REGULAR MEETING OF THE KOOCHICHING COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Held on Tuesday, March 2, 2004; 9:30 a.m.

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

MEMBERS ABSENT: None

OTHERS ATTENDING: Einar Sundin, Terry Murray, Cindy Ellefson-Oswald, Judge LeDuc, Carol Clauson, Terry Glowack, Jack Bergstedt; Reporters Laurel Beager and Roger Jerome

2004/03-01 Motion by Adee, seconded by Chezick to approve the agenda with additions and deletions. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/03-02 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Adee to approve the minutes of the February 24, 2004 special meeting. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/03-03 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Chezick to approve payment of the monthly County Board expense claims in the amount of $7,884.39, to approve payment to Flaherty & Hood in the amount of $785.97 with payment from the 2004 Legislative Budget and to approve payment of the February Board of Prisoner Claim in the amount of $2,235.00. Payment detail on file in the Auditor’s Office. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/03-04 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Lepper accepting the recommendation of the Convention and Visitors Bureau for appointment of Mary Kasich to their Board as the Rainer representative. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

000 The Board directed the Coordinator to seek applicants for a county representative on the Arrowhead Library System Governing Board with the three-year term beginning July 1, 2004.

2004/03-05 Motion by Chezick, seconded by Lepper accepting the Management Committee’s decision to convert the County’s phone system from analog to digital as a recommendation under the 2003 Telecommunications Audit by Cost Consultants and to approve expenditure of $3,900.00 from the 2004 Telephone Budget for equipment needed for the conversion with the expense covered by the estimated $423 monthly savings due to the conversion (estimated equipment pay off by November end). Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

000 The Board was informed that public information meetings have been scheduled by the Highway Engineer to receive public comment on proposed road projects: March 10, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at the Mizpah Town Hall for CSAH 15 and CSAH 17 and March 11, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at RRCC for CSAH 2.

000 The Board received an email from their Lobbyist that a hearing has been scheduled by the Environmental and Natural Resources Policy Committee on March 5, 2004 at 8:30 a.m. to hear various ATV bills for amending the new ATV/OHV legislation. The Board agreed to call the lobbyist during committee time to receive more information.

000 The Board was informed that the Koochiching Soil and Water District is hosting the Area 3 Soil and Water District Convention for September 22 and 23, 2004 at the Holiday Inn. The Board was also informed that the Planning and Zoning Workshop set up through the Environmental Service Department is scheduled for March 31, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. at RRCC.

2004/03-06 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee authorizing the temporary hire of LPN Debra Dunn in the Public Health Department for foot care service and to assist with other clinic activities as needed for 2004 within the requirements of the County’s Temporary Hire Policy (hire does not include County dollars as funding comes from service fees) and with the rate of pay previously established under Board Motion 2002/06-61 and the County’s Temporary Hire Pay Rate Schedule. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/03-07 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Hanson to renew the County IV-D Contract for two years establishing parties’ responsibility, the reimbursement rate and county and court service rates for the child support enforcement program. Contract includes an increase of the county attorney rates based on other county rate comparatives creating an expenditure increase of $2,000 in the 2004 Community Service Budget. Voting yes: Adee, Hanson, Lepper; voting no: Pavleck, Chezick. Motion carried.

000 The Board was requested to appoint a member to the Child Justice Initiative which is a joint effort of the Minnesota Supreme Court and the MN Department of Human Services to work closely with local juvenile courts, social services departments, county attorneys, public defenders, court administrators, guardian ad litem and other key stakeholders in the counties to improve the processing of child protection cases and the outcomes for abused and neglected children with the stakeholders of the initiative to operate “through the eyes of the child”. Commissioner Adee attended the organizational meeting of the local initiative. Members of the local initiative feel representation of the County Board is needed in the process.

2004/03-08 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Lepper authorizing the Board Chair to appoint a member to the Child Justice Initiative (CJI) as requested by Community Service and District Court representatives. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried. (The Board Chair appointed Commissioner Adee to the CJI.)

000 The Judge informed the Board of a movement statewide to start charging counties filing fees for civil cases and would keep the Board apprised of the matter. He also informed the Board that the State decision to establish non-waivable co-pay for public defenders was declared unconstitutional and will provide information to the Board. The Judge discussed a need for a guardian ad litem and child protection meeting room as well as an additional attorney-client meeting room in the court area and will submit his proposal to utilize existing space to the Management Committee as requested by the Board.

2004/03-09 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee authorizing expenditure up to $960 from the Sinking Building Account for the purchase and installation of an automatic door locking and access system for the Court Administration Office as requested by the Court Administrator and Judge to improve security in the office. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/03-10 Motion by Adee, seconded by Chezick authorizing the Community Service Director to purchase the phone system in the Forestland Annex in lieu of renewing the lease at a purchase price of $7,636 plus an annual maintenance agreement of $2,400, which equates to the same cost in 2004 as leasing the system. (Starting in 2005 cost to the budget will decrease by $8,000.) Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/03-11 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to approve a Department of Human Service Information Privacy Agreement with Koochiching County as required under HIPAA. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/03-12 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Chezick authorizing up to $5,000 of the 2004 Legal Budget for the County Survey Committee to obtain a legal opinion of the validity of old County and Township road orders for the purpose of retaining public accesses in the County. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.

2004/03-13 Motion by Adee, seconded by Hanson to adjourn the meeting at 10:50 a.m. Voting yes: Pavleck, Adee, Hanson, Chezick, Lepper. Motion carried.