REGULAR MEETING OF THE KOOCHICHING COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Held on Tuesday, February 3, 2004; 10:30 a.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Commissioners Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper

MEMBERS ABSENT: None

OTHERS ATTENDING: Einar Sundin, Jaci Nagle, Duane Nelson, Bob Peterson, Doug Grindall, Marty Gordon, Terry Murray, Kathy Howdahl, Bob Misner, Dennis Hummitzsch, Richard Lehtinen; Reporters Laurel Beager and Roger Jerome

2004/02-01 Motion by Adee, seconded by Hanson to approve the agenda with additions and deletions. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-02 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Lepper to approve the minutes of the January 27, 2004 special meeting. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-03 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to approve payment of the monthly County Board expense claims in the amount of $5,169.77 and to approve payment of the January Board of Prisoner Claim in the amount of $2,400.00. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-04 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Adee to set the 2004 County Board of Equalization meeting dates as follows: Tuesday, June 15 convene in the afternoon with Assessor’s opening report and appointments; Tuesday, June 22 meet in the afternoon to continue appointments with intent to conclude work and adjourn; Friday June 25 reserved as the last meeting date if more time is needed to conclude work. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-05 Motion by Adee, seconded by Chezick adopting the following resolution in support of the Highway 53 Reconstruction Project from Virginia to International Falls:

That MnDot from held public hearings and meetings should establish where the four-lanes would be located and then work with St. Louis and Koochiching Counties to preserve and protect those public lands that would form the right of way from any encroachment by development.

That MnDot build safety features and turn lanes at all intersections and entrances to the present highway.

That MnDot immediately add a minimum of four passing lanes, built to four-lane standards, in the three segments of Cook to Orr, Orr to Kabetogama and Kabetogama to International Falls. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-06 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Adee to approve, as fiscal agent, an
extension of a service contract with E. Del Smith and Company, Inc. on behalf of
the Highway 53 Task Force for lobbyist service on the Highway 53 Project from
January 1, 2004 to August 31, 2004 at the same monthly rate contingent on cost
share by participating Task Force entities. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson,
Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-07 Motion by Chezick, seconded by Lepper to approve Board members’ attendance to the public meetings scheduled on the Highway 53 Reconstruction Project as a Board activity with a meeting scheduled on February 4 in International Falls at Rainy River Community College. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-08 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Lepper to notify the DNR Commissioner of the County Board’s strong support of the Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club’s position to not promote the new local Sturgeon Plan due to lack of cooperation with the local community and the Club who has demonstrated strong leadership in fishery management and promoting catch and release. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-09 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Adee to authorize purchase of a pressure sealer to provide for less costly bulk folding and mailing from American Solutions for Business in the amount of $3,300.00 plus $500.00 for a one year maintenance contract with payment from the 2004 IS Budget and as recommended by the IS Manager. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-10 Motion by Adee, seconded by Lepper authorizing purchase of a computer for the Sheriff at a price of $1,910 with expenditure out of the Sheriff’s Federal Forfeiture Fund as recommended by the IS Manager. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-11 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Chezick awarding the 2004 bulk delivery bids for propane, furnace oil, diesel and in-county and out of county service station gas and diesel as recommended by the Highway Engineer and as on file in the Highway and Administration Departments. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-12 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to defer a billing to the Environmental Service Department from the Highway Department for solid waste work to July at which time available funding in the 2004 Environmental Service Budget would be determined. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-13 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Hanson to renew a service agreement with Raynita Houglum for 2004 custody study service with renewal of the contract provision that the County does not provide the funding for this service and with agreement recommended by the Community Service Director. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-14 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to renew a service agreement with AEOA for 2004 volunteer driver services with the only change being an adjustment of the allowable 2004 mileage rate with agreement recommended by the Community Service Director. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

000 The Community Service Director and Child Support Team Leader reviewed a Child Support Program Review conducted by the State which is federally mandated to review the Agency’s performance and compliance with Child Support Programs. The review reported that staff is doing very well on the quantity of work as it pointed out that their case size is higher than the state standard and that the quality of work was good with exception of the four areas defined as needing improvement (a total of nine areas were reviewed). A Corrective Action Plan is now in place correcting the four deficient areas. The Board complimented staff for their good work and their efforts in meeting the compliance standards.

000 The Community Service Director and Financial Team Leader submitted a request for the Department to discontinue MNCare services at the County. When the decision was made a few years back to provide this service, caseloads were down and the staffing level was at 100% so the Financial Unit was able to provide the service. Today the staffing level is decreased and caseloads are high so it is more difficult to provide the service. In addition, the applications processed at the County have been greatly reduced over time with the County completing only 100 out of 1,200 applications last year. People are finding faster service at the State anyway because County staff is not involved with the program on a daily basis to gain the familiarity of the requirements and processes so have to defer to the State to process applications. The Unit would still hand out applications and provide guidance. Lastly discontinuing this non-mandatory service will allow workers to apply more time to existing and new mandatory programs.

2004/02-15 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Chezick to discontinue servicing the MNCare Program at the local level and refer individuals directly to the State for services as recommended by the Community Service Director due to caseload and staffing levels with a report back to the Board at a later date on the impact to the local community due to discontinuing this service. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-16 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to approve out-of-state travel for one social worker to attend Drug Court Training as recommended by the Community Service Director. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

000 The Board Chair called for public comment at 11:45 a.m. No comment was provided.

000 The Land Commissioner provided the results of the January 16, 2004 timber auction: 15,358 cords were sold during the Intermediate and Regular Auctions for a total sale value of $502,516 with all tracts sold.

000 The Land Commissioner informed the Board that the Timber Producers Association drafted legislation to allow use of irrevocable bank letter of credit to pay for County timber sales. The Land Commissioners Association recommended changes to the draft and with these changes the legislation is workable with the understanding it could cause reduction of cash flow. The Land Commissioner also provided a $1 million state bonding proposal to provide grants to forested counties based on need and level of county match for additional forest land reforestation. The Land Commissioner will update the Board as needed on these proposed legislative items.

000 The Board reviewed a pending committee item on changing the percent of wood for sale in intermediate and regular auctions. Currently the percent is 35/65 respectively changed from 25/75 in early 1990s. It is assumed that placing more wood in the regular auction would provide more revenue in the Trust Fund, however, the impact to the small logger has to be considered. The Board agreed to take no position and remove it from consideration at this time.

000 The Board recessed the meeting at 2:05 p.m. for a meet and confer with the Highway Union on the Interim Staffing Plan for the Transfer Station and temporary provision of snowplowing services due to employees on leave of absence.

2004/02-17 Motion by Chezick, seconded by Adee that under Article 7, Section D of the IUOE Local 49 Bargaining Unit Agreement, upon determination that two employees from the Environmental Service Department meet the qualifications of a heavy equipment operator and based on the fact that opening roads due to snowfall is an immediate public safety matter, it is the County Board’s desire that these employees be placed on a call list to first perform emergency snowfall road clearing during the absence of the operators out on leave with only one of the two employees used at any one time and that their services be used only to clear roads (not to conduct road maintenance or snow clean-up) and to be used for the balance of this snow season or until return of regular employees whichever occurs first. Further, considering the reduced staffing level already existing in the Environmental Service Department and/or for other reasons, if these two employees are not available the Highway Engineer will call in qualified temporary hires to perform the emergency snowfall road clearing service. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick; voting no: Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-18 Motion by Adee, seconded by Hanson authorizing the Environmental Service Director to recall one of the part time employees on layoff status in the Highway Union to work two days a week at the transfer station effective immediately and ending after the second week in May to provide additional help under the Interim Staffing Plan due to the extra workload with taking Fort Frances recycling and further, to allow another ten days for the balance of this snowplowing season to call in the same part time employee to work at the transfer station to fill in for the Environmental Service employee called in to perform emergency snowplowing service and who was scheduled to work at the transfer station. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick; voting no: Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-19 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Adee to approve the Interim Staffing Plan to provide staffing at the Transfer Station due to the vacancy of one transfer station operator position, to include approval of a 2004 staffing work schedule, a B24 Transfer Station Operator/Team Leader position description and a 2004 Environmental Service Budget adjustment to cover the expense of the Interim Staffing Plan for 2004. Motion further upgrades Greg Williams to the Transfer Station Operator/Team Leader position with the understanding that upon termination of the team leader responsibility, the employee would be returned to his previous position and pay. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/02-20 Motion by Adee, seconded by Hanson to adjourn the meeting at 4:25 p.m. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.