June 14, 2022

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at the Angle Outpost Resort, Angle Inlet, MN. 

Call To Order

Chair Buck Nordlof called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited with the following members present: Commissioners: Buck Nordlof, Jon Waibel, Joe Grund and Ed Arnesen. Also present was County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson. Absent was: Commissioner Cody Hasbargen

Approval of Agenda

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Jon Waibel and carried unanimously to approve the agenda with the following changes: Add: IRS Mileage Rate

PUBLIC HEARING- BOARD OF EQUALIZATION

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Jon Waibel, second by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to close the regular meeting and open the public hearing for Board of Equalization.

Appeals of Estimated Market Value

Chair Buck Nordlof read the rules of appeals that included: Only Estimated market values not tax amounts can be appealed at this time, appeals will be done one at a time, and no decision on an appeal will be done until all appeals are heard. Concerned citizens asked about the increase in values and the board explained the process that causes that increase to occur. The board suggested that they take written comments from this meeting to the Assessor before the closing date of the board of equalization meeting for appeals on June 21,2022. Concerned Citizen Paul Colson asked what the board is doing to help the Northwest Angle. He is concerned that during the last few years their community has taken a hit with COVID-19 and now the flooding crisis and they feel left behind. Commissioner Ed Arnesen explained that they are working with the best lobbyist in the state to obtain funding for the Northwest Angle and are actively involved in assisting their community. 

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Jon Waibel and carried unanimously to close the public hearing for Board of Equalization and open the regular meeting.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Commissioner Ed Arnesen gave an update on various topics he has been actively working on with lobbyist that include: Bonding bill for Law Enforcement Center, NWA Relief, Williams School Building, PILT, and Tourism bill. Due to many changes this year with election and new representation it is possible that these efforts will need to be re-introduced if there is not a special session. There was also discussion around placing a public access at the NWA, currently the public does not have a launch and getting materials to the angle for other projects. The board will discuss this further in the meeting June 28,2022.

ASSOCIATION OF MINNESOTA COUNTIES (AMC)

Executive Director Julie Ring, Member Engagement Coordinator Ryan Erdmann, Research Coordinator Jill Suurmeyer, and Policy Analyst Carli Stark from the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) thanked the board for inviting them to the Northwest Angle and gave an update on some of the actions they have taken to assist counties which included: Pandemic response, National Opioid Settlement, Legislative Successes, and Education.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

EDA Director Ryan Zemek gave an update of various projects he is working on in the county that included: aid for flood damage, erosion, and forgivable loans.

PUBLIC WORKS

Assistant Engineer Boyd Johnson and County Engineer Anthony Pirkl gave an update on various projects that included: Working with FEMA on flood damage, Brushing Crews for Northwest Angle in Winter, Ditch clean-up, and calcium chloride. 

Approve Hire of Solid Waste Program Manager

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Jon Waibel, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to approve the hire of Brock Stebakken as the Solid Waste Program Manager at Grade 14, Step 5, 27.57 per hour at 321 points effective next full pay period.

Credit Card Approval

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to approve a county credit card for Solid Waste Program Manager Brock Stebakken. 

FLOOD UPDATE

Concerned citizen Paul Colson reviewed the 1925 Convention and Protocol Treaty between the United State and Canada and voiced his concerns to the board. It was the consensus of the board to continue to review the treaty for better understanding before taking any action. The board also gave an update on the sandbagging efforts in the county.

IRS Mileage Rate

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Jon Waibel, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to increase the county mileage rate from 58.5 to match the IRS mileage rate 62.5 and to increase the Veteran volunteer driver rate from 68.5 to 72.5 effective July 1, 2022.

RECESS

With no further business before the Board, Chair Buck Nordlof called the meeting to recess at 12:30 pm. to be followed by the Road Tour.

Attest: June 28, 2022

______________________________ _________________________________

County Auditor/Treasurer, Lorene Hanson Chair James “Buck” Nordlof