                                                    866.99 AUTO VALUE BAUDETTE

          341.78 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                              8741.15 CENEX CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

          529.40 CLARITY GLASS                                                       806.50 D & L AUTO GLASS AND MORE

      16500.00 EARTHWORKS CONTRACTING INC                        666.75 GLOBALSTAR LLC

          990.00 JOHN HAGLUND                                                       309.44 RON HILDEBRANDT

          969.36 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC                                        386.10 JOHN HOSCHEID

        2439.34 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                      460.22 INSIGHT PUBLIC SECTOR

        4558.20 INSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, INC                               673.50 LAKEWOOD HEALTH CENTER

          400.00 LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING SERVI               1110.25 LOW FOODS

        3433.81 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT                                            1064.00 LOW TRANSFER INC

      11033.55 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                                 310.05 IAN MCCORD

          650.00 MN ASSN OF COUNTIES                                         2821.47 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          559.85 JEROME MOLINE                                                      982.21 KENNETH MOORMAN

        5574.47 LAW MOREN                                                             310.05 BILL MOSHER

          868.88 NOBLE THRIFTY WHITE                                          766.26 THE NORTHERN LIGHT

          749.42 NORTHERN SAFETY CO INC                                    500.00 NORTHWEST REGIONAL

          450.55 OFFICE DEPOT                                                          526.88 POWERPLAN

        1574.42 R & Q TRUCKING, INC                                            4000.00 RESERVE ACCOUNT

          673.31 RODERICK RONE JR                                                  935.74 ROSEAU COUNTY COOPERATIVE ASSN

        1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC                                                          400.00 SOFTREE TECHNICAL SYSTEMS INC

          802.03 TONY DORN, INC.                                                     480.15 TRUE VALUE

          639.04 WAYNE’S BODY SHOP-DBA                                   1218.33 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        2943.38 WOODY’S SERVICE                                                 3942.30 ZIEGLER, INC

52 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       5,238.29

FINAL TOTAL    $96,295.92

Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants:

                                                October 28, 2008                    $ 433,942.25

                                                October 31, 2008                    $        280.00

                                                November 7, 2008                  $ 139,451.88

                                                November 8, 2008                  $   46,408.99

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

Thank You Election Judges

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid presented a letter to the County Board thanking the following county employees for a job well done with the 2008 Election:  Darren Olson, Dale Boretski, Lorene Hanson, Dawn Christianson, Christie Russell, Rita Krause, Sandy Peterson, Marti Carlson, Steve Sindelir, Shelley Pepera and Jodi Ferrier. 

Capital Expenditure Policy

The capital expenditure policy was taken off the agenda and will be placed on the next regular scheduled board agenda.

Letter to Elected Officials

The County Board directed County Auditor, John W Hoscheid to write congratulating letters to elected officials US Representative Collin Peterson and State Representative Tom Anzelc.

Maxi-Van

The County Board read correspondence from Minnesota Department of Transportation, Kent Ehrenstrom, relinquishing any financial interest in the 1996 Ford Eldorado Maxi Van.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to transfer the 1996 Ford Eldorado Maxi Van (VIN 1FDKE30G5THA55098) to the Williams Fire Department.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Old/New Business

The board discussed the following old and new business: 

Old:

There have been no new updates on the ANI, LOW County Reverse Phone System, County TV, City of Williams (Williams Community Center – old school) or the Investment Policy.  

New:

The board will be having a special meeting with all elected and appointed department heads on Tuesday, December 16, 2008, to set 2009 salaries.  The board directed the County Auditor to set a schedule and to distribute to all involved.

There will be a Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, November 26, 2008, at 8:00 a.m. to discuss budget issues.

Meeting Reports:

Commissioner Todd Beckel gave an update on the Peatland meeting he attended last month.

Commissioner Moorman updated the board on the TB Bovine and stated there will be another meeting on Wednesday, November 19, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. at Ranch House.

Correspondence:

A thank you letter was read from the Let’s Go Fishing Committee.

Recess

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 3:03 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                 Approved:       November 25, 2008

_____________________________                                                  ____________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                                                    Kim Bredeson, Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

November 25, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, November 25, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

Call to Order

Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Todd Beckel, Arnesen, Bredeson and Moorman. Also present were: County Auditor, John W Hoscheid; Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd; Tom Hanson; Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren.

Approval of Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the agenda with the following additions: Human Resources- Assistant Assessor, salary adjustment for 2009- non union wages, county contribution for health insurance, combined December 23, 2008 meeting with December 31, 2008 and agenda items for Committee of the Whole meeting.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  

Consent Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Lorene Hanson on December 3&4, 2008, for Paymate meeting in St. Cloud. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Approval of Minutes

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the commissioner minutes of November 12, 2008.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Senator Saxhaug and representative Anzelc

Chairman Bredeson welcomed Senator Saxhaug and Representative Anzelc to the meeting.  Senator Saxhaug and Representative Anzelc informed the board that the State will have approximately 4 billion plus deficit for the upcoming year.  Anzelc informed the board of the legislative bill that he is introducing which is called the “3 block” which focuses on Public Health, Social Services and Corrections/Court that will provide funding.   Other topics discussed were: NWA minnow issues, state wide zoning, judicial system funding, sewers and school not to start until after Labor Day. The board thanked Senator Saxhaug and Representative Anzelc for attending.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler

Claims

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the following claims against the county:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $   6,884.29

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Contracts

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the contract between Connie Anderson Aagard (CJA Consulting) and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009, for the provision of individual and family therapy services, and consultation, training, and clinical supervision to agency staff, and to authorize Chairman Kim Bredeson and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler , to sign same.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the contract between Lutheran Social Services and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009 for the provision of home delivered meals, and to authorize Chairman Kim Bredeson and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler , to sign same. Motion was seconded  by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the contract between MeritCare/Northwest Medical Center and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009, for the provision of emergency mental health services, and to authorize Chairman Kim Bredeson and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler , to sign same.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the contract between the Occupational Development Center, Inc. and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009, for the provision of employment and training services and independent living skills services, and to authorize Chairman Kim Bredeson and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler , to sign same. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the contract between Partners in Community Supports, Inc. and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009, for the provision of fiscal support services for recipients of Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS), and to authorize Chairman Kim Bredeson and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler , to sign same.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the MR/RC contract between Rainy River Waivered Services and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009, for the provision of adult in-home support services, and to authorize Chairman Kim Bredeson and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler , to sign same. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the contract between the Lake of the Woods County MIS Department and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009, for the provision of MIS services, and to authorize Chairman Kim Bredeson and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler , to sign same. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

HUMAN RESOURCES, ASSISTANT ASSESSOR POSITION/MOTOR POOL AND TRAVEL POLICY

Assistant Assessor’s position

Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board and informed them that the interview panel’s consensus was to hire Dale Boretski as the assistant assessor. Wade requested that Dale start at grade 11 step 5 and not step 1 as practice has been in the past. County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid requested the same opportunity to start his replacement at more than a step 1 for the Executive Administrator/Deputy Auditor’s position

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize Human Resource Director Wade Johannesen and County Assessor Wayne Bendickson to hire Dale Boretski as the assistant assessor at grade 11 step 5. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The board requested that Wade put in the acceptance letter to Dale that he will start at grade 11, step 5 and that after the three (3) month probationary period he will not get a step increase but he will receive his step increase that he is up for this year with the Tier III plan that was established in 2007.

Executive Administrator/Deputy Auditor’s position

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen and County Auditor John W. Hoscheid to advertize for Executive Administrator/Deputy Auditor’s position. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried. 

Motor Pool/Travel Policy

Wade presented the Motor Pool Policy- annex 3 and the Travel Policy to the board for approval.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the Motor Pool Policy – annex 3 and the Travel Policy as presented.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

CN RAILROAD

Cenex Manager, Kent Hanson met with the board and informed them that the CN representatives have not heard from them on rail services. Commissioner Arnesen will look into sending a joint letter with Koochiching County to the CN for support for siding and delivery.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:50 a.m. and reconvened at 10:59 a.m. as follows:

Public Works Assistant Engineer, Bill Sindelir

Assistant Engineer, Bill Sindelir met with the board and to set a public hearing for the proposed five-year construction plan for Lake of the Woods County. No date was set by the board at this time.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Chairman Bredeson requested from the board topics for the Agenda for November 26, 2008 meeting.

CLOSED SESSION

The closed session was moved to later in the day.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:15 p.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

PUBLIC HEARING, AGGREGATE RESOURCE PRESERVATION PROPERTY TAX LAW

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to close the regular meeting at 1:04 p.m. as advertised and open the public hearing for Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

No comment where heard from the floor and no letters were received.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to close the public hearing at 1:05 p.m. and open the regular meeting. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

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

Lake of the Woods County Aggregate Tax Resolution

Consideration of “Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law” County Termination Option

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners recognizes the importance of maintaining aggregate resources for the general economy of the county; and

WHEREAS, the County Board recognizes that property taxes are an important consideration as to the viability of the aggregate industries located in the county; and

WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota has an ad valorem property tax system based on the full market value of real estate or personal property; and

WHEREAS, the provisions of Minn. Stat. §. 273.1115, Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law, grants special and unique treatment to owners of land containing aggregate deposits, in comparison with other property in the county, therefore shifting the tax burden on these properties to other taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, the provisions of Minn. Stat. § 273.1115, Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law, allow a county to terminate application of this law; and

WHEREAS, a county may reauthorize application of this law by a resolution of the County Board revoking the termination; and

WHEREAS, the County Board is required to hold a public hearing as part of the process to terminate application of this law; and

WHEREAS, said public hearing has been scheduled for November, 2008.

WHEREAS, said public hearing was held on November 26, 2008.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Lake of the Woods  County Board of Commissioners hereby elects to begin the process of terminating participation in the Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law in Lake of the Woods County.

Resolution was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid

Claims

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the following claims against the county:

                                                Revenue                      $ 9,635.58

                                                Road & Bridge           $ 4,606.55

                                                Solid Waste                 $ 7,847.78

                                                                                    $ 22,089.91

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 11/25/2008 FOR PAYMENT 11/28/2008

    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          455.64 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                   1355.38 ANDERSON POWER AND EQUIPMENT

  1581.65 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                                   716.06 BAUDETTE REGION

  1224.75 BAUERS COMMUNICATIONS & SECURI                      377.81 TODD BECKEL

  1829.92 CENEX CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                      361.73 ENGINEER SUPPLY LLC

  2507.02 LAKES GAS CO.                                                               500.00 LOW SCHOOL DISTRICT–390

    504.33 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MN                         2470.35 MN DEPT OF TRANSP

  2222.85 NORTH EAST TECHNICAL SERVICE,I                          874.32 NW MN HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS

    579.88 PIRKL LUMBER & CARPET                                            971.82 ROGER’S TWO WAY RADIO, INC

    579.92 WEST GROUP

28 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       2,976.48

FINAL TOTAL     $22,089.91

Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants:

                                                November 12, 2008    $ 3,032.50

                                                November 18, 2008    $27,419.46

                                                November 21, 2008    $59,739.56

Motion was seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Liquor approval

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid requested approval for a On-Sale Sunday Intoxicating Liquor License.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve an On-Sale Sunday Intoxicating Liquor License for Michael C. MacAdams DBA Mac’s Riverview Resort from December 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 contingent upon the approval from the County sheriff and County Attorney and that all taxes outstanding with the county are paid.  Motion was second by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Travel request

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid informed the board that he just received notification that the Manatron Tax meeting is scheduled for December 15-17, 2008 in St. Paul and that he will have to attend this meeting.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve travel for County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid on December 15-17, 2008 for Manatron Tax meeting in St. Paul.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Old/New Business

The board discussed the following old and new business: 

Old:

There have been no new updates on the ANI, LOW County Reverse Phone System, County TV, City of Williams (Williams Community Center – old school) or the Investment Policy. 

NEW

None

Boundary commission

The board reviewed the process of establishing a boundary commission.

INTERIM COUNTY ATTORNEY, MICHELLE MOREN

Contract

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board to discuss the Minnesota Counties Computer Cooperative Maintenance and Support Contract.  Michelle stated that the cooperative is still working on statutory required insurance and will bring back to the board for approval.

MN Judicial Branch

The board discussed the request for support of funding for the MN Judicial Branch.  The board requested that Michelle draft a letter of support on behalf of the board.

COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIOENR’S DECEBMER 23, 2008 MEETING

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to combine the December 23, 2008 with the December 31, 2008 meeting.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 1:50 p.m. and reconvened at 1:59 p.m.

Planning Commission

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular session at 2:00 p.m. and open the Planning Commission hearing.  Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund, County Surveyor, Donn Rasmussen and Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren discussed with Attorney’s Allan Fish and Steve Anderson the discrepancies in the title opinions paying particular attention to the “easement” across neighboring properties located north of the subdivision.  Commissioner Bredeson asked Stromlund for his recommendation, which the reply was that the county could not approve the final plat as presented because of the conflicting title opinions in regards to the easement language.  If the developers have no easement gaining them access to County Road 154 then the extension of Stanton Drive has to end in a cul-de-sac as per the subdivision ordinance.  Also, discussed was the issue of final platting requirements as outlined in the Lake of the Woods Subdivision Ordinance and the Minnesota Land Surveyors Association Plat Manual of Minimum Guidelines.  The board requested the Rivers Edge Estate Developers to bring this back to the board when all requirements are in place.  This issue has been tentatively placed on the December 12, 2008, board meeting at 1:30pm.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Planning Commission at 2:24 p.m. and open the regular meeting. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

 2009 County Contribution for Health Insurance

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to set the 2009 county contribution for family health insurance up to $875.00 per month and the single health insurance up to $525.00 per month.  Major Medical plans for 2009: $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 employee’s health savings account. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

SALARY ADJUSTMENT FOR NON-UNION EMPLOYEES

This was place on the December 12, 2008 agenda.

CLOSED SESSION, MN Stat. §13D.05, Subd. 2 (b)- Personnel

Chairman Bredeson asked the individual if he would like the meeting open or closed. He chose to have it closed.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 2:20 p.m. and to go into closed session pursuant MN Stat. § 13D.05, Subd. 2 (b). to consider charges against an individual subject to the Board’s authority. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the closed session and open the regular meeting at 3:00 p.m. Motion was seconded  by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Recess

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 3:03 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                 Approved:       December 12, 2008

_____________________________                                                  ____________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                                                    Kim Bredeson, Chairman

October, 2008

Commissioner Proceedings

October 14, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, October 14, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance with the following members present:  Commissioners Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Arnesen, Bredeson and Moorman. Also present were: County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd, Tom Hanson, George Swentik, John Oren and Penny Mio Hirst.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Request to sell squad cars, Potato Day and DNR Peatlands Committee and remove approval of minutes from August 18, 2008. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

COUNTY TREASURER, MARK HALL AND WELLS FARGO COMMUNITY BANKING PRESIDENT, TIM HENDRICKSON

County Treasurer Mark Hall and Community Banking President, Tim Hendrickson met with the board to discuss the security of the counties “Sweep Account”. Tim stated that the funds are invested with Ginnie Mae and the funds are collateralized at 100% at all times. The Board requested that an agreement between Wells Fargo and Lake of the Woods County be drafted and to include Minnesota statutory language in regards to investments be included in the agreement.

SOCIAL SERVICES DIRECTOR, NANCY WENDLER

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 40,323.62

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

COUNTY AUDITOR, JOHN W. HOSCHEID

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue              $120,738.55

                                                Road & Bridge   $  77,103.13

                                                Co. Develop.       $    3,827.43

                                                Solid Waste         $   31,980.40

                                                                            $ 233,649.51

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 10/14/2008 FOR PAYMENT 10/17/2008

     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        5460.00 BRIAN ACHEN                                                           454.41 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE

        1300.00 AMERICAN SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINES                1394.13 ANDERSON POWER AND EQUIPMENT

          314.00 JERRY ANDERSON                                                  1279.82 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.

        5378.03 ED ARNESEN                                                         33390.00 ARROWHEAD LIBRARY SYSTEM

          365.54 AUTO VALUE BAUDETTE                                       380.31 BAUDETTE REGION

        1896.77 BAUERS COMMUNICATIONS & SECURI                724.85 TODD BECKEL

          441.59 WAYNE BENDICKSON                                              470.40 BEST WESTERN KELLY INN STCLOUD

          341.78 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                            10398.22 CENEX CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

        4245.62 CPS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS                              425.90 CRAGUN’S CONFERENCE & GOLF RES

          389.64 DIRECT SAFETY COMPANY                                    323.31 DODDS LUMBER

        3018.82 DYNAMIC IMAGING SYSTEMS, INC                     6900.00 EARTHWORKS CONTRACTING INC

        2277.55 ELECTION SYSTEMS & SOFTWARE, I                    859.26 FARMERS UNION OIL CO.

        1045.00 HELGESON FUNERAL CHAPEL                             1993.51 HERC-U-LIFT, INC

        4019.48 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                      351.44 INSIGHT PUBLIC SECTOR

      17366.32 JOHNSTON FARGO CULVERT INC                          474.50 KNIFE RIVER MATERIALS

          579.13 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC                                         300.00 LAVALLA SAND & GRAVEL INC

          832.07 LOW FOODS                                                             7530.04 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

          600.00 LOW MASTER GARDENER                                   10227.15 MAR-KIT LANDFILL

          380.00 MIDWEST MONITORING & SURVEILLA                650.00 MN ASSN OF COUNTIES

        4956.42 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP                      11150.00 MN MUNICIPAL UTILITIES ASSOC

      19540.13 MN STATE DEPT-CORRECTION                              442.45 JEROME MOLINE

          764.50 KENNETH MOORMAN                                            5428.22 LAW MOREN

      10788.00 MSOP-MN SEX OFFENDER PRGRM-462                  995.56 NOBLE THRIFTY WHITE

        2405.34 THE NORTHERN LIGHT                                         1917.66 NORTHERN OVERHEAD DOOR CO

        3452.54 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT              415.45 OFFICE DEPOT

          423.91 OLSEN CHAIN AND CABLE INC                              304.79 ELIZABETH PETERSON

          405.39 DENA PIEPER                                                            401.59 QUILL CORPORATION

        2533.02 R & Q TRUCKING, INC                                            1528.00 RINKE-NOONAN

          438.75 RODERICK RONE JR                                                  520.80 RUTTGER’S BAY LAKE LODGE

        1277.00 SIMPLEX                                                                  1411.08 STRATA CORP, INC

        2751.39 SYNERGY GRAPHICS, INC                                   10664.25 TRAFFIC MARKING SERVICE, INC.

          643.82 TRUE VALUE                                                           1789.43 UNIVERSITY OF MN

          691.52 US FOOD SERVICE                                                  2640.00 VOYAGEURS COMTRONICS, INC

          994.30 WEST GROUP                                                           1343.33 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        5061.89 WOODY’S SERVICE

58 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       6,790.39

FINAL TOTAL    $233,649.51

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

                                                September 24, 2008    $  21,113.99

                                                September 29, 2008    $111,443.82

                                                September 30, 2008    $    (957.34)

                                                September 30, 2008    $  12,598.59

                                                October 8, 2008          $  68,828.71

                                                October 9, 2008          $  50,678.69

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

John W. Hoscheid requested approval for lawful gambling for the Northwest Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #8 and for the Northwest Angle Edgeriders.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the application for lawful gambling for Northwest Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #8 for a raffle, which will be held at Sportsman’s Lodge on February 23, 2009.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the lawful gambling permit for the Northwest Angle Edge Riders to conduct a raffle on March 14, 2009 at Sportsman’s Oak Island Lodge and authorize County Auditor to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

John W. Hoscheid presented a schedule for County Board members to attend a training course for County Board of Appeal and Equalization that is required by law.  The Commissioners’ stated that they will attend one of the courses.

COUNTY SHERIFF, DALLAS BLOCK

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board and updated them on the Lake of the Woods Reverse Phone System.  Dallas stated that the company will be coming next week to set the system up at no additional cost and if it still does not function correctly that they will refund the county.

Dallas Block requested approval to sell two squad cars and one county owned car.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to authorize County Sheriff, Dallas Block to sell the following county owned vehicles:

  1. 1996 Pontiac VIN NO. 1G2NE12T9TM531641
  2. 2003 Ford VIN NO. 2FAHP71W33X167992
  3. 1997 FORD VIN NO. 2FALP71W9VX109415

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

Dallas presented several pictures of the Williams Community Center showing the poor condition of the building.

WATERS OF THE DANCING SKY SCENIC BYWAY, TOURISM BUREAU DIRECTOR DENELLE CAUBLE

Tourism Bureau Director, Denelle Cauble met with the board to discuss the Waters of the Dancing Sky Scenic Byway.  She informed the board that the “Waters of the Dancing Sky Scenic Byway” is the third (3rd) largest Byway in the State.  The board discussed Mark Anderson (MN/DOT) recommendations for “GAPS”.  The board concurred that they will keep the original “GAPS” that were designated back in 1997.

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

Resolution No. 08-10-01

Supporting the Designation of State Highway 11 as a Minnesota Scenic Byway and Minnesota Department of Transportation  (MN/DOT) Enforcement of Laws Pertaining to State Scenic Byways on Federal Aid Primary Routes

WHEREAS, the State Highway 11 “Waters of the Dancing Sky” within Lake of the Woods County is designated as a state scenic byway; and

WHEREAS, MN/DOT is required by federal law to not allow new off-premises advertising signs along Federal Aid Primary routes on designated scenic byways; and

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County receives benefits from tourism and is eligible for federal funding for projects along designated scenic byways;

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County supports the designation of the State Highway 11 “Waters of the Dancing Sky,” within Lake of the Woods County, as a Minnesota Scenic Byway, with the following exceptions (GAPS):

  1. ½ mile west of Roosevelt to ½ mile east of Roosevelt.
  2. ½ mile west of Williams to ½ mile east of Williams.
  3. 1 mile west of Baudette to CR 35 east of Baudette.
  4. 300 feet E of intersection of Hwy 11 and 50th Ave NW to 54th Ave NW in Graceton.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County also supports MN/DOT enforcement of federal and state laws pertaining to the designation, including the prohibition of new off-premises advertising signs along state scenic byways on Federal Aid Primary routes.

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

COUNTY AUDITOR, JOHN W. HOSCHEID

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board requesting approval for a Veterans Service Office Operational Improvement Grant.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to sign the Lake of the Woods County Veterans Service Office Operational Improvement Grant in the amount of $1,400.00 for the state fiscal year 2009.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

John W. Hoscheid presented proposal for lease from Tony Dorn Inc. for a copy machine for the Lake of the Woods Extension Office.  The consensus of the board was that they could use the main copier in the workroom.

John W. Hoscheid requested approval to enter into a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with Minnesota Secretary of State, which is required by the Department of Administration for reimbursement for the 2008 primary election recount.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to sign the Minnesota Secretary of State’s JPA effective September 16, 2008 and expiring October 30, 2008. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:20 a.m. and reconvened at 10:26 a.m. as follows:

MOTOR POOL

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid presented the Minnesota State Contract for a 2009 Chevrolet Impala Model 1 LS in the amount of $16,507.00.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to purchase the 2009 Chevrolet Impala Model 1 LS from Car/Truck City in the amount of $16,507.00 not including registration or taxes.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

DEPOT PRESERVATION ALLIANCE, REPRESENTATIVE JOANNE KELLNER

Representative, Joanne Kellner met with the board requesting a letter of support from the County Board for the preservation and adaptive reuse of the Baudette Depot.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize the Chairman to sign the letter (s) of support for the MHS grant for the preservation and adaptive reuse of the Baudette Depot.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

WILLIAMS YOUTH RECREATION ASSOCIATION, REPRESENTATIVE APRIL STAVIG

April Stavig met with the board requesting funding for the Potato Day Celebration.  The board informed April that the county levies money for this celebration already.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to re-designate the $500.00 levied money that was designated to the City of Williams to the Williams Youth Recreation Association, a 501.3c non-profit organization for the use of the Potato Day Celebration. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

PEATLAND COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT

Commissioner Todd Beckel shared a letter from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources requesting Commissioner Todd Beckel to participate as a planner for a pilot project which will create plans for two Peatland Scientific and Natural Areas.  The board discussed the date of the Peatland forum, which falls on the same day of a regular board meeting.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to appoint Commissioner Todd Beckel to the Peatland Committee meeting, Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

BUSINESS SUBSIDY POLICY CRITERIA, PUBLIC HEARING

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 11:00 a.m. as advertised and open the Public Hearing for comments on the Business Subsidy Policy Criteria.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Chairman Bredeson read out loud the two changes that were made in the policy and read out loud a letter from Ronald Zimney.  Commissioner Arnesen stated that he is in support of the policy but would have liked to see a limit of $75,000.00.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Public Hearing for Business Subsidy Policy Criteria and open the regular meeting at 11:05 .am.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to accept the revised Business Subsidy Policy Criteria as presented at the Public Hearing and authorize Chairman Bredeson and County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to sign the revised policy.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, BRUCE HASBARGEN

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and presented two quotes for a Utility Tractor as follows:

  1. Holte Implement:        John Deere 6330 Tractor         $41,296.27
  2. Titan Machinery :        Case III JX80 Tractor             $24,150.00

Bruce recommended purchasing the John Deere 6330 Tractor.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to purchase a John Deere 6330 Tractor for the Public Works Department from Holte Implement in the amount of $41,296.27.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the vote carried as follows:  Voting for:  Commissioner Arnesen, Patty Beckel and Moorman.  Voting against: Commissioners Todd Beckel and Bredeson.

CLOSED SESSION- PURSUANT TO MN § 13D.03 LABOR NEGOTIATIONS

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 11:36 a.m. per MN Stat. §13D.03.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The following were present in closed session:  Commissioners Arnesen, Bredeson, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel and Moorman.  Also present was Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the closed session and open the regular session at 12:50 p.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:50 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 1:05 p.m. as follows:

CON-CON BUDGET

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to contribute the following Con-Con funds to the following organizations, payable 2009:

Lake of the Woods County Development Year 2009
  Baudette Arena Assoc-                    15,000.00
  Williams Arena Assoc-                      5,000.00
  City of Baudette-Timbermill Park                    20,000.00
  Crises Resource Center                      2,500.00
  Depot Preservation-Historic Depot/Bldg                      1,000.00
  LOW Humane Society-                      1,000.00
  MN Small Business Development  Center                         500.00
  Pequana Playhouse                                   500.00
  School District-390-Enrichment Program                      2,500.00
  University of MN Extension-                      2,000.00
  Williams Public Library                         500.00
  Joint Powers Natural Resources Board                      2,000.00
  LOW Sr Fishing (LOW Chapter)                      1,500.00
  Rinke-Noonan-Retainer-                      2,400.00
  St Louis County Aud-   (NCLUCB)                      5,000.00
  Take A Kid Fishing                         600.00
  Widseth Smith Nolting-                    16,000.00

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

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, BRUCE HASBARGEN

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting authorization to move to the next phase for the Township Road Inventory.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Public Works Director to move to the next phase of the Township Road Inventory and to set Public Informational Meetings regarding the Township Road Inventory for November 18, 2008 and January 8, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  The informational meeting will be held at the Government Center in Baudette in the Commissioners’ Room. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval for the Solid Waste Special Assessment fee.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to adopt the Solid Waste Special Assessment Schedules as presented by the Solid Waste Committee with the following changes:

  1. Eliminate farmers that own less than 400 acres.
  2. Eliminate assessment on seasonal recreational properties owned by county residents.

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

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR, WADE JOHANNESEN AND COUNTY ASSESSOR, WAYNE BENDICKSON

Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen discussed the contracting position of an Assistant Assessor.  He explained that the contractor would only be able to do the assessing of properties and nothing else in the office. County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson informed the board that the Mobile Home assessing will be done at the same time as other assessing.  Wade informed the board that the personnel committee recommends to go with the hiring of an Assistant Assessor versus having a contractor. The personnel committee made no changes in the grade of this position and updated the job description as presented.  The board requested that ATV usage be added to the job description.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the Assistant Assessor’s job description with the change of adding ATV usage.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen and County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson to advertise for a RFP for a part-time Assistant Assessor and advertise for a full-time Assistant Assessor position.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

INTERIM COUNTY ATTORNEY, MICHELLE MOREN AND COUNTY ASSESSOR WAYNE BENDICKSON

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren and County Assessor Wayne Bendickson met with the board to discuss the assessment agreement for providing assessment services for the City of Baudette. 

The Commissioners requested that Michelle proceed with the 2008 Assessment Agreement with the City of Baudette.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize Chairman Bredeson, County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid and Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren to sign the 2008 Assessment Agreement with the City of Baudette.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The board discussed the Williams Community Center with Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren and City of Williams Mayor, Nancy Jewell. The board requested that Nancy get an abstract to find out the legal ownership, the value of the lot and get a quote on how much an Attorney would cost to start the process of condemnation.  Michelle will be the contact person for the board on the Williams Community Center.

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, BRUCE HASBARGEN

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board to discuss the certification training for Construction Inspections.  He requested that four staff members should be trained for this certification. He estimates the cost would be around $400.00 per person for training and the cost of mileage and hotels.  The consensus of the board was to train up to four staff members with only two attending at one time.

Bruce reported the Ditch 1 Committee findings.  He stated that the committee will be reviewing this list and will prioritize the projects.

Bruce presented the only quote that was received for the removal or demolition of the small garage.

David and Bruce Erickson was the only bid received in the amount of $100.00.

The board discussed the Capital Outlay for the Road and Bridge fund and also discussed the consent agenda item from the highway department.  Bruce explained the travel was with the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) that he was appointed to and all cost of travel, room and meals were covered by the LRRB.

Bruce informed the board that he may purchase a used snowplow instead of the new snowplow that was approved at the September 23, 2008 meeting. Bruce also informed the board that he is looking into some possibilities of utilizing the fuel farm at the school and the possibility of setting one up for the county.

OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED WITH NO ACTION; CORRESPONDENCE

The board discussed the transfer of the Maxi Van and correspondence was acknowledged.

CONSENT AGENDA

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Josh Stromlund to Minneapolis for Mediation Meeting on October 7, 2008; Bruce Hasbargen to Washington, D.C. for Transportation Research Board’s 88th Annual Meeting on January 11-15, 2009.

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

COUNTY AUDITOR, JOHN W. HOSCHEID

Due to the time of day, the 3rd quarter financial report was tabled to the October 28, 2008 board meeting.

CLOSED SESSION-PURSUANT TO MN § 13D.03 LABOR NEGOTIATIONS

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular session at 4:43 p.m. pursuant MN § 13d.03 for union negotiations.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The following were present in the closed session:  Commissioners Arnesen, Bredeson, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel and Moorman. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to close the closed session at 5:12 p.m. and open the regular session.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 5:12 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                 Approved:       October 28, 2008

_____________________________                                                  ____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                                                   Kim Bredeson, Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

October 28, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

Call to Order

Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance with the following members present:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Arnesen, Bredeson and Moorman. Absent was Commissioner Todd Beckel who was away on county business.  Also present were: County Auditor, John W Hoscheid; Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen; Tom Hanson and Gloriann Fischer.

Approval of Agenda

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

Consent Agenda

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Shelley Pepera to St. Paul on October 21-23 for Case Management and Financial Basics and travel on November 6th to St. Paul for Interstate Basics and John W Hoscheid to St. Paul on October 26-27 for Manatron User Group. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Approval of Minutes

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the commissioner minutes of October 14, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler

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

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

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 15,108.02

Commissioners’ Warrants      $ 12,308.32

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler reviewed the Riverview Health / Glenmore 2009 Contract –CD Outpatient Services and the Riverview Health / Glenmore 2009 Contract — Host County Contract.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the contract between Riverview Health / Glenmore Recovery Center and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009, for the provision of chemical dependency outpatient treatment, aftercare, public education, and training for agency staff; and to authorize Chairman Bredesen and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign the same. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the Host County Contract between Riverview Health / Glenmore Recovery Center and Lake of the Woods County Social Services for 2009, for the provision of chemical dependency outpatient treatment services to residents from other counties; and to authorize Chairman Bredesen and Lake of the Woods County Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, to sign the same. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried. 

County Treasurer, Mark E Hall

County Treasurer, Mark E Hall met with the board to discuss the Lake of the Woods County Investment Policy, which is currently under review by the Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren.  Mark updated the board on the third quarter revenue interest and the projected fourth quarter interest.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid

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

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

                                                Revenue              $ 22,661.16

                                                Road & Bridge   $ 14,288.41

                                                Solid Waste         $      558.02

                                                                            $ 37,507.59

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON 10/28/2008 FOR PAYMENT 10/31/2008

    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                             AMOUNT  VENDOR NAME

          345.06 DELL MARKETING, LP                                             368.75 GRAINGER, INC

          306.00 ROBERT LAPOS                                                       2110.83 M-R SIGN CO, INC

        6320.78 MACTEK SYSTEMS INC                                           927.35 MN ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE

          393.27 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO                10440.00 MSOP-MN SEX OFFENDER PRGRM-462

        8895.36 NORTH AMERICAN SALT CO                                  331.25 NORTH EAST TECHNICAL SERVICE,I

        2063.63 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT              490.71 REED’S SPORTING GOODS

          543.88 GEORGE SWENTIK                                                   406.68 T R JOBBING

          500.00 WILLIAMS YOUTH RECREATION ASSO

27 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300             3,064.04

FINAL TOTAL     $37,507.59

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

October 14, 2008      $ 1,035,783.49

October 21, 2008      $    434,401.63

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

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid reviewed the third quarter financials including the revenue and expenditures report as of September 2008 with the board.  The board chair recommended this to be placed on the next department head meeting agenda.   

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen discussed the gas tax formula, stating there would be a decrease in revenue due to lower gas sales and the current state of the economy.   There is a projected $20,000 budget reduction in revenues as of October 2008.  There will be additional revenue projections in November and the final in January of 2009.  It was the recommendation of the Public Works Director to sit tight until we have the final numbers and at that time make budget adjustments accordingly.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid presented a letter from the Baudette – Lake of the Woods Chamber of Commerce Festival of Lights Committee, requesting sponsorship for this year. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to authorize a sponsorship of $400 to the Festival of Lights Promotion – Movie Donations and to pay this out of general revenue levied money.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W Hoscheid presented quotes to repair the motor pool car.  Quotes were received as follows:

Gary’s Auto                                        $ 721.09

Nelson’s Collision Center                   $ 734.46

Wayne’s Body Shop                           $ 639.04

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve and accept the quote from Wayne’s Body Shop in the amount of $639.04 to repair the motor pool car.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Capital Expenditure Policy

The board reviewed the revised capital expenditure policy.  The board requested the County Auditor to make changes as discussed and bring back to the board for final approval.

Flu Shots

The board discussed allowing employees to receive flu shots this year.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman 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.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried. 

Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen

Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board to request approval of an Assessor Contract job description as recommended by him.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the job description for Contract Assessor. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Emergency Management Director, Holly House

Emergency Management Director, Holly House presented an Emergency Operation Plan for approval.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the Emergency Operation Plan as presented and authorize Chairman Bredeson and Emergency Management Director, Holly House to sign the same.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  

Land & Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund

Land & Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund presented the Lake of the Woods County 2009 Natural Resource Block Grant.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the 2009 Natural Resources Block Grant Agreement and the Program Allocation and Contribution Plan; and to authorize Chairman Bredeson and Land & Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund to sign the same. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax

The board discussed the termination option of the aggregate resource preservation property tax.

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

Resolution Number 08-10-02

Consideration of “Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law”

County Termination Option

Whereas, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners recognizes the importance of maintaining aggregate resources for the general economy of the county; and

Whereas, the County Board recognizes that property taxes are an important consideration as to the viability of the aggregate industries located in the county; and

Whereas, the State of Minnesota has an ad valorem property tax system based on the full market value of real estate or personal property; and

Whereas, the provisions of MN Statute § 273.1115, Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law, grants special and unique treatment to owners of land containing aggregate deposits, in comparison  with other property in the county, therefore shifting the tax burden on these properties to other taxpayers; and

Whereas, the provisions of MN Statute § 273.1115, Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law, allow a county to terminate application of this law: and

Whereas, a county may reauthorize application of this law by a resolution of the County Board revoking the termination; and

Whereas, the County Board is required to hold a public hearing as part of the process to terminate application of this law; and

Whereas, said public hearing has been scheduled for November 25, 2008 at 1:00 p.m., in the Commissioners’ room.

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby elects to begin the process of terminating participation in the Aggregate Resource Preservation Property Tax Law in Lake of the Woods County.

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

Old/New Business

The board discussed the following old and new business: 

Old:

There have been no new updates on the ANI, LOW County Reverse Phone System, County TV or the City of Williams (Williams Community Center – old school). 

New:

The board received a letter from the Roseau Committee on Aging inviting two commissioners to serve on the board.  The consensus of the board was to appoint Commissioner Arnesen to represent the board on the committee and to report back to the board.

The board requested County Auditor John W Hoscheid to send a letter to the Humane Society requesting an update on any potential funding they may have received.

Meeting Reports:

Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel and Moorman attended the Minnesota Rural Counties Caucus meeting in Menahga.  Commissioners Arnesen and Moorman updated the board.

Closed Session – Pursuant to MN Statute § 13D.03 Labor Negotiations and MN Statute § 13D.05, Subd. 2(b) Personnel Issues

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to close the regular session at 11:20 a.m. pursuant MN Statute § 13D.03 for union negotiations and MN Statute § 13D.05, Subd. 2 (b) personnel issues. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The following were present in closed session:  Commissioners Arnesen, Bredeson, Patty Beckel and Moorman.  Absent was Commissioner Todd Beckel.  Also present was Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen.   

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to close the closed session at 12:15 p.m. and open the regular session.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:16 p.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

Closed Session – Pursuant to MN Statute § 13D.05 Subd. 3(b)

Pending Litigation

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to close the regular session at 1:01 p.m. pursuant MN Statute § 13D.05 Subd. 3(b) for pending litigation.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The following were present in closed session:  Commissioners Arnesen, Bredeson, Patty Beckel and Moorman.  Absent was Commissioner Todd Beckel.  Also present were the Board of Adjustments committee members:  Tom Mio, Buck Webb, Reed McFarlane and Jamie McEnelly; Jay Squires   from Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney and County Auditor, John W Hoscheid.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to close the closed session at 1:45 p.m. and open the regular session.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Land & Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund

Mr. Jay Squires, attorney from Ratwik, Roszak, and Maloney, representing the county in this matter and explained the genesis of the litigation.  On May 14, 2008, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Adjustment (BOA) approved a variance submitted by J & L Hennum, Inc.  This approval granted an increase in commercial density and less than the required 100 foot setback from the Rainy River.  The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) subsequently appealed the decision of the BOA.  A mediation conference was held on October 7, 2008, with all parties present and a settlement agreement was reached.  The terms of the settlement agreement were discussed.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to accept the settlement agreement reached between the MN DNR and J&L Hennum, Inc. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, carried as follows:  For:  Commissioners:  Arnesen, Moorman, Bredeson;  Abstained:  Commissioner Patty Beckel;  Absent:  Commissioner Todd Beckel.

Recess

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

Attest:                                                                                                 Approved:       November 12, 2008

_____________________________                                                  ____________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                                                    Kim Bredeson, Chairman

September, 2008

Commissioner Proceedings

September 10, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman. Commissioner Bredeson was absent.   Also present were: County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid; Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd;  Human Resources Director Wade Johannesen; Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler; John Oren and Penny Mio Hirst. Vice Chairman Patty Beckel called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Forfeited Tax Sale, building committee recommendation of garage space, banner for October Fest and Plasma Gasification Program in International Falls. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the consent agenda as follows: Travel for Marti Carlson to St. Cloud on September 17-18 for State Aid Accounting Task Force Meeting; Dena Pieper to St. Cloud on  September 17-18 for Support Staff Conference; Monique Arnesen to Detroit Lakes on October 1 &2, October 28-29 and November 18-20; Shelley Phillippe to Duluth on October 7-10 for MFWCAA Annual Conference; Wayne Bendickson to Park Rapids on September 18-19 for Region Meeting; Marti Carlson to Red Lake Falls on September 23-24 for District 2 Highway Accountants Meeting; Josh Stromlund to Arden Hills on September 29 for Wetland Technical Committee. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the minutes of August 26, 2008. 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 was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 37,937.62

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

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler and Jon Helgeson, Owner and Funeral Director of Helgeson’s Funeral Home met with the board to discuss the increase in the amount of a county burial.

The board requested that Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler update the County Burial Policy to increase the county payment up to $2,850.00 and if family chooses a winter burial, the family would be responsible for that portion of the cost.

Kent Ehrenstrom from the Minnesota Department of Transportation met with the board to discuss the contract with the Roseau County Committee of Aging for the FAR North Transit Program in Lake of the Woods County. Kent explained that the contract now is for services only in Lake of the Woods County. The board discussed the old buses that the county has purchased in the past and that are in the name of Lake of the Woods County and the method of disposing of them.  Kent handed out the Vehicle Disposition/Transfer Procedures to the board on the proper steps to be used when selling the buses. The board discussed the garage storage for the buses and proposed cost.  Kent stated  this could be built into the new FAR North Transit contract to cover this expense.

Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board to discuss step increases for Shelley Pepera and Julie Berggren for completion of their probationary period.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve a one step merit adjustment for completion of probation for Social Service Case Aid, Shelley Pepera effective September 3, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve a one step merit adjustment for completion of probation for, County Sheriff’s Administrative Assistant, Julie Berggren effective August 11, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen discussed the possibility of hiring a “On call/Temporary” clerk position for offices that may need assistance or coverage due to short staffing in some offices.  The board requested that Wade send out an e-mail to see what departments may be interested in this and if some offices would have available staff to cover shifts when needed.

Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen and County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson met with the board requesting approval to advertise and hire for Assistant Assessor, Ron Norquist position.  The board requested they bring pack a two year plan addressing present and future personnel needs of the Assessor’s Office.

Assistant Assessor, Ron Norquist met with the board.  Vice Chairman, Patty Beckel presented a plaque to Ron for his years of services and wished him a happy retirement on behalf of the County Commissioners.

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

Resolution No. 08-09-01

WHEREAS, Ron Norquist has served the residents of Lake of the Woods County for over 25 years, as an Assistant Assessor for the Lake of the Woods County Assessor’s Office;

WHERAS, Ron will be retiring from county service, effective September 19, 2008,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Board of Lake of the Woods County extends its deepest appreciation to Ron for his many years of dedicated service, and best wishes on his retirement.

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

County Auditor, John W.  Hoscheid met with the board and informed the board that the 2008 Primary Election in Lake of the Woods County resulted in a 32% voter turnout.

Crisis Resource Center Program Coordinator, Tonja Reed met with the board requesting funding for the Crisis Center.  She informed the board that due to the state budget cuts, her office funding has been significantly cut. The board informed her that they would look at this at their upcoming budget meetings.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; NW Regional Director, Mike Carroll and Forestry Manager, Dennis Cameron met with the board to discuss the proposed OHV Northern State Border

Trails Workshop, which will be held in Baudette on October 9, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mike gave a brief overview of the plans.  County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid discussed the petition for work to be done on Ditch 1, on which the State of Minnesota is an owner/beneficiary.  Mike requested that John send the proposal indicating the State’s share of the proposed repair cost  and he will get back to him with  what the State would pay, per MN § 84A.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 5:00 p.m., and as advertised opened the Planning Commission.  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 on the continuation of consideration for an Initial Plat for Wayne Bendickson.

Wayne Bendickson                 Hanson Estates 1st Addition              A Public Hearing as required by the

& the remaining portion of the          Lake of the Woods County           NW ¼ of the NW ¼ of Section         Subdivision Ordinance to consider 36, T-162N, R-32W (Wheeler)         the Initial Plat of Marina Drive  

                                                           Estates

Josh recommended approval of the Initial Plat of Marina Drive Estates contingent upon the following:

  1. There should not be punctuation in “NW1/4NW1/4”.
  2. The boundary lines of the existing plat of Hanson Estates is labeled as “line line”.
  3. Insert the word “Block” to clarify the assortment of numbers.
  4. Chandler Road is to be vacated properly.  This process may be conducted concurrent with the platting procedures.
  5. Total area of plat is incorrect.
  6. Setback and Easement identification is switched.
  7. Drainage & utility easement lines in Block 1 were omitted.
  8. Primary & secondary septic size was omitted.  Typically, 2500 square feet in size is adequate.
  9. Current zoning classification is a Commercial-Recreation District.  If this is to be changed to a Residential Development District or a combination thereof, a zone change is required.

10.   The Vicinity map omitted a portion of the proposed plat.

11.   The Covenants & Restrictions should reflect that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) will not issue direct driveway permits on Trunk Highway 172 to the lots located in Block 1 (see attachment).

12.   Under the heading of “Vegetation and Topographic Alterations”, it states that the plat consist of 18 lots.  According to the plat drawing 24 lots are proposed.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the Initial Plat of Marina Drive Estates with the following conditions listed above.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the vote carried as follows:  Voting for:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel and Moorman. Voting against:  Commissioner Todd Beckel.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Planning Commission at 5:29 p.m. and open the regular meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board to discuss the possibility of language changes in section 701Accessory Uses and Structures in Shoreland within the Shoreland Ordinance.  The board requested that Josh draft a letter to Dan Thul to discuss the flexibility of Sec. 701.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund discussed the court case mediation and that the date for the mediation has been set for October 7, 2008 but the location is unknown at this time.  The board stated that Josh should go wherever he needs to travel for this mediation.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board requesting approval of the Initial Plat of Marina Drive Estates.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the Initial Plat of Mariana Drive Estates with the following condition that the Developer attends the September 23, 2008 board meeting to discuss the issues that were outlined in the Planning Commission earlier this evening.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the vote carried as follows:  Voting for:  Commissioners Moorman, Arnesen and Patty Beckel.  Voting against: Commissioner Todd Beckel.

The meeting was called to recess at 5:46 p.m. and reconvened at 5:59 p.m. as follows:

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 6:00 p.m. and as advertised  open the Public Hearing for Ditch 1.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Vice Chairman Patty Beckel informed the public that the County was petitioned by one of the beneficiaries of Ditch 1 for maintenance work, and that the board was holding a public hearing to hear input from the other beneficiaries of Ditch 1.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen gave an overview of the proposed minor repair on Ditch 1 which would consist of: cleaning of sediment deposit in the ditch bottom, reshaping side slopes, replacing a crossing and re-establishing turf with an estimate cost of $35,000.00.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid reviewed the 2007 financial statement for Ditch 1 and the estimated cost of the proposed project as assigned to each beneficiary of Ditch 1.

Vice Chairman Patty Beckel opened the floor for comments:

The following is a summary of the comments that were heard:  some are retired and not farming and want a re-determination done on benefits; others may need work done on Ditch 1, petitioner should be present if they want work done; the damage is being done by the land owner and the land owner should be responsible for the cost, maintenance buffer zone was in the contract of Ditch 1   and once the debt is paid off they would like to see a routine maintenance fee paid.

The board requested that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid call Attorney Deter and request legal advice on the following: 1) Can an individual land owner pay for maintenance work that they want done, 2) Right of Way/Buffer issues, 3) State not paying special assessment amount per MN § 84A, can this be re-spread among the rest of the beneficiaries. 4) What would be the estimated cost of a redetermination of benefits?  The board also requested the Ditch 1 committee to meet and make a list their priorities-and bring recommendations back to the board. Once all the questions are answered and priorities are received, the board will hold another public hearing at a later date.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Public Hearing for Ditch 1 at 7:24 p.m. and open the regular meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 7:25 p.m. and reconvened at 7:30 p.m. as follows:

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue             $ 30,509.60

                                                Road & Bridge   $ 60,178.02

                                                Co. Devel.          $   2,345.05             

                                                Solid Waste        $ 19,995.86

                                                                           $113,028.53

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  9/10/2008 FOR PAYMENT  9/12/2008

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        2940.00 SAMUAL ALBRECHT                                                455.30 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE

          856.84 ANDERSON POWER AND EQUIPMENT                 2149.29 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.

          814.03 AUTO VALUE BAUDETTE                                       610.74 TODD BECKEL

          455.00 BLUE MAXX RECYCLING                                    19259.98 BORDUN TRUCKING, LTD

          341.78 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                            19110.48 CENEX CO-OP SERVICES, INC.

        6250.00 EARTHWORKS CONTRACTING INC                        319.50 ESRI

          431.08 FARMERS UNION OIL CO.                                        369.50 GARY’S AUTO

          304.79 RON HILDEBRANDT                                                 792.96 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC

        6658.85 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                      467.13 LOG CABIN BAIT INC

          514.50 LOW FOODS                                                             2741.81 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

        6320.78 MACTEK SYSTEMS INC                                         9462.60 MAR-KIT LANDFILL

        2821.47 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP                          733.00 KENNETH MOORMAN

        5428.22 LAW MOREN                                                             345.05 DAVY NESMOE

          444.77 NOBLE RADIO SHACK                                            1195.96 NOBLE THRIFTY WHITE

          304.78 ELIZABETH PETERSON                                          2121.98 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

        1524.94 RODERICK RONE JR                                                1800.00 ROSEAU COUNTY AUDITOR

          735.22 ROSEAU COUNTY COOPERATIVE ASSN              1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC

          512.31 TONY DORN, INC.                                                     398.24 TRUE VALUE

          543.15 WALKER PIPE & SUPPLY                                         833.33 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        5384.32 WOODY’S SERVICE

43 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,524.85

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….    $113,028.53  ****

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

                                                August 26, 2008         $    57,978.08

                                                August 29  2008         $   (1,200.00)

                                                August 29  2008         $    58,077.41

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

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board and requested approval for the 2009 proposed budget and tax levy.

RESOLUTION ADOPTING 2009 BUDGET AND TAX LEVY

Resolution No. 2008-09-02

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

WHEREAS, the certified county budget for the year 2009 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 2009:

                        Revenue Fund                       $1,247,446

                        Road & Bridge                      $   449,580

                        Welfare                                  $   558,437

                        Total                                       $2,255,463

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following amounts be levied against the unorganized townships of Lake of the Woods County for 2009:

                        Twp Road & Bridge             $  403,905*

                        Twp Fire – Baudette              $    19,000

                        Williams                                 $    26,400

                        NW Angle                              $      6,500

                        Total                                       $  455,805

*…$8,500 of which is specifically levied to NW Angle residents and designated as follows: Calcium Chloride ($7,500) and Lighting ($1,000).

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

The board discussed future budget dates and set September 19th and 22nd in the Commissioners’ Room in the Government Center starting at 7:00 a.m.

The board moved the October Fest Banner discussion, letter of support for the Plasma Gasification Plant and the Biomass Energy Workshop to the September 12, 2008 meeting.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board to discuss the parcels of tax-forfeited lands that were submitted to the State of Minnesota for approval of sale.  The consensus of the board was to cancel sale No. 39-09-01. 

Commissioner Todd Beckel excused himself from the meeting at 7:45 p.m. for other county obligations.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board to inform them that the Building Committee had met in regards to the storage of vehicles.  The committee recommend the following:   the Maxi Vans go to the school garage with a yearly rental of $480.00 per bus, the Landfill vehicles be removed from the Government Center North Garage and the Assessor’s vehicle and the Land and Water Planning vehicle move into the Government Center North Garage and recommending the south garage  be moved or torn down.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to advertise for quotes for the demolition of the south garage or for moving the garage in its entirety and to have this project completed by October 15, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The board discussed the County T.V. and the possibility of placing a survey in the newspaper to see how many residents actually use the County T.V. services.  No action was taken.

The board reviewed the correspondence from the Northern Counties Land Use Coordinating Board for the counties portion of annual dues.  The consensus of the board was to continue their membership.

With no further business before the board, Vice Chairman Patty Beckel called the meeting to recess at 8:00 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       September 23, 2008

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Patty Beckel, Vice Chairman

Commissioner Proceedings

September 12, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in special session on Friday, September 12, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman. Commissioner Bredeson was absent.   Also present were: County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid; Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd; Baudette City Council Members: Joel Hanson and Jeff Hovde; City Clerk/Treasurer. Tina Rennemo; Baudette City Maintenance; Brad Levasseur; Lake of the Woods Economic Development Director, Wyatt Johnson; Northern Seed Excellence Manager, Brent Benike; Cenex Co-op Manager, Kent Hanson; Lake of the Woods Economic Development Committee member, Howard Mord and Cenex Service Representative, Matt Kumm. Vice Chairman Patty Beckel called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda as presented. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Vice Chairman Patty Beckel welcomed Kevin Soucie, Senior Manager of Government Affairs from CN Railroad to the meeting. Kevin introduced himself to the board and gave a background history of the CN and the internal changes that have been made within the CN Company in the past couple of years.

Vice Chairman Patty Beckel opened the meeting to the floor for comments and requests from local business managers/owners.

Kent Hanson, Manager of Cenex Co-op discussed the concerns and needs of rail service for the local Co-operative in Lake of the Woods County.  He explained that he has been working on restoring or getting rail services in Lake of the Woods County for the last couple of years and really has not gotten anywhere.  He stressed that what he needs first is a site before he can really go any further with the possibilities of rail service. Kent requested that the CN be straight forward with a yes or no if they can or cannot help him with the rail service request.  Kevin concurred that deserves an answer.

Brent Benike, Manager of the Northern Excellence Seed discussed his concerns and how they could utilize the rail services for fertilize and grain transportation, which could result in being a regional hub, but the need for a siding is paramount before he can proceed any further.

Economic Development Director, Wyatt Johnson discussed the loggers’ request of rail services with the need of loggers’ cars and a log landing site.

Commissioner Arnesen asked Kevin how many cars they need for this project to work.  Kevin was not sure on the amount at this time.

Commissioner Todd Beckel and County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid discussed the rail assessment for CN and stated that they were still waiting  for the CN and the Department of Revenue on the formula that they use for tax assessment.

Vice Chairman, Patty Beckel asked Kevin if he needed a letter of support from the County and City of Baudette for the rail service request from CN. Kevin stated that the verbal support was fine. Patty requested Kevin to keep the County Board and Baudette City Council up to date on the progress and thanked him for meeting with them.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:10 a.m. and reconvened at 10:25 a.m. as follows:

Vice-Chairman, Patty Beckel requested that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid send a letter to Kevin thanking him for coming to the meeting and that the board looks forward to  working with him on this opportunity of establishing rail services within Lake of the Woods County.

The board discussed the letter of support request from Koochiching Development Authority on the Renewable Energy Clean Air (RECAP) Project for the plasma gasification waste-to-energy facility.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Vice Chairman Patty Beckel to sign the letter of support for Koochiching Development Authority on the RECAP project.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The board discussed the request from the October Fest Committee for placing a banner in the tent promoting Lake of the Woods County.  The consensus of the board was to have the Lake of the Woods Economic Development place their sign up for the October Fest promoting Lake of the Woods County.

The board discussed the Biomass Energy Workshop committee appointment.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to appoint Commissioner Moorman to the Bio Mass Energy Workshop committee.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Commissioner Todd Beckel discussed the Wetland meeting he attended and the possibility of changes regarding the management of lands.

With no further business before the board, Vice Chairman Patty Beckel called the meeting to recess at 10:58 a.m.

Attest:                                                                                     Approved:       September 23, 2008

______________________________                                    ________________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                                       Vice Chairman, Patty Beckel

Special County Board Meeting

September 19, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Friday, September 19, 2008, 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, Land & Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund, MIS Director Brent Birkeland, Social Services Director Nancy Wendler, Public Works Director Bruce Hasbargen, Highway Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Pelland, Human Resource Director Wade Johannesen and George Swentik.  Chair Bredeson called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

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

The Board reviewed the following 2009 preliminary budgets:  capital expenses, other misc depts., building fund, 2009 health insurance, 2009 salaries, county levy and township levy.  They reviewed the financials from the previous budget meetings and discussed possible options.

The board had discussion with Public Works Director Bruce Hasbargen and Social Services Nancy Wendler with their departmental budgets and options within them.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Bredeson declared the meeting in recess at 11:50 a.m.

Attest:                                                             Approved:  October 14, 2008

______________________________            ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                          Kim Bredeson

County Auditor                                             Chair of the County Board

Special County Board Meeting

September 22, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Monday, September 22, 2008, 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 Bredeson called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the agenda for the special meeting today.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The Board reviewed and finalized the capital expenses and misc department budgets for 2009. The consensus of the board was to reduce the county tv budget, eliminate the purchase of a trailer in the Highway department, eliminate the purchase of a vehicle in the Land & Water department, reduce the office equipment in the Social Service department, add the purchase of LIDAR and add an additional amount in the airport contribution.  The potential use of Social Services reserves to balance the budget was discussed.

Discussion was continued on salaries and health insurance and will be finalized at a later regular board meeting.  It was the consensus to discuss the elected and appointed salaries in November at a regular board meeting, with no date set at this time. The Board was going to meet with the Union to negotiate contract settlements.

Con Con requests were reviewed and discussed with the final decision to be made at a later regular board meeting.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Bredeson declared the meeting in recess at 11:40 a.m.

Attest:                                                             Approved:  October 14, 2008

______________________________            ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                          Kim Bredeson

County Auditor                                             Chair of the County Board

Commissioner Proceedings

September 23, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, September 23, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance with the following members present:  Commissioners Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Arnesen, Bredeson and Moorman. Also present were: Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd; Human Resources Director Wade Johannesen and Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Timber Mill Community Park, Permission to hire a part-time dispatcher, County Assessor two (2) year plan, County Assessor to hire a Assistant Assessor, Fire Alarm Panel, Closed Session for Union Negotiations and remove the following from the agenda: FAR North Transit Contract and Sjoberg’s Cable Contract. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

CONSENT AGENDA

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Bruce Hasbargen to Detroit Lakes on October 8-9 for District 2&4 Fall Prescreening Board and on October 22 & 23 to Brainerd for Fall Screening board; Bob Peterson, Todd Fadness, Mike Anderson, Doug Arnold, Bruce Erickson and Tim Aery to St. Cloud on October 1-2 for MN Fall Maintenance Expo and “Roadeo”.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

LAKEWOOD HEALTH CENTER, SHARRAY FEICKERT, CEO

CEO, SharRay Fieckert met with the board to review the LakeWood Care Center census trends and to discuss the shortage of funds from the State of Minnesota.

TIMBER MILL COMMUNITY PARK, CITY OF BAUDETTE, MAYOR RICK RONE AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JEFF HOVDE

Mayor Rick Rone and City Council Member Jeff Hovde met with the board requesting $40,000 for the construction project of showers and rest room facility at the Timber Mill Community Park. The board stated that they will look into this with the budget process.

SOCIAL SERVICES DIRECTOR, NANCY WENDLER

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 43,185.39

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

COUNTY SHERIFF, DALLAS BLOCK

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board and reviewed the 2008 Annual Facility Inspection Report issued by the Minnesota Department of Corrections.  He stated that they had three areas that needed improvement and that it has been completed. Sheriff Block also requested permission to hire and advertise for a part-time dispatcher position.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize County Sheriff, Dallas Block and Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen to advertise and hire a part-time dispatcher.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

MIS/GIS DIRECTOR, BRENT BIRKELAND

MIS/GIS Director, Brent Birkeland met with the board requesting approval to purchase an upgrade Unitrends Data Protection Unit for data retention.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the purchase of a storage upgrade to the Unitrends Data Protection Unit 200 GBT TSC/14 Day Retention in the amount of $3,900 with the funds being taken from the Technology Fund.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, BRUCE HASBARGEN

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval for a purchase of a snowplow.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to purchase a snowplow which is in the 2009 capital expenditure budget for the solid waste department in the amount of $4,500.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Bruce Hasbargen requested approval to accept roads within Morris Point Estate Plat.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to accept Dillon Road, Logan Road, Sadie Drive and Tonja Lane within Morris Point Estates Plat in Section 20, T-162-N, R-32-W, as Unorganized Township Road No. 269, and acknowledge that said road has been constructed to minimum unorganized township road standards.  The road is approximately 1.2 miles in length and shall be classified at maintenance level “C”.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Bruce Hasbargen requested approval of the Solid Waste Special Assessment fee schedules as proposed.  The board referred it back to the committee to discuss the special assessment on seasonal recreational properties and small farms.

Bruce Hasbargen discussed with the board his appointment to the Minnesota Local Road Research Board and informed them that meeting costs would be covered by the LRRB.

PUBLIC HEARING—VACATION OF CHANDLER ROAD WITHIN HANSON ESTATES FIRST ADDITION

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 10:33 a.m. and open the Public Hearing as advertised.  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 vacation of Chandler Road which lies within Hanson Estates First Addition.  He explained that the road has not been constructed, but is still within the approved plat.  The road was petitioned to be vacated and is not wanted in the new Marina Drive Estates plat.

The board left the building at 10:48 a.m. to view the road.  The board returned at 11:34 a.m. as follows:

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the public hearing at 11:35 a.m. and reconvene the regular meeting.

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

RESOLUTION NO.             08-09-03

WHEREAS, The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners, under M.S. 164.07, intends to vacate Chandler Road within Hanson Estates First Addition in Wheeler Township;

WHEREAS, Said Chandler Road of Hanson Estates First Addition, Section 36, T-162-N,

R-32-W lying between Block 2 and Block 3 of said Hanson Estates First Addition is more fully described as follows:

Commencing at the Northwest Corner of said Section 36, T-162-N, R-32-W thence in a Southerly direction on and along the West line of said Section 36 on an assumed bearing of S00º26’15”E a distance of 1323.78’ to a point; Thence in an Easterly direction along the South line of Block 1 and Block 2 a distance of 591’ to a point on the Southeast corner of Lot 7, Block 2 to the point of beginning; Thence in a Northerly direction on and along the East line of Block 2 an assumed bearing of N00º33’10”W a distance of 1230.79’ to a point on the Northeast corner of Lot 12, Block 2; Thence in an Easterly direction a distance of 66’ to a point on the Northwest corner of Lot 1, Block 3; Thence in a Southerly direction along the East line of said Block 3 on an assumed bearing of S00º33’10”E a distance of 1230.79’ to a point on the Southwest corner of Lot 6, Block 3; Thence in a Westerly direction a distance of 66’ more or less back to the point of beginning.

WHEREAS, Said parcel lies wholly within NW1/4NW1/4, Section 36, T-162-N, R-32-W and contains 1.86 acres more or less.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, To hereby vacate the aforementioned Chandler Road according to MN Statutes 164.07.

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

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen presented the release on Chandler Road, from Wayne Bendickson to the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners acting as the town board supervisors for the unorganized township of Wheeler from any and all claims, damages, awards or any other costs which could be assessed following the vacation of the road.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to authorize Chairman Bredeson to sign the release for Chandler Road, from Wayne Bendickson to the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners acting as the town board supervisors for the unorganized township of Wheeler from any and all claims, damages, awards or any other costs which could be assessed following the vacation of the road. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, BRUCE HASBARGEN

Bruce Hasbargen presented the 2008 Capital Outlay to the board as they requested from the previous budget meeting.  The Commissioners requested that Bruce bring in previous years Capital Outlay for them to review.

RESOLUTION OF THE “WATERS OF THE DANCING SKY”, DESIGNATION OF HIGHWAY 11

The board discussed the designation of the “Waters of the Dancing Sky”.  Commissioner Patty Beckel will talk with Lake of the Woods Tourism Director, Denelle Cauble and request that she come to the board and discuss this with them.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:55 a.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES LANDS AND MINERALS SALE

Meeting with the board from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources were: Lands and Minerals Regional Supervisor, Cindy Buttleman; Lands and Minerals Assistant Director, John Engessel and Minerals Leasing Section Attorney, Vicki Hubred to discuss the State Metallic Mineral Lease Sale for Lake of the Woods County, which is scheduled for January of 2009.    Notification of the sale will be sent to the County Auditor thirty (30) days in advance of the sale.

INTERIM COUNTY ATTORNEY, MICHELLE MOREN

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren discussed the Williams Community Center.  She stated that the only way the county could be involved with the destruction of the Center was to have a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with the City of Williams and along with the JPA comes a huge financial responsibility and liabilities.  She recommends not moving forward with this.

Michelle discussed the Dangerous Dog Ordinance that she has been working on with the League of Minnesota Cities and has received quite a bit of information; however the dangerous dog law just changed and therefore the ordinance that she was working on will have to be redone.  The league will likely have a sample ordinance available in early of 2009.  She stated that with the changes, she may wait until the league provides proposed ordinance guidelines. The consensus of the board was to wait until the proposed ordinance guideline was available.

LAND AND WATER PLANNING OFFICE

Assistant Zoning Administrator, Steve Sindelir and Marina Estates Developer, Wayne Bendickson met with the board to discuss the conditions that were placed on the approval of the Initial Plat of Marina Estates  from the September 10, 2008 Planning Commission.

The meeting was called to recess at 1:52 p.m. and reconvened at 1:56 p.m. as follows:

COUNTY ASSESSOR

County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson met with the board and discussed the two (2) year plan for his office that they requested from the September 10, 2008 meeting.

The board discussed the re-appointment of County Assessor for another four (4) year term.

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

Resolution No. 08-09-04

WHEREAS, M.S. 273.061 provides that the term of office for the County Assessor is four years; and,

WHEREAS, the current term of the County Assessor began on January 1, 2004 and ends December 31, 2008; and,

WHEREAS, the Commissioner of Revenue must approve all County Assessor re-appointments, as well as any new appointments, before they become effective.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Wayne Bendickson is hereby re-appointed to the position of County Assessor of Lake of the Woods County for a four-year term, beginning January 1, 2009.

Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the vote carried as follows:  Voting For:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Bredeson, Moorman and Arnesen.  Voting Against: Commissioner Todd Beckel.

HUMAN RESORUCES DIRECTOR, WADE JOHANNESEN

Human Resources Director, Wade Johnannesn and County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson met with the board to request approval to advertise for and hire an Assistant Assessor.  The consensus of the board was to send back the Assistant Assessor job description to the personnel committee for grade and approval of description.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to write and advertise for a Request for Proposal for the Assistant Assessor.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

COUNTY RECORDER, SUE NEY

County Recorder Sue Ney, Passport Acceptance Agent updated the board on the acceptance of Passport/Passcard applications and informed them that her office will be open on November 1, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to accept  Passport/Passcard applications.

FAR NORTH TRANSIT, CAPTIAL GENERAL EXPENDITURE POLICY, STATE WIDE ZONING AND LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY OFFICE FEES

The board discussed the FAR North Transit Vehicle Disposition/Transfer.  The consensus of the board was to proceed with the procedure from the Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Transit on retaining the vehicle for use within Lake of the Woods County.

The board discussed the Lake of the Woods County Capital General Expenditure Policy.  The consensus of the board was to have a $1,000 limit and anything above that would need board approval.  Commissioner Moorman was appointed to form a committee to update the policy.

Commissioner Arnesen discussed the State Wide Zoning/Lake Shoreland Rules with the board and the possible effects this would have in Lake of the Woods County.

The board reviewed with no action the Lake of the Woods County Office fees.

COUNTY AUDITOR, JOHN W. HOSCHEID

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue              $ 40,779.07

                                                Road & Bridge   $ 12,092.88

                                                Solid Waste         $      919.44

                                                                            $  53,791.39

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  9/23/2008 FOR PAYMENT  9/26/2008

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          420.00 BRIAN ACHEN                                                           429.94 BAUDETTE REGION

        6719.00 BULLBERRY SYSTEMS, INC                                    309.52 CDW GOVERNMENT, INC

          619.03 GRAND VIEW LODGE                                             1400.00 LEE HANCOCK

        6000.00 HEADWATER REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT          5709.50 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

        2552.81 MESABI BITUMINOUS, INC.                                    380.27 MID SPEC INC

        1477.50 MN COUNTIES INFORMATION SYSTEM                375.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO

          313.79 JEROME MOLINE                                                    8352.00 MSOP-MN SEX OFFENDER PRGRM-462

          377.70 SUSAN NEY                                                               400.00 NORTH EAST TECHNICAL SERVICE,I

        3829.08 NORTH STAR ELECTRIC                                          809.77 NORTHERN SAFETY CO INC

          304.79 ELIZABETH PETERSON                                            798.62 PITNEY BOWES INC.

        4000.00 RESERVE ACCOUNT                                                 713.75 RODERICK RONE JR

          322.70 SOFTWARE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL,                   479.96 T R JOBBING

        2090.40 UAP DISTRIBUTION INC

48 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,606.26

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….     $53,791.39  ****

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

                                                September 12, 2008    $91,258.27

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

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid discussed the 2008 legislature changes made to the Aggregate Material Production Tax which allows the County Auditor to retain an annual administrative fee of up to five percent (5%) of the total taxes collected in any year pursuant MS§298.75, Sub. 7 (b).

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to retain the five percent (5%) of the Aggregate Material Production  taxes collected in any year pursuant MN §298.75, Sub. 7 (b).  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid presented a quote from Bauers Communication and Security for a replacement fire alarm panel to be installed in the Sheriff’s office.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to purchase the fire alarm panel, installation and testing installation materials from Bauers Communication and Security Company in the amount of $1,896.77.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

OLD/NEW BUSINESS

The board discussed the Lake of the Woods County Reverse Phone System and requested that County Sheriff, Dallas Block give them an update on the refund at the next meeting.

CORRESPONDENCE

The following correspondence was acknowledged with no action:  letter from Northwest Angle Residents, Sex Offender Expenditure update and Arrowhead Library.

CLOSED SESSION- PURSUANT TO MN § 13D.03 LABOR NEGOTIATIONS

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular session at 3:55 p.m. pursuant MN § 13d.03 for union negotiations.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The following were present in closed session:  Commissioners Arnesen, Bredeson, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel and Moorman.  Also present was Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the closed session at 4:44 p.m. and open the regular session.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 4:45 p.m.

Attest:                                                                                                 Approved:       October  14, 2008

_____________________________                                                  ____________________________

Janet E. Rudd, Deputy Auditor                                                         Kim Bredeson, Chairman

August, 2008

Commissioner Proceedings

August 12, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, August 12, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioners Bredeson, Todd Beckel, Arnesen and Moorman. Commissioner Patty Beckel was absent.   Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd and John Oren. Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  AMC appointment, Human Resources and budget update. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the consent agenda as follows:  Holly House to Mahnomen on October 1-2 for ICS 400 training; Dale McGuire and Brock Stebakken to Fergus Falls on August 6-7 for Operator Training; Joel Hanson to St. Cloud on July 27-29 for Mn/DOT Pedestrian Facility Design Training; Bruce Hasbargen to Brainerd on September 10-12 for MN Solid Waste Administrator Association Conference;  Bruce Hasbargen to Minneapolis on August 13-14 for the NACE Conference and MPCA demo landfill; Jodi Ferrier to Mahnomen on August 13-14 for Communities Collaborative Conference; Bill Sindelir to Breezy Point on September 24-26 for MN/DOT- R/W Professional Workshop;  Josh Stromlund for Leadership Training: 2008 — August 19-20, Moorhead; September 22-24, Duluth; November 20-21, Morton;  2009 — January 21-22, Alexandria; March 1-5, Washington, DC; June 23-25, Lanesboro and August 5-6, Grand Rapids. Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve July 22, 2008 minutes with removing the John Deer 2010 Tractor from the closed bid for used equipment; approve the July 23 and July 29 budget 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 requesting approval of claims.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the claims against the county except for claim numbers 1719, 3450 and 753 as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 43,010.72

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

Emergency Manager, Holly House met with the board requesting approval for the 2008 Emergency Management Preparedness Grant.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the 2008 Emergency Management Preparedness Grant and authorize Board Chairman and Emergency Management Director to sign.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board requesting approval of one step increase for Charlene McGraw and Tony Crow for completion of their probationary period effective respectively July 28, 2008, and July 31, 2008, after completion of a satisfactory and written review.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously.

County Sheriff Dallas Block, Chief Deputy Sheriff Jim Walton and the County Board discussed the City of Baudette (City) Law Enforcement Contract that will expire on August 31, 2008.  Chairman Bredeson reviewed the letter that was received from City Mayor Rick Rone stating that the Council was pleased with the current agreement and that they would be willing to continue with the present agreement at $1,000 per month.  After discussion, the consensus of the board was to decline the $1,000 offer and send a letter to them stating that they do not desire to renew the contract and to make necessary arrangements to vacate the Lake of the Woods County Law Enforcement Center by August 31, 2008.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval of vacating of Township Road #200 (Aspen Drive).

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

RESOLUTION NO. 08-08-01

Vacation of Township Road #200 (Aspen Drive)

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners, under M.S. 164.07, intends to vacate a portion of Township Road #200 (Aspen Drive);

WHEREAS, said portion of Township Road #200 of Winter Roads Acres 1st Addition, Section 17, T-161-N, R-31-W lies adjacent to Lot 9, Block 1, and is more fully described as follows:

Commencing at the South ¼ Corner of said Section 17, T-161-N, R-31-W, thence in a Northeasterly direction on and along the Easterly boundary of Lot 9, Block 1, Winter Road Acres 1st Addition on an assumed bearing of N27º27’E a distance of 134.67’ to the point of beginning; thence in a Northwesterly direction on an assumed bearing of N62º33’W a distance of 132.00’ to a point; thence in a Northeasterly direction on an assumed bearing of N27º27’E a distance of 83.68’ to a point; thence in a Southeasterly direction on an assumed bearing of S39º51’E a distance of 143.08’ to a point; thence in a Southwesterly direction on an assumed bearing of S27º27’W a distance of 28.46’ more or less back to the point of beginning.

WHEREAS, said parcel lies wholly within Gov. Lot 3, Section 17, T-161-N, R-31-W and contains 0.17 acres more or less.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, to hereby vacate the aforementioned portion of Township Road #200 according to MN Statutes 164.07 and authorize Board Chair to sign all releases.

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

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and discussed Mark LaValla’s Permit-By-Rule Demolition Landfill. The history and involvement of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Lake of the Woods County Public Works Department was reviewed.  Board consensus was all three agencies should split the costs for material removal, with the County share being covered by landfill tipping fees.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and updated them on the Township Road Inventory and stated that 45% of the inventory has been entered into the computer. He reviewed and discussed the 2009 Highway budget.

Colleen Hoffman from Hoffman, Dale and Swenson PLLC met with the board and presented the 2007 year end audit.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to accept the 2007 year end audit as presented.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:53 a.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to close the meeting and open the Planning Commission Hearing at 1:00 p.m. as advertised.  Seconded Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board requesting consideration of a Initial Plat for Wayne Bendickson.

Wayne Bendickson                 Hanson Estates 1st Addition              A Public Hearing as required by the

& the remaining portion of the          Lake of the Woods County           NW ¼ of the NW ¼ of Section         Subdivision Ordinance to consider 36, T-162N, R-32W (Wheeler)         the Initial Plat of Marina Drive  

                                                           Estates

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to table the request of the Initial Plat of Marina Drive Estates until the next Planning Commission, dated September 10, 2008, at 5:00 p.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Planning Commission Hearing at 1:26 p.m. and reconvene the regular meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The board tabled the Business Subsidy Criteria to the August 26th board meeting when the full board will be in attendance.

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

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

                                                Revenue             $   37,385.11

                                                Road & Bridge   $ 240,962.10

                                                County Develp.  $        200.00

                                                Solid Waste        $   24,896.86

                                                                           $ 303,444.07

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  8/12/2008 FOR PAYMENT  8/15/2008

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          375.00 BRIAN ACHEN                                                           538.48 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE

          717.36 ANDERSON POWER AND EQUIPMENT                 2724.09 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.

        1154.38 AUTO VALUE                                                            494.17 BAUDETTE REGION

          300.00 BAUDETTE-LOW CHAMBER OF COMMER             473.83 TODD BECKEL

        3755.60 BERNTSEN INTERNATIONAL INC                        1074.82 BRAUN INTERTEC CORPORATION

        3200.00 BULLBERRY SYSTEMS, INC                                    341.78 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES

      20609.97 CENEX CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                              3000.00 DEPOT PRESERVATION ALLIANCE

        1695.81 DLT SOLUTIONS, INC                                             1040.00 GM CONSTRUCTION INC

          507.84 GRACETON GARAGE & BODY SHOP, I                 1849.45 LEE HANCOCK

          494.87 RON HILDEBRANDT                                                 600.00 HOLEN ELECTRIC

          405.20 HOLIDAY INN – ST. CLOUD                                     324.63 HOMETOWN HARDWARE

        4612.13 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY                                      613.16 JAKE’S QUALITY TIRE INC

          533.24 CHARLES KOTHRADE                                              946.91 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS

          300.00 LAKE OF THE WOODS ROD & GUN CL                3710.79 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

        1096.37 M-R SIGN CO, INC                                                 13083.30 MAR-KIT LANDFILL

          478.90 METRO FORMS, INC                                               2821.47 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          918.57 JEROME MOLINE                                                    1073.85 KENNETH MOORMAN

        5499.59 LAW MOREN                                                             554.43 NOBLE THRIFTY WHITE

        1265.75 NORTHWEST MN MULTI-COUNTY HRA              1067.10 POWERPLAN

        1202.24 QUILL CORPORATION                                            3127.16 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

          375.86 RM JOHNSON CO INC                                               784.75 RODERICK RONE JR

        3500.00 SJOBERG’S INC                                                          350.84 T R JOBBING

          881.02 TITAN MACHINERY                                                 382.99 TONY DORN, INC.

      87197.94 TRUCK BODIES & EQUIP INTL INC                  107715.11 TWIN CITIES MACK & VOLVO TRUCK

          670.95 WALKER PIPE & SUPPLY                                         833.33 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC

        4101.80 WOODY’S SERVICE

60 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       8,067.24

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….    $303,444.07  ****

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

                                                July 22     2008            $ 25,808.04

                                                July 22,    2008            $ 64,791.81

                                                July 29,    2008            $ 21,597.40

                                                August 4, 2008           $ 50,063.08

                                                August 5, 2008           $   6,361.26

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

Delane Walker, representing the 2008 Oktoberfest Committee met with the board requesting funding for the Oktoberfest due to the reorganization of the committee.

Motion was made by Commissioner Bredeson to donate $500 to the Oktoberfest Committee with the funding from the General Fund for 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the vote carried as follows:  Voting for:  Commissioners’ Bredeson, Moorman and Todd Beckel; Voting against: Commissioner Arnesen.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board and requested approval to appoint the 2008 canvassing board for the primary and general election.

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

Resolution 08-08-02

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board does hereby appoint Commissioner Todd Beckel and Commissioner Moorman, Baudette City Clerk Tina Rennemo, County Auditor John W. Hoscheid and Deputy Court Administrator Sara Thompson to the 2008 Primary and General Canvassing Board set for September 11, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Room and November 6, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the Court Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center.

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

County Auditor John W Hoscheid met with the board and discussed the decrease in the 2009 County Program Aid with the board.

County Auditor John W Hoscheid discussed the AMC Board of Directors decision to move forward with a plan to stand up to the Administration and Legislature regarding the theoretical “partnership” between the state and counties.  He requested that the County Board appoint a contact person for this project.  The County Board requested the County Auditor be the contact person..

County Auditor John W. Hoscheid met with the board and requested approval for Lawful Gambling for Northwest Angle Edge Riders and Lake of the Woods Ducks Unlimited.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the application for exempt gambling for the Northwest Angle Edge Riders for a raffle, which will be held at Flag Island Resort on February 28, 2009.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the application for exempt gambling for the Lake of the Woods Ducks Unlimited for a raffle, which will be held at Sportsman’s Lodge on September 13, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Arrowhead Library System Executive Director, Jim Weikum met with the board to discuss the Adjusted Net Tax Capacity (ANTC) data that he received from the Minnesota Department of Education.  He informed the board that the data shows a 25 % increase for Lake of the Woods County (excluding the City of Baudette) and that the Arrowhead Library System has requested modification language to the Statute to use a multiyear averaging and that this is already in place with AMC. 

County Auditor John W. Hoscheid met with the board to discuss the 2009 budget.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to round up the vacation, sick leave and compensation time accrued balances, as recommended by Hoffman, Dale and Swenson, PLLC.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Chairman to sign the City of Baudette law enforcement letter terminating the contract effective August 31, 2008. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize County Sheriff Dallas Block to purchase a new recorder for the 911 system with the funding from the 911 fund.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 4:21 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       August 26, 2008

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Kim Bredeson, Chairman

 

 

Commissioners’ Proceedings

August 19, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, August 19, 2008, at the Angle Inlet School, with the following members present:  Commissioners Arnesen, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Moorman and Bredeson.  Others present on behalf of the County were:  County Auditor John W. Hoscheid and Public Works Director Bruce Hasbargen. Also present were Northwest Angle area residents. Commissioner Bredeson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows:  Brent Birkeland to St. Cloud on August 20 for Manatron Tax User meeting and Shelly Pepera & Monique Arnesen to Crookston on September 23-24 for training on the SSIS software.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director Bruce Hasbargen gave an update on the current and future plans for the NWA roads.  Commissioners Arnesen and Todd Beckel will be meeting Congressmen Collin Peterson next week and will be discussing this further.

A petition was presented to the County Board by Jessica Fandrich, NWA Chamber of Commerce for street lights or lights on the corners. Petition stated “Yes!  Public Safety at the Angle is of utmost important to both the landowners and to the visitors to the area.  We support the Chamber in its pursuit of this project and request budget allocation to the annual costs of the electricity.”   Bruce Hasbargen explained and commented on this project.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to support and purchase up to 3 lights, with the funding from the Northwest Angle township levy for the installation and maintenance.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and carried as follows:  For:  Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Kim Bredeson and Ken Moorman; Against:  Commissioner Todd Beckel. 

Discussion was had regarding the garbage and the garbage run. The Northwest Angle area residents complimented and thanked the board for supporting this project.

Bruce Hasbargen discussed scrap metal funds and its’ usage.  The scrap metal sales are receipted in the Solid Waste fund.

Calcium chloride and special assessments were discussed and reviewed with no action taken at this time.

Discussion was had on bait across the land border.  No action was taken at this time.

Commissioner Arnesen gave a cormorant update.  Commissioners Arnesen and Todd Beckel will be meeting with Mark Holstein and Congressman Peterson to discuss the same.

Chairman Bredeson gave an update on the City Watch call system that is now currently being tested by Sheriff Dallas Block.  This call system would be used for emergency services and tornado warnings.

Fire Department issues were discussed with no action taken at this time.

Passports and cell phone services for the area were all discussed with no new updates.

County Auditor John W Hoscheid gave an update on the taxes for the Northwest Angle and reviewed the trails on the Angle.

County Auditor discussed the Wildflower project and the recommendation from the State Auditor that Lake of the Woods County not be the fiscal agent for this project.

County Auditor John W Hoscheid presented a letter from the MN Department of Natural Resources announcing plans to hold a sale of metallic minerals exploration and mining leases.  The County Board of Commissioners directed the Auditor to send a letter to the Division of Lands and Minerals and invite them to meet with the board to discuss this further.

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

A RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION

RESOLUTION NO. 2008-08-03

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County received assistance in securing the new power line and upgrading current lines through Roseau Electric Cooperative at the Northwest Angle;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby wishes to thank Congressmen Collin Peterson and his staff for all their assistance.

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

Chairman Bredeson requested a Website update at the next regular board meeting from MIS Director Brent Birkeland.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Bredeson called the meeting in recess at 12:25 p.m.    

Attest:                                                                      Approved: August 26, 2008

______________________________                                 _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                                    Kim Bredeson, Board Chair  

Commissioner Proceedings

August 26, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in special session on Tuesday, August 26, 2008, in the Commissioners’ Room in the Lake of the Woods County Government Center with the following members present:  Commissioner’s Bredeson, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel and Moorman. Commissioner Arnesen was absent.   Also present was Human Resources Director Wade Johannesen. Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 700 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Wade Johannesen met with the board to assist in the evaluation of County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson job evaluation in the absence of the Assessor.

The board discussed the Non-elected department heads and concurred that all received a satisfactory job performance.

The meeting was called to recess at 8:55 a.m. and the regular session was opened at 9:00 a.m. with the following members present: Commissioner’s Bredeson, Todd Beckel, Patty Beckel, Moorman and Arnesen.  Also present were: County Auditor John W. Hoscheid, Deputy Auditor Janet Rudd, John Oren and Penny Mio Hirst.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda as presented. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows:  

Janet Rudd to St. Cloud on September 18-19 for MDRA conference; Sue Ney to Alexandria on September 9&10 for MACO eCountiesConference; Amy Ballard  to Bemidji for Supervisor Core on the following dates:  September 9 & 10, October 15 & 16, November 18 & 19, December 16 & 17 and February 10 & 11, 2009. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the minutes of August 12, 18 and 19 2008. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Chairman Bredeson welcomed Senator Saxhaug to the meeting.  The board discussed the following issues with the Senator: cormorant, the shortfall on CPA and the Wheelers Point Sewer project.

Emergency Management Director, Holly House met with the board for the approval for the 2007 Homeland Security Grant Program.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to accept the Homeland Security Grant Program effective July 1, 2008 and authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid and Chairman Bredeson to sign the grant.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid and Emergency Management Director, Holly House met with the board and presented a resolution approving amendments to the Joint Powers Agreement Governing the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board.

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

A Resolution Approving Amendments to Joint Powers Agreement

Governing the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board

Resolution No. 08-08-03

WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County is a member of the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board, and

WHEREAS, the Joint Powers Agreement governing the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board provides that all modifications to the Agreement require approval by all parties to the Agreement by adoption of a resolution, and

WHEREAS, the Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust has recommended two modifications to the Joint Powers Agreement governing the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board, and

WHEREAS, the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board recommends the adoption of the recommended modifications, and

WHEREAS, the recommended modifications have been attached to this Resolution, and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County hereby approves the modifications to the Joint Powers Agreement governing the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board as submitted and recommended by the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board and attached hereto.

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

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid discussed the quotes he received for a new vehicle for the motor pool, which the board requested him to research.  The consensus of the board was to wait until the new State Contract was available before purchasing.

The meeting was called to recess at 9:55 a.m. and reconvened at 10:00 a.m. as follows:

Dan Crompton, Representing the Lake of the Woods Historical Society met with the board to discuss the proposed expansion plans that they are working on and requested consideration of funding in the amount of $75,000 over three years.  The board concurred that they would take this under consideration in their budget processing.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, met with the board requesting approval of claims and stated that she will be bringing the County Paid Burial Policy to the board to request raising the cap of burial cost.

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

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 44,383.63

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

FAR North Public Transit Director, Steve Butler met with the board to discuss the 2008 revenue and expenditures through July, requested to purchase the 1996 bus from Lake of the Woods County for backup use in Roseau County and requested the funding for the 2008 bus for Lake of the Woods County that has been allocated for such purchase. The board discussed how the FAR North Transit operates at this time.  Steve informed them that the Roseau County Committee of Aging now is the Contract holder of FAR North Transit and FAR North Transit sub contracts with Lake of the Woods County.  The board requested a meeting with Kent Ehrenstrom, MN Department of Transportation, NW District Transit Planner.

Matt Mickelson, Maintenance Supervisor met with the board and discussed parking issues at the Government Center North Building.  The board requested that Matt set up a meeting with the Building Committee to discuss this matter and bring back a recommendation to the board.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and requested the board set a public hearing to vacate Chandler Road within Hanson Estates First Addition.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to set September 23, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. at Lake of the Woods County Government Center in the Commissioners Room, as the date, time and place for a public hearing to vacate Chandler Road within Hanson Estates First Addition.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the vote carried as follows:  Voting for:  Commissioner’s Arnesen, Patty Beckel, Moorman and Bredeson; voting against:  Commissioner Todd Beckel.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and requested approval to enter into agreement No. 93333, with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, for the Depot Preservation Project.

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

Resolution to enter into Agreement No. 93333 with the Minnesota Department of Transportation:

RESOLUTION NO. 08-08-04

BE IT RESOLVED, that pursuant to Minnesota Statute Sec. 161.36, the Commissioner of Transportation be appointed as Agent of the Lake of the Woods County to accept as its agent, federal aid funds which may be made available for eligible transportation related projects.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chairman of the County Board and the County Auditor are hereby authorized and directed for and on behalf of the County to execute and enter into an agreement with the Commissioner of Transportation prescribing the terms and conditions of said federal aid participation as set forth and contained in “Minnesota Department of Transportation Agency Agreement No. 93333”, a copy of which said agreement was before the County Board and which is made a part hereof by reference.

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 and discussed the special levy for the calcium chloride application and lighting project at the Northwest Angle. The board concurred that the calcium chloride and lighting project should be levied yearly. Bruce also stated that the township road inventory is 80% done.

Chief Deputy Sheriff, Jim Walton met with the board and updated them on the “City Watch Notification Services”, (now referred to as Lake of the Woods Reverse Call Back System) He explained that it is not working and that County Sheriff, Dallas Block is working on getting reimbursed.

Mark Anderson from the Department of Transportation met with the board and discussed the Outdoor Advertising Control on Minnesota Scenic Byways in which, State Highway 11 “Waters of the Dancing Sky” is within Lake of the Woods County and is designated as a State scenic byway.  Mark stated that Mn/DOT is required by federal law not to allow new off-premises advertising signs along Federal Aid Primary routes on a designated scenic byway. Lake of the Woods County can allow exceptions referred to as “GAPS” in which they can designate.  The board will look into the GAPS that Mark Anderson recommended and discuss this at a later meeting.  

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

MIS/GIS Director, Brent Birkeland met with the board and discussed the board’s request on Website update and if agendas and special meetings could be available to the NWA Resident.  The board concurred that anyone wishing to receive notices can contact the Auditor’s office and they would be added to the distribution list which is sent informing residents of special meetings and agendas. Brent also presented the telecommunications consulting proposal for the present system that the county has.  No board action was taken.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and informed them that Attorney Dave Meyers could meet with them on September 17, 2008 to discuss township road inventory.  The board set September 17, 2008, at 8:00 a.m. to meet with Attorney Dave Meyers.

The board reviewed the Business Subsidy Criteria and made some changes in the Program Policy / Procedures and the Policy and Criteria. Commissioner Arnesen discussed the loan range and wanted the cap amount of $75,000.  The rest of the board did not want a loan range cap.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to set a public hearing for the revised Business Subsidy Policy and Criteria for October 14, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Room.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Treasurer, Mark Hall met with the board and presented the “Lake of the Woods County Investment Policy” to the board.  The board requested that he send the policy to Hoffman, Dale and Swenson PLLC for their review and comments.

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

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

                                                Revenue             $  27,208.91

                                                Road & Bridge   $116,180.48

                                                Solid Waste        $    4,318.52

                                                                           $ 147,707.91

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  8/26/2008 FOR PAYMENT  8/29/2008

     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

         481.00 CLYDEWARNER MFG                                     1398.89 DELL MARKETING, LP

       1440.00 EARTHWORKS CONTRACTING INC         2750.70 ESRI

         520.23 GCR TIRE CENTER                                          1057.32 GRACETON GARAGE & BODY SHOP, I

       4790.00 HOFFMAN,DALE,&SWENSON,PLLC       21178.42 JOHNSTON FARGO CULVERT INC

       1012.50 ROBERT LAPOS                                                   390.98 LOCATORS SUPPLIES INC

         400.00 LOW HOME COUNCIL                                    1331.25 JACK MCCLARD & ASSOCIATES INC

       4816.09 MINISTER OF FINANCE                                   675.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO

         424.02 JEROME MOLINE                                               304.20 BILL MOSHER

       1250.22 RODERICK RONE JR                                       1000.00 ROSEAU COUNTY SHERIFF

         312.15 BROCK STEBAKKEN                                      3267.59 STRATA CORP, INC

       1598.87 GEORGE SWENTIK                                          7991.18 SYNERGY GRAPHICS, INC

       1700.00 T & M SALES  DBA                                           1724.92 TRI-STAR RECYCLING, INC

    81101.08 UNIVAR USA,INC                                                646.95 VOYAGEURS COMMUNICATIONS, INC

31 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,144.35

****                  FINAL TOTAL…….    $147,707.91  ****

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

                                                August 13, 2008         $ 417,240.82

                                                August 13  2008         $   50,674.78

                                                August 13  2008         $     7,038.40

Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the vote carried as follows: Voting for: Commissioners Arnesen, Patty Beckel and Moorman.  Voting against: Commissioners Bredeson and Todd Beckel.

The board discussed the Capital General Expenditure Policy that was approved on March 8, 2005 and requested that this be placed on the Department Heads Meeting agenda for their review of the policy.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the application and affidavit for lost warrant for Todd Beckel, dated March 14, 2008, in the amount of $164.53, without furnishing an indemnifying bond.  Second by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried with Commissioner Todd Beckel abstaining.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board and discussed the Biomass Energy Outreach Workshop that the University of Minnesota Extension will host in our region with a tour of the Northern Excellence gasification project.  The board concurred that they would be interested in participating in the workshop and to pass this on to the appropriate organizers.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board and requested approval to satisfy a repayment agreement for Thomas F. Cheney, Jr. and Bianca Cheney dated May 19, 1998.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the satisfaction of repayment agreement for Thomas F. Cheney, Jr. and Bianca Cheney dated May 19, 1998, as mortgagor, to Lake of the Woods County and authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid and Chairman Bredeson to sign the satisfaction of repayment agreement dated August 26, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 3:04 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       September 10, 2008

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Kim Bredeson, Chairman

July, 2008

Special County Board Meeting

July 7, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Monday, July 7, 2008, 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 Bredeson.  Absent was Commissioner Moorman.  Also present was County Auditor John W Hoscheid.  Chair Bredeson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Bredeson 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 was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda for the special meeting today.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Engineer Bruce Hasbargen met with the board to discuss and review the Highway and Solid Waste budgets. 

The next special board meeting to discuss budgets will be Wednesday, July 9, 2008, at 7:00 a.m.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Bredeson declared the meeting in recess at 2:08 p.m.

Attest:                                                 Approved:      July 22, 2008

______________________________            ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                          Kim Bredeson

County Auditor                                             Chair of the County Board

Commissioner Proceedings

July 8, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 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 Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following addition:  Minnesota Department of Public Safety Lease. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows: Brent Birkeland to Brainerd on July 22-23 for MN Counties IT Leaders Association Conference; Holly House to Breezy Point Resort on Sept. 14-17 for MN Managers Conference; Pete Hovland to St. Paul on July 28-29 for MCCC Network Training.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the Board of Equalization minutes of June 17 and 24, 2008, Budget minutes of June 25, 2008 and Commissioners minutes of June 24, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

MIS Director, Brent Birkeland met with the board and presented the WebFusion application to the board.

Lake of the Woods School Superintendent Steve Wymore, School Board Chairman Ken Horntvedt and Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and discussed the acceptance of a Highway Easement with the County.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to accept 15th Avenue S.W. within Section 4, T-160-N, R-31-W as Unorganized Township Road No. 390, and acknowledge that said road has been constructed to minimum unorganized township road standards.  The road is approximately 4,892 feet in length (0.926 miles) and shall be classified at maintenance level “A”. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and discussed how long the county gives land developers to complete roads within county approved plats. The board requested that Bruce discuss this with Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren and bring it back to the board with her opinion.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, met with the board requesting approval of claims, step increase for Social Service Fiscal Officer, request of purchase of an additional cell phone and MNCare contract for 2009.

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

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 21,673.05

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve a one step merit adjustment for completion of probation for Social Service Fiscal Officer, Christine Hultman effective July 7, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve Social Services Director Nancy Wendler to order an additional cell-phone for the office.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler and Chairman Bredeson to sign the 2009 MNCare Contract.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 11:08 a.m. and reconvened at 11:14 a.m. as follows:

Minnesota Pollution Control Rainy River Basin Coordinator, Nolan Baratono met with the board and presented a power point on the “Phosphorus within Lake of the Woods Waters”.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:22 p.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the meeting and open the Planning Commission as advertised at 1:00 p.m.  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 requesting consideration of a Conditional Use Permit for John Krouss.

John R. Krouss                        A 5.57 acre tract in Govt.                 A Conditional Use Permit as

                                                Lot 2 lying N of Hwy #172,             required by the Lake of the                     Section 28, T-161N, R-31W             Woods County Zoning                         

Parcel#24.28.22.020                          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.

No letters were received and no comments from the public were heard.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Planning Commission at 1:10 p.m. and open the regular meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to approve the Conditional Use Permit to allow John Krouss 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 on a 5.57 acre tract in Govt. Lot 2 lying N of Hwy 172, Sec. 28, T-161N, R-31W. Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board requesting funding for the Rainy River Basin River Watch Program.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to contribute $500 per year for three years with the funding from the Natural Resources Enhancement Fund within the Land and Water Planning Office.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

(Commissioner Moorman abstained from voting)

The board discussed briefly the Business Subsidy Criteria.  Due to possible law changes the board took no action at this time.

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren and County Sheriff Dallas Block met with the board and discussed a Dangerous Dog Ordinance.  Michelle informed them that she is working on a draft ordinance and will bring it to the board when completed.

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren, County Sheriff Dallas Block and Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board and discussed the intern program and volunteers working for the county.  The consensus of the county board was that all non-emergency intern/volunteers need to come to the county board for approval before they perform work for the county.

The meeting was called to recess at 1:54 p.m. and reconvened at 2:00 p.m. as follows:

City of Williams Mayor, Nancy Jewell met with the board, County Attorney Michelle Moren and County Sheriff Dallas Block to discuss the condemnation of the Williams Community Center. After discussion, Interim County Attorney Michelle Moren stated that she will look into this and come back to the board with an update.

Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board requesting approval of the revised Personnel Policy.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the revised Personnel Policy.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Wade Johannesen requested approval to hire Hitesman Law Firm for assistance with the research of the county health plan.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to spend up to $6,000 to hire Hitesman Law Firm to assist the county on researching strategies on the county health plan.  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 and requested approval of claims.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims except claim numbers 1274 and 270:

                                                Revenue                 $    41,448.88

                                                Road & Bridge      $    67,830.66

                                                County Develop     $      1,250.00

                                                Solid Waste            $      6,970.58

                                                                               $  117,500.12  

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  7/08/2008 FOR PAYMENT  7/11/2008

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        4785.54 ANDY’S GARAGE, INC.                                           3837.85 APPLIED CONCEPTS, INC

          448.03 BOB BARKER COMPANY INC                              30096.20 BORDUN TRUCKING, LTD

        1074.83 BRAUN INTERTEC CORPORATION                         341.78 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES

          814.09 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                             438.90 CRAGUN’S CONFERENCE & GOLF RES

          336.17 CREATIVE FORMS & CONCEPTS INC                     875.65 DOUBLETREE PARK PLACE HOTEL

        6077.50 HASBARGEN FARMS INC                                         520.00 HOFFMAN, DALE, & SWENSON, PLLC

          780.93 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS                                 325.00 PAT LECLAIRE ELECTRIC (DBA)

        2352.50 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT                                            6476.00 LOW SOIL & WATER CONS. DIST.

          355.18 MADDEN’S ON GULL LAKE                                   6077.50 TIM MIOVAC

        4406.16 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP                          801.68 KENNETH MOORMAN

        5492.88 LAW MOREN                                                             459.93 NAYLOR’S HEATING & REFRIGERATI

        4930.00 NORMAN JOHNSON TRUCKING, INC.                     619.44 RODERICK RONE JR

        1750.00 SJOBERG’S INC                                                        5865.00 DENNIS STAVIG

          845.50 UAP DISTRIBUTION INC                                        9813.00 VANGUARD APPRAISALS, INC

        2083.33 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC                9631.52 ZIEGLER, INC

35 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,788.03

FINAL TOTAL    $117,500.12

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

                                                June 24, 2008              $          7,425.17

                                                June 27, 2008              $        62,637.15

                                                July 1,    2008              $      232,089.99

                                                July 1,    2008              $        49,840.65

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

County Auditor John W. Hoscheid discussed the tax-forfeited land sale.  John also requested approval of a lease with the Department of Public Safety for a motorcycle skill test course to be located in the south parking lot of the Government Center.

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

Resolution No. 08-07-01

State of Minnesota Lease Agreement with the Department of Public Safety

BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County will enter into a lease agreement with the State of Minnesota, Department of Administration acting for the benefit of the Department of Public Safety for an area approximately 30’x75’ in the south parking lot of the County Government Center for the use only as a motorcycle skill test course beginning July 1, 2008 and terminating June 30, 2009.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid and County Board Chair Kim Bredeson are hereby authorized to sign such lease upon the approval of the County Attorney.

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

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 3:20 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       July 22, 2008

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Kim Bredeson, Chairman

Special County Board Meeting

July 9, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 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 and Ralph Christopherson.  Chair Bredeson called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Bredeson 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 was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda for the special meeting today.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff Dallas Block met with the board to discuss and review all Sheriff related budgets.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to pay claim numbers 1274 and 270 which were pulled from payment on July 8, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust, Account Executive Gail Sater met with the board and reviewed the Lake of the Woods County coverage document.

The board rescheduled the Land & Water Planning budget review for Tuesday, July 15, 2008.

The board discussed other departmental budgetary items.

The next special board meeting to discuss budgets will be Tuesday, July 15, 2008, at 7:00 a.m.

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

Attest:                                                 Approved:  July 22, 2008_________________________

______________________________            ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                          Kim Bredeson

County Auditor                                             Chair of the County Board

Special County Board Meeting

July 15, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 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 Bredeson called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Bredeson 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 was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda for the special meeting today.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director Nancy Wendler and Fiscal Officer Christine Hultman met with the board to discuss and review Social Service budgets.

Land & Water Planning Director Josh Stromlund met with the board to review the Land & Water budgets.

MIS Director Brent Birkeland met with the board to review the MIS budget and discuss the technology fund.

County Recorder Sue Ney met with the board to review the Recorders budget.  The board requested the County Recorder to submit a copy of the MN Statute and a summary of the enhancement fund in the next county board packet.

Human Resources Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board to review the Human Resource budget.

The board discussed other departmental budgetary items.

The next special board meeting dates to discuss budgets will be Wednesday, July 23, 2008 and Thursday, July 24, 2008.

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

Attest:                                                             Approved: July 22, 2008

______________________________            ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                          Kim Bredeson

County Auditor                                             Chair of the County Board

Commissioner Proceedings

July 22, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 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 John Oren. Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Travel for Dale Boretski, revised motion on solid waste, scrap metal run, public safety issues of right of ways, Lee Hervey on County Television, meeting with Judge LeDuc. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows:  Bruce Hasbargen, Public Works Director, on September 3rd & 4th to Bemidji to attend the District 2 Engineers Meeting; Shelley Pepera and Rita Krause on September 7-10 to Brainerd for child support conference; Rita Krause, on August 13-15 to St. Paul for child support training; Dale Boretski, on July 27-August 8 to conduct functional testing on Manatron Tax System. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve July 8, 2008 Board Minutes, July 7, 9 & 15, 2008 Budget Minutes. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Emergency Management Director, Holly House met with the board and presented a proposal to install a 350 kw120/208 3 phase diesel standby generator with an automatic 1200 amp closed transition transfer switch. Holy explained that if the county received the EOC grant in the amount of $150,000, this project would cost the county $50,000 to have the generator installed.  The consensus of the board was to have Holly continue to apply for the grant and if the county would receive the grant, the board would decide at that time if they should proceed with this project.

Feedlot Officer, Mike Hirst and Land and Water Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board and presented the 2008 Annual County Feedlot Officer and Performance Credit Report, the 18-month 2009 County Feedlot Program Delegation Agreement/Work Plan and the 18 month 2009 Work Plan Review Session Summary.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Feedlot Officer, Mike Hirst to sign the

18-month 2009 County Feedlot Program Delegation Agreement/Work Plan review session summary.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the 18-month 2009 County Feedlot Program Delegation Agreement and Work Plan and authorizes County Chairman to sign. Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Lake of the Woods School Enrichment Program Coordinator, Jenny Moorman met with the board

requesting funding for operational expenses for the Enrichment Program. No action was taken at this time as the board is in the 2009 budget process and will address this during that time.

The meeting was called to recess at 10:05 a.m. and reconvened at 10:15 a.m. as follows:

MIS Director, Brent Birkeland and Kendis Scharenbroich from ProWest Associates, Inc presented the WebFusion application to the board.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the purchase of ProWest Associates, Inc. WebFusion application in the amount of $21,000 and to sign the contract for said services.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

MIS Director, Brent Birkeland discussed the Economic Developments office phone service with the board. He requested that the phone service be directed through the county’s service which would relay to the Economic Developments Office cell phone.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the access of the phone line through the county’s service.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Lee Hervey from Voyageurs Communications met with the board and discussed the FCC mandate for digital broadcasting and presented a press release to be published on the new mandate for digital broadcasting.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 11:10 a.m. for the Public Hearing for the vacation of a portion of Township Road #200 (Aspen Drive).  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen discussed the vacation of the portion of the Township Road #200 with the board.  No comments were heard from the floor and no letters were received.  At 11:25 a.m. the board left to visit the site.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the Public Hearing at 1:05 p.m. and open the regular meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

District State Aid Engineer, Lou Tasa and Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board.  The State Aid Maintenance costs from the past 5 years was reviewed.  Bruce and Lou will look into the possibility of changing the classification of a road at the Northwest Angle into a State Aid route as requested by Commissioner Arnesen.

Commissioner Arnesen also discussed the scrap metal run at the Islands and safety concerns of the tall weeds at Rail-Road crossings.   Bruce will also look into both of these requests.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval to dispose of surplus equipment and informed them that the Plat Road time line request has not been reviewed by Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren and they will bring information back when completed.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board to discuss a request for ditch cleaning on County Ditch #1 west of CSAH #2 in Section 1, T-161-N, R-34-W (Myhre Township).

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to set September 10, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. for a Public Hearing for Ditch #1 maintenance request.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize the Public Works Director to sell by closed bids the following used equipment:

  1. John Deere 2010 Tractor;
  2. Allied 395 Front End Loader for tractor;
  3. ’84 Freightliner Semi Truck;
  4. 16’ Utility Trailer.

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

The meeting was called to recess at 1:45 p.m. and reconvened at 1:47 p.m. as follows:

Economic Development Director, Wyatt Johnson, Larry Larson from AET, Co-op Manager, Kent Hanson and Northern Seeds Manager, Brent Benike met with the board to discuss the need for Rail- Service with CN to develop LP, Diesel, Fertilizer and Bulk Grains on CN sidings; such service would have numerous local economic benefits. The local residents, tourist and seasonal residents are continual inconvenienced by the CN trains with no off setting benefits to the area from CN.  The consensus of the board is that the county needs to meet with CN Business Development and Marketing Department to discuss our areas transportation needs and rail based business opportunities. The board requested that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid send a letter to the CN requesting a meeting to discuss this topic.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, met with the board requesting approval of claims and approval for the Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center contract.

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

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 37,497.94

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Moorman to approve the contract between Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center and Lake of the Woods County Social Services effective 07/15/08, for the provision of Adult Mental Health Crisis Services, and to authorize Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler to sign same. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried. 

Income Maintenance Supervisor, Angie Eason met with the board and gave an overview of the Income Maintenance Unit.

Social Service Director, Nancy Wendler met with the board and requested approval to enter into a client service agreement with Shred-it with a estimate cost of  $60.00 per month and a fuel surcharge applied to each invoice which is not included in the estimate.

Motion was made by Commissioner Bredeson to enter into a client service agreement with Shred-it with an estimate cost of $60.00 per month for one-year.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Gale Halvorson, Wildlife Specialist from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) met with the board requesting approval to conduct wildlife damage management projects on properties that are controlled by Lake of the Woods County, either as tax forfeited property or public county roadways. In Lake of the Woods County, the wildlife services would be primarily trapping timber wolves and beaver.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize County Chairman to sign the USDA

Work Initiation Document for wild life damage management.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board and discussed the Tower Lease Agreement.  Michelle stated that ALLETE, Inc. removed “either party can terminate contract” and the board wants that included in the contract.  Michelle will put that back into the contract and send back to ALLETE Inc.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block and Human Resource Director, Wade Johannesen met with the board requesting approval to hire a part-time Deputy Sheriff.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to hire Robert Gorecki as a part-time Deputy Sheriff.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 3:22 p.m. and reconvened at 3:26 p.m. as follows:

Joanne Kellner, Treasurer of the Depot Preservation Alliance met with the board requesting $3,000 from the $25,000 loan agreement with the county.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize the Depot Preservation Alliance to borrow $3,000 from the $25,000 loan agreement with the county; with an interest only payment from the amount borrowed for 18 months at an interest rate of 3%.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue             $   58,537.83

                                                Road & Bridge   $   69,163.23

                                                County Develp.  $        410.57

                                                Solid Waste        $   15,329.53

                                                                           $ 143,441.16

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  7/22/2008 FOR PAYMENT  7/25/2008

     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                    AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          311.31 ACME ELECTRIC                                                     8000.00 JAMES ALSDURF, PHD, LP

          361.36 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                     612.32 AMERICINN OF BAUDETTE

      13240.15 ANDERSON POWER AND EQUIPMENT                   315.09 JERRY ANDERSON

          509.41 BAUDETTE REGION                                                 427.99 TODD BECKEL

          455.00 BLUE MAXX RECYCLING                                        774.24 BREEZY POINT RESORT

      19371.73 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                           9936.00 DHS – MOOSE LAKE CODE 462

          741.12 FARMERS UNION OIL CO.                                        490.70 GRACETON GARAGE & BODY SHOP, I

        1742.50 HASBARGEN FARMS INC                                       6000.00 HEADWATER REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

        1320.00 HITESMAN & ASSOCIATES, PA                             5452.50 HOFFMAN, DALE, & SWENSON, PLLC

          897.69 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC                                      6926.21 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY

          322.24 LAKEWOOD HEALTH CENTER                               646.99 ROBERT LAPOS

          406.08 LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE OF MN                   9781.65 MAR-KIT LANDFILL

        1827.50 TIM MIOVAC                                                             735.20 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          315.00 MN SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENG                 1000.00 NCDPSA

        1827.50 NORMAN JOHNSON TRUCKING, INC.                     362.80 NW MN HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS

          398.91 PEART & ASSOCIATES, INC                                   3148.84 R & Q TRUCKING, INC

          427.84 ROGER’S TWO WAY RADIO, INC                             314.62 RODERICK RONE JR

        1827.50 DENNIS STAVIG                                                    12170.40 STRATA CORP, INC

          397.26 T R JOBBING                                                            4180.80 UAP DISTRIBUTION INC

      15885.57 UNIVERSITY OF MN                                                 552.30 WEST GROUP

        4385.22 WOODY’S SERVICE

44 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,641.62

FINAL TOTAL    $143,441.16

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

                                                July 8,   2008   $        6,271.02

                                                July 15, 2008   $ 1,110,980.43

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 and requested approval to summit certain parcels of land to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for sale of forfeited lands.

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

Resolution No. 08-07-02

Resolution requesting approval of the Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources to sell parcels of land that have forfeited to the State of Minnesota for non-payment of taxes:

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners desires to offer for sale certain parcels of land that have forfeited to the State of Minnesota for non-payment of taxes, and

WHEREAS, said parcels of land have been viewed by the Lake of the Woods 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 other statutes that require the withholding of tax-forfeited lands from sale.

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.

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

The board discussed with no action:  Cormorants, fish flies and impaired waters.

Commissioner Todd Beckel discussed State Land values; comparison of other counties values and BWSR values.  Commissioner Todd Beckel will discuss this with the County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson.

Notice was given that the Department of Natural Resources, Trails and Waterways will hold a Public Forum on the OHV within the Northern State Border Forest on October 9, 2008 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Government Center in Baudette in the Commissioners’ Room.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 4:42 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       August 12, 2008

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Kim Bredeson, Chairman

Special County Board Meeting

July 23, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 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 Bredeson called the meeting to order at 7:25 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Bredeson 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 was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda for the special meeting today.  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 discuss and review the Auditor, Maintenance and other misc budgets.

County Assessor Wayne Bendickson met with the board to review the Assessor budget.

County Treasurer Mark Hall met with the board to review the Treasurer budget.

Emergency Management Director Holly House met with the board to review the Emergency Management budget. 

Extension Regional Director Nathan Johnson met with the board to review the Extension budget.

The board reviewed the County Attorney budget.

County Veterans Officer Rick Rone met with the board to review the Veterans budget.  Rick discussed the fair board appropriation and stated they were asking for the same appropriation.  The board asked him to investigate sharing costs of a new lawn tractor/mower.

The board reviewed correspondence received from the County Recorder with regards to the enhancement fund.

The next special board meeting dates to discuss budgets will be Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 8:00 a.m.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Bredeson declared the meeting in recess at 12:36 p.m.

Attest:                                                                        Approved: August 12, 2008

______________________________            ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                         Kim Bredeson

County Auditor                                             Chair of the County Board

Special County Board Meeting

July 29, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 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 Bredeson called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Chair Bredeson 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 was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda for the special meeting today.  Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The board reviewed the Social Services preliminary budget and discussed options with Social Services Director Nancy Wendler.  The board directed Nancy to reduce the out of home placement line items by $65,000.

The board reviewed the Highway preliminary budget and discussed options. They discussed the draft township levy with a potential 5% increase.

The board reviewed the Solid Waste preliminary budget.

The board reviewed the Revenue preliminary budget and discussed other options.  They reduced the capital outlay by $30,000 and added $30,000 to reserves for building.  They discussed the market value credit of $205,000, PILT payments and salaries.

There being no further business before the Board, Chair Bredeson declared the meeting in recess at 1:02 p.m.

Attest:                                                                        Approved:  August 12, 2008

______________________________            ___________________________________

John W Hoscheid                                         Kim Bredeson

County Auditor                                             Chair of the County Board

June, 2008

Commissioner Proceedings

June 10, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 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, Penny Mio Hirst and John Oren. Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  Satisfaction of mortgage, motor cycle pad, AMC ITV on June 27, Shoreland Rules, Global Climate Challenge handout, Rock Harbor project, booth at County Fair and travel for Dale Boretski to St. Louis Park on June 22-27. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows:

Christie Russell to St. Cloud on June 15-16 for Passport Training; Rita Krause to St. Paul on June 18-19 for Child Support Training; Dale Boretski to St. Louis Park on June 22-27 to participate in testing of the Manatron tax system. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Chairman Bredeson welcomed Senator Saxhaug and Representative Anzelc to the meeting.  Senator Saxhaug and Representative Anzelc discussed the 2008 session with the board.  Some of the highlights were: Education increase per pupil, Health and Human Services increase funding for nursing homes, transportation increase funding for roads and bridges and stated that HWY 11 project will be moved up on the construction project list, Environment and Natural Resources of dedicated funds and forestry bill.  They also explained the decrease of CPA for Lake of the Woods County. They stated that if the county did not agree with these numbers that they should contact the Department of Revenue for recalculation. They stated that the state will be facing a deficit in 2009 and state officials may be looking at using unallocated county funds.

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 32,098.59

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

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler requested a merit adjustment for Social Services Supervisor, Amy Ballard.  Nancy explained the Social Service Supervisor is below the merit step which, is required by the Department of Human Services and that it was an oversight that she did not get a step increase after she completed her probation period.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve a one step increase for Social Services Supervisor, Amy Ballard retroactive from November 3, 2007, due to an oversight. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Director, Nancy Wendler, presented a plaque from Lutheran Social Services in recognition for the 2008 Senior Dining Program.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board and presented two quotes for radar equipment and requested approval to purchase two radars. The Stalker Radar quote was for $1,871 and the Decatur Radar quote was for $1,950. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize County Sheriff, Dallas Block to purchase two Stalker Radars in the amount of $1,871 per radar with the funding from the DWI account.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block reviewed the Boat and Water grant to the board.  He explained that they do not spend any of this money until the end of the season in case there happens to be an emergency.  He stated that then they purchase equipment and other items at the end of the season or the money would go back to the State.

Deputy Auditor, Lorene Hanson met with the board and requested approval of claims.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue            $   19,754.01

                                                Road & Bridge $   32,197.13

                                                County Develp.$     1,630.00 

                                                Solid Waste       $   17,972.62

                                                                          $   71,553.76

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  6/10/2008 FOR PAYMENT  6/13/2008

     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                     AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

        4293.40 AFFILIATED COMPUTER SERVICES                       948.84 AUTO VALUE

          447.47 WAYNE BENDICKSON                                              607.50 DALLAS BLOCK

          341.78 CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES                              2000.00 CLEAN COUNTY FUND

        5973.53 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                             858.36 DELL MARKETING, LP

          639.69 DIRECT SAFETY COMPANY                                  1178.43 DODDS LUMBER

          621.96 GCR TIRE CENTER                                                    346.75 HANSON’S GREENHOUSE

          730.67 HOLTE IMPLEMENT, INC                                      4786.69 HOWARD’S OIL COMPANY

          938.84 LAKE OF THE WOODS FOODS                                 441.00 LAKEWOOD HEALTH CENTER

          579.47 ROBERT LAPOS                                                       3210.00 LOW HIGHWAY DEPT

      10435.95 MAR-KIT LANDFILL                                               2821.47 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP

          744.84 JEROME MOLINE                                                      834.35 KENNETH MOORMAN

        5308.05 LAW MOREN                                                           4421.60 NORTHWEST ANGLE&ISLAND FREIGHT

        1552.74 R & Q TRUCKING, INC                                              556.61 REED’S SPORTING GOODS

        1034.62 RODERICK RONE JR                                                  451.02 TAPCO INC

          314.57 TONY DORN, INC.                                                     420.73 TRUE VALUE

        2161.68 VOYAGEURS COMMUNICATIONS, INC                  602.05 WALLWORK TRUCK CENTER

          398.26 JAMES WALTON                                                       420.00 WEST GROUP

        2263.33 WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING&ASST INC                3177.08 WOODY’S SERVICE

33 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       4,690.43

FINAL TOTAL    $71,553.76

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

                                                May 29, 2008              $   1,802,782.95

                                                June 4,   2008              $        68,759.21

                                                June 6    2008              $      241,450.53

                                                June 9,   2008              $        50,065.26                                                         

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

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to pay claim numbers 1763 and 1558 which were pulled from payment on May 13, 2008 and pay claim number 1469 which was pulled from payment on May 27, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Deputy Auditor, Lorene Hanson presented the Lake of the Woods County History for the last five (5) years on Levy Rates, Health Insurance and Personnel Costs.

County Levy Rates for the Past Five Years

Payable YearNet Tax Capacity% Incr.County LevyRate% Incr.
200425463789.14% $               1,901,7010.7480111.20%
2005284038611.55% $               1,901,7010.669520.00%
2006321737613.27% $               2,046,1890.635987.60%
2007358202211.33% $               2,107,5750.588383.00%
2008405080313.09% $               2,170,8020.535893.00%
Payable YearNet Tax Capacity% Incr.Township LevyRate% Incr.
2004206723210.68% $                  271,7000.1314310.00%
2005232568612.50% $                  271,7000.116830.00%
2006263466613.29% $                  326,0400.1237520.00%
2007298945913.47% $                  342,3420.114525.00%
2008341247714.15% $                  376,5760.1103510.00%

Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd met with the board and requested approval for a lease for lawful gambling activity.

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

A Resolution Approving a Lease for Lawful Gambling Activity

Resolution No. 2008-06-01

WHEREAS, the VFW Club of Warroad has submitted a lease for lawful gambling activity and a premises permit application for Minnesota Lawful Gambling to be conducted at the following establishment known as: Sportsman’s of Oak Island, Oak Island, unorganized township of Angle, located in Lake of the Woods County.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners hereby approves said applications for submission to the Minnesota Gambling Control Board.

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

Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd met with the board to discuss upcoming budget dates.  The following dates for the 2009 budget session are:  June 25 at 1:00 p.m., July 7 at 10:00 a.m. and July 9 & 10 at 7:00 a.m.

Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd requested approval for the 2008 Intoxicating Liquor License, 3.2 Malt Liquor’s and Cigarette Licenses.

Motion was made  by Commissioner  Todd Beckel  to approve the following Intoxicating Liquor, 3.2 Malt  Liquor and Cigarette License from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 contingent upon the approval of the County Sheriff and County Attorney as follows:  On/Off and Sunday Liquor License:  Adrian’s Resort, Dacha Company, 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, J& L Hennum Inc., Wigwam Resort, Sportsman’s of Oak, Zippel Bay Resort, North Point 07, LLC,; On and Sunday Liquor License: Cyrus Resort, Rosalie’s Restaurant and Lounge, Ken-Mar-Ke Resort, Riverview Resort, Flag Island Resort, Wheelers Point Resort; Off Sale Only:  Log Cabin Liquors Inc.; Cigarette License: Adrian’s Resort, Ballard’s Resort, Bay Store, Borderview Lodge, Cenex, City of Baudette, City of Williams, 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, Long Point Resort, Morris Point, Lakeview Lodge, North Point 07, LLC, Riverbend Resort, Riverview Resort, Rock Harbor Lodge, Schuster’s Resort, J & L Hennum Inc.,  Sportsman’s of Oak, Too Tall’s, VFW Club, Wheeler’s Point,  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, Rock Harbor Lodge , Flag Island and Log Cabin Bait.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried. Commissioner Arnesen abstained from voting.

The board discussed the educational session on the levy limits/maintenance of effort issues that AMC is presenting on June 27, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The board will try to attend the ITV session which may take place in the Baudette Government Center in the Commissioners’ Room.  The board set July 7, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. as a Committee of the Whole Meeting with Department Heads.

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board requesting approval to set July 22, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. as a date to hold a public hearing to consider the vacation of a portion of Aspen Trail Northwest (County Road #200).

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to set July 22, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. at Lake of the Woods County Government Center in the Commissioners’ Room, Baudette, Minnesota as the date, time and place for a public hearing to vacate a portion of Aspen Trail Northwest (County Road #200).  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 Jon Hodgson, Engineer for MN Joint Powers Board is still working on the Bostic Creek project that was discussed at the May 27, 2008 board meeting.  When more information is available he will bring it to the board for further discussion.

Jim Tobin, resident of the county discussed briefly his concerns of the Judicial Ditch 28.

County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson met with the board and updated them of the Legislative session he attended in April.  Wayne informed the board of the changes the legislators did with the assessments of green acres calculations.  The board discussed the reduction of the CPA payments and requested that he look into it with the Department of Revenue.

The board discussed the re-organization of the Maintenance Department.  The board concurred to leave it as it is for right now.

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the minutes of May 27, 2008 with changes.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd met with the board requesting permission to summit a request for lease with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to have a motor cycle testing pad in the County’s parking lot. The consensus of the board was that it was alright with them and if the State approves the request for lease to bring it back to the board for final approval.

Deputy Auditor, Janet Rudd requested approval to file a satisfaction of mortgage that was owned by Lake of the Woods County, dated January 20, 1995 with Terrence Gordanier Olson.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Chairman Bredeson and County Auditor to sign the satisfaction of mortgage with Terrence Gordanier Olson, dated January 20, 1995.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The board went through the Business Subsidy Criteria, made changes and requested the policy be sent to HRDC for their review and comments.

The board discussed the request from Roseau County for financial assistance to help support the on-going effort to eliminate Bovine TB in Northwestern Minnesota.  This was tabled until June 24, 2008 meeting.

Commissioner Todd Beckel informed the board that the Geographically Focused Advisory Committee (shoreland rules) is accepting nominations to participate in committees to assist the DNR in the rule update project and would like Commissioner Arnesen to submit an application to be appointed to this committee.

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

Resolution for appointment to the Geographically Focused Advisory Committee (GFA)

Resolution No. 06-06-02

WHEREAS, Minnesota Department of Natural Resource is forming Three (3) Geographically Focused Advisory (GFA) committees to assist the DNR in the rule update project on Shoreland Rules;

WHEREAS,  Lake of the Woods is the largest lake in Minnesota besides the Great Lakes and is an International Body of Water;

WHEREAS,  Lake of the Woods County has approximately 800 miles of shoreline that is designated as public waters;

WHEREAS,  Lake of the Woods resident’s , tourist and resorts depend on the shorelands to have access to get to the approximately 40 Islands that are located in Lake of the Woods County;

WHEREAS,  Lake of the Woods County has over fifty nine (59) resort’s/lodging facilities which twelve (12) are at the Northwest Angle that depend on access of shorelands for the economic growth within Lake of the Woods;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Commissioner Arnesen should be selected to participate in the Geographically Focused Advisory Committee for our area.

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

Commissioner Arnesen informed the board that the Rocky Point Harbor is moving forward but the DNR has not started the permitting process yet and it would probably be a year from now; informed the board that on June 23 there will be a meeting at the Northwest Angle with Canadian Officials and U.S. Senators Coleman and Klobuchar to discuss passport concerns.

Commissioner Arnesen requested that Dangerous Dog Ordinance discussion be placed on the next agenda.

Commissioner Patty Beckel informed the board that Interim County Attorney, Michelle Moren spoke with the Attorney General’s office about the concerns of the length of time that it is taking to be scheduled for court and the cost of confinement for the sex offender that has been placed in the Moose Lake Regional Treatment Center.  The board requested that she still send a letter to the Attorney General’s office of the county’s concerns on this matter.

Commissioner Moorman informed the board that they are having a booth at the Lake of the Woods County Fair on June 27 and 28.

Commissioner Todd Beckel presented a PowerPoint print- out to the board on the Global Climate Challenges.

Chairman Bredeson informed the board that they have been invited to the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute luncheon on June 18 in Bemidji.

County Sheriff, Dallas Block met with the board to discuss law enforcement activities within the county.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 3:55 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       June 24, 2008

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Kim Bredeson, Chairman

Lake of the Woods County

Board of Equalization

June 17, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Equalization met on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 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.  County Recorder Sue Ney swore in the members of the Board of Equalization.  Chair Bredeson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda as presented.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

County Assessor Wayne Bendickson explained that the valuation period is from 2006 – October 2007.  He further discussed the market conditions and sales ratio and how it pertains to Lake of the Woods County; (65 sales) mean ratio of (85%) largest sales (real estate). 

The required level of assessment is between 90 and 105 percent.  If the sales ratio study indicates that the median ratio of EMVs to the selling prices is below 90 percent or above 105 percent, the Commissioner of Revenue, acting as the State Board of Equalization, will typically increase or decrease values to bring about equalization.  State Board orders are usually on a county, city, or township wide basis for a particular classification of property.  All State Board orders must be implemented by the county, and the changes are made to the current assessment year.

The County Board Chair explained that all appeals would be heard before any action would be taken.

Meeting with the board was Jim Tobin, property owner in Wheeler Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed the values of similar properties in this area. 

Meeting with the board was Albert Georges, property owner in Wabanica Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed the values of similar properties in this area.

Meeting with the board was Scott Pahlen, property owner in Prosper Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed the values of similar properties in this area.

Meeting with the board was Willis Bitter, property owner in Baudette Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed the values of similar properties in this area.

Meeting with the board was Mel Mollberg, property owner in Baudette Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed the agriculture classification and Green Acres.

Meeting with the board was Gloriann Fischer, property owner in Spooner Township.  She had some general questions for the County Assessor.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson explained the process of determining the valuation of property and what happens when the valuation goes up or down.            

Meeting with the board was Joe Brucciani, property owner in Baudette Township.  He had general questions concerning the assessing process and commented on the valuations.

Meeting with the board was Chuck Richards, property owner in Swiftwater Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson explained the classification change from agriculture to residential.

Meeting with the board was John Rossborough, property owner in Baudette Township.  He had questions for the County Assessor and commented on the current valuations.

Meeting with the board was Mike and Julie Clark, property owners in Baudette Township.   County Assessor Wayne Bendickson explained and reviewed the values of similar properties in this area.

Meeting with the board was Marcel Misel property owners in Wabanica Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed the values of similar properties in this area.

Meeting with the board was Jerry Randall, property owner in Wheeler Township.  County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed the values of similar properties in this area.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to recess the Board of Equalization meeting.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  Chair Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 12:42 p.m.

Chair Bredeson convened the County Board meeting at 12:45 p.m. with discussion regarding the Federal Airport Grant application. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize Chair Bredeson to sign the Federal Airport Grant Application.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to recess the County Board meeting.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  Chair Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 1:50 p.m.

Chair Bredeson reconvened the Board of Equalization meeting at 1:52 p.m.

Meeting with the board was George Swentik, property owner.  George discussed his property in Gudrid, Baudette, Spooner and Swiftwater Townships and the evaluations on each.   County Assessor Wayne Bendickson reviewed all of these situations.

County Assessor Wayne Bendickson read the following letter received from Mike Schulz, property owner in Zippel Township.  His letter questioned the difference of an outside appraisal received of $173,000 and the assessor’s valuation of $230,000.  The County Assessor did a revised valuation of $191,000 based on their schedule and recommended using this valuation. 

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 Todd Beckel to recess the County Board of Equalization meeting for 2008, seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  Chair Bredeson recessed the County Board of Equalization meeting for 2008 at 2:23 p.m. and set the date and time of Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. to reconvene the County Board of Equalization meeting.

Attest:                                                                          Approved:       July 8, 2008

___________________________                              ________________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                             Kim Bredeson, Chair of the County Board

Commissioner Proceedings

June 24, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 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 Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  County Attorney (possible closed session) County Land Inventory, Travel for Dawn Christianson,  Fair Booth, Auditor/Treasurer Conference, County TV and Cormorants. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows:

Becky Dornheim, Sue Johnson, Sandy Haman and Nancy Wendler to St. Paul on July 7-8 for IMR Team Training; Steve Sindelir to Isle on July 28-30 for MACAI Course; Dawn Christianson to Shakopee on July 21-24 for Property Tax Administration Course.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the minutes of June 10, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Financial Officer, Christine Hultman, met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 27,420.60

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

County Treasurer, Mark Hall met with the board and presented an Inventory of Investments update.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board and presented a power point of the budget process and discussed the Auditor/Treasurer Conference.

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

                                                Revenue            $   35,860.35

                                                Road & Bridge  $  36,450.50

                                                County Develp. $       610.00

                                                Joint Ditch        $        500.00

                                                Solid Waste       $     2,151.46

                                                                          $   75,572.31

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION              

WARRANTS APPROVED ON  6/24/2008 FOR PAYMENT  6/27/2008

      AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME                                                   AMOUNT   VENDOR NAME

          429.42 AMERI PRIDE LINEN & APPAREL SE                     887.85 ARROW PRINTING

          978.70 ARROWWOOD RESORT                                          1034.88 RUSS BARRETT

          670.52 TODD BECKEL                                                          471.30 BEST WESTERN KELLY INN

          658.00 DALLAS BLOCK                                                      9318.75 CARNEY SALES CO INC

        2497.13 CO-OP SERVICES, INC.                                             427.60 CUSTOM AUTOBODY AND REPAIR

          325.88 DELL MARKETING, LP                                         11408.00 DHS – MOOSE LAKE CODE 462

          500.00 CHARLEY DURHAM                                               1638.00 FAIR HILLS

        1938.02 GM CONSTRUCTION INC                                       2000.00 LEE HANCOCK

        2677.50 HASBARGEN FARMS INC                                         427.50 PAUL HILDEBRANDT

        6520.50 HOFFMAN, DALE, & SWENSON, PLLC                   473.72 JOHN HOSCHEID

        1822.00 LAKE ROAD DIESEL INC                                         948.20 LAKES GAS CO.

        2700.48 ROBERT LAPOS                                                       3400.00 TIM MIOVAC

        1725.70 MN COUNTIES COMPUTER CO-OP                        1477.50 MN COUNTIES INFORMATION SYSTEM

          375.00 MN OFFICE OF ENTERPRISE TECHNO                  3400.00 NORMAN JOHNSON TRUCKING, INC.

          343.92 PITNEY BOWES INC.                                               1250.24 POWERPLAN

          481.37 REED’S SPORTING GOODS                                     3400.00 DENNIS STAVIG

        1183.08 STRATA CORP, INC                                                   497.50 JOSH STROMLUND

          472.66 T R JOBBING                                                              326.85 US FOOD SERVICE

        2740.17 VOYAGEURS COMTRONICS, INC                            552.30 WEST GROUP

36 PAYMENTS LESS THAN  $300       3,192.07

FINAL TOTAL     $75,572.31

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

                                                June 17, 2008              $        84,628.78

                                                June 10, 2008              $        16,069.80                                                         

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 discuss the opportunity for a Emergency Operations Center (EOC) grant program that is available to improve emergency management and preparedness capabilities. The consensus of the board was to have Holly move forward with applying for this grant.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to authorize the Chairman to sign the Hazardous Material Exercise Program Grant for the Table Top exercise that was held on May 21, 2008.  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. as follows:

Public Works Director, Bruce Hasbargen met with the board and presented a proposal for the Bostic Creek JD 28 project.  The county would complete the work with estimated expenditures of $70,000, with most of the funding coming from the Drainage Management Fund and the rest coming from budget line items within the Highway budget.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to proceed with the Bostic Creek JD28 project with the county completing the work.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Land and Water Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board requesting consideration of approval of the re-platting of Hanson’s Estate and the proposed plat of Marina Drive Estates.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the re-platting of Hanson’s Estate and the proposed Plat of Marina Drive Estates.  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 and discussed the new BWSR performance review and assistance program and discussed the opportunity for him to attend  the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD) seminar.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve Land and Water Director, Josh Stromlund to attend the MASWCD seminar with the funding from the Natural Resource account up to $1,700.  Seconded by Commissioner Bredeson and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Tim Hendrickson, President of Wells Fargo met with the board and discussed the Desktop Deposit Service presentation that Deputy Auditors Janet Rudd and Lorene Hanson attended, for the use in depositing checks for the Deputy Registrar’s station.  He discussed the benefits of this service and stated that Wells Fargo will pay for half of the cost of the scanner.

Motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to authorize County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to purchase a desk top deposit scanner from Wells Fargo in the amount of $475 plus tax.  Seconded by Commissioner Todd Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The meeting was called to recess at 12:08 p.m. and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. as follows:

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the regular meeting at 1:00 p.m. and reconvene the Board of Equalization meeting from June 17, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the closed session and open the regular meeting at 2:18 p.m. Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.

County Attorney, Michelle Moren met with the board to discuss pending litigation for Gary Scott. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to close the meeting at 2:20 p.m. pursuant MN Statute 13D.05.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to open the regular meeting at 2:42 p.m.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Roseau County Commissioners Alan Johnston and Russ Walker, Attorney Steve Anderson , Wetland Specialist, Bill Best from BWSR and Roseau County Coordinator Trish Harren met with the board to discuss the consideration of reclassifying a portion of Roseau County in an attempt to move parts of the county out of the “ less than 50% remaining class into the 80% or more remaining”  and since part of the watershed area is in lake of the Woods County, they would need permission from Lake of the Woods County board to move forward.  The consensus of the board was they would support this project but were worried about the Local Government Unit within the Watershed and requested a letter from BWSR that there would be no change for Lake of the Woods County.

The board discussed the request of funding for Roseau County for financial assistance to help support the on-going effort to eliminate Bovine TB in Northwestern Minnesota.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to support Roseau County for $300 per month for six (6) months for a total of $1,800 with the funding from the Economic Development fund.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

The board discussed the County TV and cormorants issue with the Roseau County Commissioners. The County TV committees will try to meet on the County TV issues and Roseau County will give political support on the cormorant issue to force a study on them.

MIS Director, Brent Birkeland met with the board and requested approval to purchase a WebFusion application.  The board requested that he come back to the July 8, 2008 meeting and give them a presentation of this application.

County Assessor, Wayne Bendickson met with the board and handed out information on County owned lands and State owned lands that would be available for sale.

The board requested that County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid to research how to sell State and County owned land and requested the Land and Water Director, Josh Stromlund research see if these lands were buildable and accessible.

Commissioner Moorman stated that they had some department heads and commissioners to work at the County Fair booth.

No committee reports were given and correspondence was read.

With no further business before the board, Chairman Bredeson called the meeting to recess at 4:51 p.m.

Attest:                                                                         Approved:       July 8, 2008

____________________________                            _____________________________

John W. Hoscheid, County Auditor                           Kim Bredeson, Chairman

Lake of the Woods County

Board of Equalization

June 24, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Equalization met on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 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.  Chair Bredeson called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

County Assessor Wayne Bendickson met with the board and discussed issues from the prior meeting. 

The County Board of Equalization reviewed each of the property owners’ questions that were brought to the board on Tuesday, June 17, 2008.  The following action was taken:

Jim Tobin, property owner in Wheeler Township, no change.  

Albert Georges, property owner in Wabanica Township, no change.

Scott Pahlen, property owner in Prosper Township; motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to drop the valuation by $20,000.  Motion died for a lack of a second, no change.

Willis Bitter, property owner in Baudette Township, no change.

Mel Mollberg, property owner in Baudette Township, no change.

Gloriann Fischer, property owner in Spooner Township; questions and comments were received and explained.

Joe Brucciani, property owner in Baudette Township; questions and comments were received and explained.

Chuck Richards, property owner in Swiftwater Township, no change.

John Rossborough, property owner in Baudette Township, no change.

Mike and Julie Clark, property owners in Baudette Township, no change.

Marcel Misel, property owner in Wabanica Township, no change. 

Jerry Randall, property owner in Wheeler Township; request was withdrawn.

George Swentik, property owner; motion was made by Commissioner Arnesen to reduce his valuation in Baudette Township to $500 per acre.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.  The board suggested applying for GA.

Mike Schulz, property owner in Zippel Township; motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to adjust his valuation to $182,000.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, tied as follows:  For:  Commissioners Arnesen and Todd Beckel and County Auditor John W Hoscheid;  Against:  Commissioners Patty Beckel, Bredeson and Moorman.  No change.

Motion by Commissioner Todd Beckel to adjourn the County Board of Equalization meeting for 2008, seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried.  Chair Bredeson adjourned the County Board of Equalization meeting for 2008 at 2:14 p.m.

Attest:                                                                          Approved:`      July 8, 2008

___________________________                              ________________________________

John W Hoscheid, County Auditor                             Kim Bredeson, Chair of the County Board

Commissioner Proceedings

June 24, 2008

The Lake of the Woods County Board met in regular session on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 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 Bredeson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the agenda with the following additions:  County Attorney (possible closed session) County Land Inventory, Travel for Dawn Christianson,  Fair Booth, Auditor/Treasurer Conference, County TV and Cormorants. Seconded by Commissioner Moorman and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the consent agenda as follows:

Becky Dornheim, Sue Johnson, Sandy Haman and Nancy Wendler to St. Paul on July 7-8 for IMR Team Training; Steve Sindelir to Isle on July 28-30 for MACAI Course; Dawn Christianson to Shakopee on July 21-24 for Property Tax Administration Course.  Seconded by Commissioner Patty Beckel and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Motion was made by Commissioner Patty Beckel to approve the minutes of June 10, 2008.  Seconded by Commissioner Arnesen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Social Services Financial Officer, Christine Hultman, met with the board requesting approval of claims.

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

Commissioners’ Warrants       $ 27,420.60

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

County Treasurer, Mark Hall met with the board and presented an Inventory of Investments update.

County Auditor, John W. Hoscheid met with the board and presented a power point of the budget process and discussed the Auditor/Treasurer Conference.

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

Motion was made by Commissioner Todd Beckel to approve the claims against the county as follows:

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