REGULAR MEETING OF THE KOOCHICHING COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Held on Tuesday, July 14, 2009; 11:25 a.m.

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

MEMBERS ABSENT: None

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE: Dale Olson, Bob Peterson, Jaci Nagle, Quinn McCarthy, Dennis Hummitzsch, Phil Miller, Jeff Naglosky, Ann Goering via telephone, Doug Grindall, Terry Murray; Reporters Laurel Beager and Sheldon Slaubaugh

2009/07-01 Motion by McBride, seconded by Adee to approve the agenda with additions and deletions. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-02 Motion by Adee, seconded by McBride to approve the minutes from the 2009 County Board of Equalization meetings and the June 23, 2009 Regular County Board meeting. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board received notice of the temporary hire of Heather Englund as a LPN in the Health Department for a private duty nurse case and the temporary hire of Aaron Bloom and Brock Johnson in the Highway Department for summer help.

2009/07-03 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to approve the employment separation of Public Health Nurse Nancy McHarg effective July 17, 2009 and the employment separation of Environmental Services Director Richard Lehtinen effective July 27, 2009. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board received notice of the hire of Jeff Naglosky as Assistant County Attorney effective June 29, 2009.

2009/07-04 Motion by McBride, seconded by Adee accepting the Personnel Committee recommendation that under Board Motion 2009/04-47 in restructuring financial authority and internal controls in the Administration Office, to approve the positions of a D62 Administration Director (replacing the County Coordinator position) and a C41 Administrative Assistant (replacing the Assistant Auditor position). Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-05 Motion by McBride, seconded by Adee accepting the Personnel Committee recommendation to appoint Dale Olson as the Interim Environmental Services Director for up to one year at 90% of the D62 position’s pay with the intent to determine a permanent management plan for the Department within this period and authorizing a reallocation of budget funds for part time and/or hourly staff overtime due to the shortage of staffing during the interim period and further, requiring the employee to take a leave of absence from the Union while holding the Director position. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-06 Motion by Adee, seconded by McBride to revise the Public Health Nurse position’s qualifications to include the hire of RNs as recommended by the Personnel Committee. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-07 Motion by McBride, seconded by Adee accepting the Personnel Committee’s recommendation to rescind previous authorization for the hire of a .60 FTE Public Health Nurse and authorize the hire of a full time Public Health Nurse and full time Public Health Educator with positions and hires contingent on the federal/state grants and service fees allocated for these positions remaining at the level to pay the full cost of the positions. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-08 Motion by Lepper, seconded by McBride to approve payment of the Courthouse claims in the amount of $45,725.22; to approve payment of the monthly County Board expense claims in the amount of $10,418.74; to authorize Board Chair’s signature to the June Summary Vendor Payment Listing verifying the Board’s review. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-09 Motion by Adee, seconded by McBride to approve Minnesota Lawful Gambling LG215 Lease and a LG214 Premises Permit Applications for International Voyageurs, Inc. for permitted gambling activities at “The Junction” located at 5536 Highway 11, International Falls, MN. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-10 Motion by Adee, seconded by Lepper adopting the following resolution granting consent to Midcontinent Communications Conveyance:

WHEREAS, Midcontinent Communications owns a cable television system in the County of Koochiching, MN (the Franchise Authority); and

WHEREAS, Midcontinent Media Inc. owns 100% of Midcontinent Communications Investor, LLC which, in turn, owns 50% of Midcontinent; and

WHEREAS, Mr. N.L. Bentson, the owner of 95.81% of the shares of Midcontinent Media Inc. passed away on April 12, 2009; and

WHEREAS, as a result of Mr. Bentson’s death, his shares in Midcontinent Media, Inc. passed to his Estate by operation of law and will be conveyed to a Trust on or about September 1, 2009 with a portion of the shares subsequently to be redeemed by Midcontinent on or about December 31, 2009 (collectively the “Conveyance”); and

WHEREAS, the County has considered and consents to the Conveyance as described above.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Koochiching County Board of Commissioners that the foregoing recitals are approved and incorporated herein by reference; that the Franchise Authority consents to the Conveyance described herein; that this resolution shall be deemed effective immediately upon adoption; that this resolution shall have the force of a continuing agreement and the Franchise Authority shall not amend or otherwise alter this Resolution without the consent of Midcontinent. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-11 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Adee ratifying the County Auditor–Treasurer’s signature to a Joint Powers Agreement with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State allowing the State to retain the County’s ballots submitted in the 2008 election recount challenge for the statutorily required 22 month period. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-12 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to approve expenditure up to $15,900 from the 2009 Information System Budget for the planned upgrade to the County GIS System under the three year plan to progress GIS in the County as recommended by the I.S. Manager. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-13 Motion by Lepper, seconded by McBride accepting the recommendation of the Land Commissioner to approve a Tax Forfeited Land Repurchase under County Policy described as Lots 9 and 10, Block 79, Plat of International Falls. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-14 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to close session at 1:35 p.m. for attorney-client privilege review of the pending Data Practices litigation of Hervey vs. Koochiching County with MCIT’s assigned legal counsel, County Attorney and Assistant County Attorney. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-15 Motion by Lepper, seconded by McBride to open session at 2:05 p.m. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-16 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper to support the County Engineer’s request for DNR grants for the following projects as recommended by the Highway Engineer: 1) graveling 2.6 miles of County Road 119 servicing the DNR boat access on the Rat Root River; 2) graveling 2.84 of County Road 73 which serves the small boat and canoe access on the Littlefork River; 3) graveling 5.5 miles of the Sandsmark Trail which accesses acres of land for recreational purposes; 4) graveling 4.5 miles of County Road 86 which accesses acres of land for recreational purposes; 5) place base and bituminous surface for the Frontier Access and parking area on the Rainy River; 6) place base and bituminous surface for the Vidas Access and parking area on the Rainy River. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-17 Motion by McBride, seconded by Pavleck to allow John Briggs to use a portion of a public roadway in the Plat of Alberta Park described as Second Street between Gladys Avenue and Viola Avenue and approximately 160 feet of Viola Avenue between Second Street and 160 feet north to construct a roadway to access his property with the understanding that future maintenance by the County will not be approved unless the roadway is constructed to County Highway standards and is in the public’s interest as recommended by the Highway Engineer. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-18 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Pavleck authorizing the Highway Engineer to call for bids for road sign faces for sign replacement on County State Aid Highways under new federal requirements and funded by CSAH and 3M Grant dollars and with a bid opening scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on August 10, 2009 with a recommendation to the County Board at the next scheduled meeting. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-19 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by McBride authorizing the Highway Engineer to call for bids for reconstruction of a portion of CSAH 77 (Happyland Road) upon receiving authorization from the Corp of Engineers for impact to wetlands as a result of the project. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-20 Motion by Adee, seconded by Lepper authorizing the Highway Engineer’s attendance to the National Local Technical Assistance Conference in Pittsburgh, PA from July 27 through July 30, 2009 with travel and conference expenses paid by Mn/Dot. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board was notified that Pamela Bechik was hired as the Social Service Supervisor effective July 13, 2009.

000 The Community Service Director informed the Board that with the hire of the Social Service Supervisor the state social worker position in the Department is now vacant and the County has the option of cashing out the position whereas the State would provide $70,000 to the County annually (with COLA increases) to hire their own Adult Mental Health Social Worker (in lieu of retaining the position as a state position with the state to hire the employee). As a county social worker position the County would obtain additional funding for each adult mental health client served by this position. At a starting pay rate, the $70,000 would cover the cost of the position. The risk if any is the State cutting the funding for the position, however, the hire would be contingent on the funding being available for the position.

2009/07-21 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Pavleck authorizing the Community Service Director to secure the Mental Health Grant for funding a full time Adult Mental Health Social Worker position with authority to transfer current social worker staff into the position if funding is secured and with the contingency that the state funding allocated for this position remains at the level to pay the full cost of the position.. Further, that a meeting with the Personnel Committee will be scheduled for review of any outside hire as a result of any internal staffing change as a result of filling this position. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-22 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper to approve payment from the 2009 Community Service Budget for 7 Versa Keyboards for the Financial Unit at a cost of $2,833.00; a workstation for the Director’s office at a cost of $1,629.84 and a printer for the Accounting Department at a cost of $791.09 as approved by the I.S. Manager. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-23 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper to renew the following service agreements as recommended by the Community Service Director and upon approval of the County Attorney: Big Fork Valley Hospital and Homecare; Littlefork Jackpine Chateau, Lutheran Social Services SLS; Northland Counseling Adult Foster Care; ODC Waivers; Segar’s Foster Care; Silver Bahr Retirement Ranch. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-24 Motion by McBride, seconded by Adee to approve a FirstPlan of Minnesota MH-TCM Contract for home and community based services as recommended by the Community Service Director and upon approval of the County Attorney. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2009/07-25 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to approve an addendum to the Rational Alternatives Contract for adolescent chemical dependency treatment services as recommended by the Community Service Director and upon approval of the County Attorney. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Community Service Director informed the Board that due to federal stimulus funding, the Crisis Fund supporting the MFIP Work Program has been expanded to better support clients in finding and maintaining employment.

000 The Board Chair called for public comment at 2:45 p.m. No comment was provided.

2009/07-26 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Adee to adjourn the meeting at 2:45 p.m. Voting yes: Hanson, McBride, Adee, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.