REGULAR MEETING OF THE KOOCHICHING COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Held on Tuesday, January 18, 2005; 10:00 a.m.

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

MEMBERS ABSENT: None

OTHERS ATTENDING: Einar Sundin, Sam Hege, Jaci Nagle, Bob Peterson, Terry Glowack, Dennis Hummitzsch, Richard Lehtinen, Julie Kennedy, Jerry Petermeier, Mark Hawkinson, Steve Nelson, Dawn Eve; Reporters Jen O'Reily, Roger Jerome and Laurel Beager

2005/01-23 Motion by Adee, seconded by Briggs to approve the agenda with additions and deletions. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2005/01-24 Motion by Adee, seconded by Lepper to approve the minutes from the January 11, 2005 special meeting. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2005/01-25 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee authorizing Board Chair’s signature to the Auditor’s December 2004 vendor payment listing verifying its review, to approve payment of the Highway claims in the amount of $185,893.43 and to approve payment to Johnson, Killen and Seiler in the amount of $1,124.80 for personnel legal services with payment from the 2005 Administration Budget. Payment detail on file in the Auditor/Treasurer Department. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2005/01-26 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Briggs to approve a service agreement with Flaherty and Hood in the amount of $20,000 for 2005 lobbying services. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2005/01-27 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee authorizing Board Chair’s signature to a service agreement with Maximus to conduct the cost allocation plan for 2004. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 A representative from the Littlefork Ambulance Service submitted a request for the County to grant or loan funding to replace the 1986 ambulance. There is $65,000 available for the replacement and they are looking for $30,000 to $45,000, depending on what options are available for a replacement. Due to the amount of rural runs, they will price a four-wheel drive unit. Littlefork Ambulance services about 200 runs a year and is funded by charge for service as well as a levy through a subordinate taxing district, which includes the City of Littlefork. The City of Littlefork is under a service contract with the County to provide ambulance service. Since the item was added to the agenda, the Board requested more time to review the request and to have more information on County budget and loan guidelines, homeland security grant funding, and past or potential future requests for emergency capital funding.

2005/01-28 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Adee to defer the request for funding by the Littlefork Ambulance Service for a new ambulance to the January 25, 2005 meeting with the Coordinator to provide information on County budget and loan guidelines, homeland security grant funding, and past and potential future requests for capital funding for emergency equipment. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2005/01-29 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Briggs authorizing the following expenditure from the 2005 Information Systems Budget as recommended by the I.S. Manager: $15,300 for PC systems, handheld PC’s with GPS units and monitors; $2,000 for a PC system and MS Office XP license for the Survey Department; 1 MS Office XP License and 4 licenses for Apex Mobile Sketch. Total expenditure $18,045 with approximately $3,628 reimbursed by the Highway Budget. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2005/01-30 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Briggs accepting the following Car Pool recommendation: call for bids for a 4x4 ½ ton Land and Forestry pickup, a 4x4 crew cab Highway pickup, 1 midsize Car Pool automobile for Community Services and a 4x4 ½ ton short box with plow and mounts for the Complex Department with the contingency that bid specs requesting lumbar seats have a price not exceeding $300. Motion further transfers the replaced Complex Department 4x4 pickup to the Soil and Water District (plow will be sold at County auction) and transfer Car Pool vehicle #13 to the Sheriff Department for prisoner transport with the understanding that future replacement of these vehicles will come as a request to Car Pool for one of their replaced vehicles and authorizes the Board Chair to sign the vehicle transfer agreements; to sell or trade-in Car Pool vehicles #22, 101 and 103, transfer Unit 105 to Community Services and not replace a third vehicle to see if Car Pool can reduce its fleet. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2005/01-31 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper authorizing the Land Commissioner to fill the vacant forester position. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board Chair opened a public hearing at 11:00 a.m. to receive public comment on a road vacation request by the County Engineer for a portion of old CSAH No.10 due to new alignment. The Coordinator informed the Board that no written comment was received. The Board Chair called for public comment and no one was present to comment on the road vacation request. With no comment from the Board, the Board Chair closed the hearing.

2005/01-32 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee that upon receiving no opposition, to approve a road vacation as requested by the County Engineer due to the old alignment not being needed for public road use, described as follows: all that part of the former CSAH No. 10 lying westerly and southwesterly of the right of way line for new CSAH No. 10 that lies within Government Lot 1, Government Lot 2, Government Lot 4, the Southeast Quarter of the Northwest Quarter and the Southeast Quarter of the Southwest Quarter, Section 17, Township 69 North, Range 26 West. The purpose for the road vacation is a new road alignment was constructed in 1991 so the old road alignment is no longer needed for public road use. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Briggs, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board Chair called for public comment at 11:06 a.m. No comment was provided.

000 The Environmental Service Director informed the Board that even though the County followed legal procedure in public notification on the EAW for the Hawkinson Quarry Conditional Use Permit, he has received word from Margie property owners that they have not seen the Hawkinson Quarry EAW. The process for an EAW requires notice in the newspaper but does not require contacting property owners or sending them the EAW. In researching the EAW process, available options and in the best interest of the public, the Environmental Service Director recommends that the Board delay action on the Use Permit and allow the Department to send the text of the EAW to the property owners in the Margie area based on zoning rules for sending notices to property owners and place notice again in the newspaper and allow the public an additional 30 day comment period. This would delay action on Hawkinson’s Use Permit request until mid March. The Director informed the Board that there is the possibility that information from this additional comment period may impact the Board’s previous decision not to do an EIS. Dawn Eve informed the Board that she did receive the EAW in the mail (she requested a copy) but there was no information telling her she had to comment and to do so within a required timeline. Mark Hawkinson stated that between now and six weeks there will be projects to bid and to determine their price, they will need to know if the quarry operation will be approved.

2005/01-33 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper to delay action on the Conditional Use Permit for Hawkinson’s Rock Quarry pending distribution of the EAW text to Margie area property owners based on zoning law for notifying property owners and to place notice again in the official newspaper, Northome Record and Big Falls Ripple and allow the public an additional 30-day comment period on the EAW for the Hawkinson Rock Quarry operation with information and recommendation back to the Board in approximately six weeks as recommended by the Environmental Service Director. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck; absent for vote: Briggs. Motion carried.

2005/01-34 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Adee to approve payment to Ayres Associates for work on the Jackfish Bay Sewer Project in the amount of $20,923.60 from the 2005 Environmental Service Budget. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Pavleck; voting no: Lepper; absent for vote: Briggs. Motion carried.

2005/01-35 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Adee to adjourn the meeting at 2:12 p.m. Voting yes: Hanson, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck; absent for vote: Briggs. Motion carried.