2010 ELECTION OF COUNTY BOARD CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR WAS CONDUCTED BY THE CLERK TO THE COUNTY BOARD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 05, 2010; 10:15 A.M. BY UNANIMOUS VOTE COMMISSIONER KEVIN ADEE WAS ELECTED AS BOARD CHAIR AND BY UNANIMOUS VOTE COMMISSIONER CHARLES LEPPER WAS ELECTED AS VICE CHAIR.

REGULAR MEETING OF THE KOOCHICHING COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Held on Tuesday, January 5, 2010; 10:20 a.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Commissioners Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck
MEMBERS ABSENT: None

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE: Bob Peterson, Terry Murray, Mr. and Mrs. Dryer, Rob Davenport, Dale Olson, Richard Lehtinen, Doug Grindall, Einar Sundin; Reporter Laurel Beager

2010/01-01 Motion by Lepper, seconded by McBride to approve the agenda with additions and deletions. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-02 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper to approve the minutes from the December 22, 2009 regular meeting. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-03 Motion by McBride, seconded by Pavleck accepting the recommendation of the Personnel Committee to ratify 2009 and 2010 wage and benefit settlements for the Salary Employee Group and Non-Union Hourly Group. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-04 Motion by Hanson, seconded by McBride to establish the elected Attorney, Sheriff, Auditor/Treasurer and Recorder positions’ minimum salary range for the term of office starting January 1, 2011 per MN Statute: beginning salary of 90% and increment 5% in six months with 100% salary in one year. Salary range includes the combination of any elected positions as authorized in MN Statute and approved by the County Board. Said minimum salary range will be utilized when vacancies occur in the elected office and an appointment has to be made by the Board. Those elected to the office will receive 100% of the salary set for the position. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-05 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Hanson to approve temporary hires in the Sheriff’s Department as recommended by the Sheriff and Administration Director under County Policy: Transports – Charles Lessard, Lori Lindberg, Richard Johnson, Duane Nelson; Jail Cook – Brenda Alverson. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-06 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Pavleck to ratify Year End Payment of Courthouse, Community Services and Public Health Claims as authorized under Board Motion 2009/12-04 in the amount of $139,647.52; to approve payment of the monthly County Board expense claims in the amount of $10,948.02; to approve payment of the 2010 County Dues as follows: AMC General $6,477.00 (1/3 payment from County Board, Highway and KCCS Budgets), AMC – MACSSA $741.00 (KCCS Budget), AMC – LPHA $641.00 (Health Budget); ACA $2,400.00 (County Board Budget); NACO $400.00 (County Board Budget); NCLUCB $2,500 (County Board Budget), NE Regional Radio Board $235.81 (County Board Budget). Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board Chair requested Commissioners to review the County Committee List and appointments and provide change requests or comments to him by the next meeting.

2010/01-07 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Hanson to approve MN DNR Land Lease Agreement #144-012-0577 with Koochiching County for the Kabetogama Tower Site for a period of January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2018 with an annual lease payment of $500 and authorize the Board Chair’s signature to said Agreement. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-08 Motion by Hanson, seconded by McBride accepting the Auditor/Treasurer recommendation to approve an Application for a Cancellation of Forfeiture for Parcel #91-004-05000 described as all of Block 5 and South 40 Feet of Vacated Street in Button’s Addition to Big Falls. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board reviewed the two 2010 County Legal Publication bids received from the Daily Journal and Northome Newspaper and the Administration Director and Auditor/Treasurer’s recommendation to award the bid to the Daily Journal based on larger area of distribution and daily publication. In response to the question from the Board, both newspaper representatives stated that attempts were made to submit a joint bid but due to cost, an agreement was not reached. The Board reviewed information from the Daily Journal stating near future changes for their paper and their proposal to distribute to the Northome area for a three percent increase in their bid rate. The Board reviewed a proposal from the Northome Newspaper for County legal publications to service the Northome area only as the Daily Journal without a joint bid agreement does not cover the Northome area and therefore the area does not receive the legal publications unless they subscribe to the Daily Journal. The Administration Director stated that the delinquent tax list is an insert and can be delivered for insert in the Northome paper but the cost of also publishing the financial statement and the county minutes in the Northome paper is a cost increase that has to be considered by the County. Understanding that awarding the bid establishes the Official newspaper of the County for legal requirements, the Board agreed that options need to be reviewed outside the required official newspaper requirement to deliver county information outside the distribution range of the official newspaper on an informative, not legal, obligation to the public.

2010/01-09 Motion by Lepper, seconded by McBride to award the 2010 legal publication bid to the Daily Journal with a 0% rate increase from 2009 rates based on distribution area and daily publication. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-10 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper directing further review in a Board Committee session to determine areas in the County outside the official newspaper distribution in which further consideration of county publications is needed for the public. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-11 Motion by Lepper, seconded by Pavleck to renew the service agreements with AEOA for volunteer driver services and employment and training services as recommended by the Community Service Director and upon approval of the agreements by the County Attorney. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-12 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Lepper to approve the Adoption and Foster Care Recruitment Grant in the amount of $26,999 for the period of December 21, 2009 through June 30, 2011 as recommended by the Community Service Director. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-13 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper authorizing the Board Chair as the County Board representative to attend the Human Service Redesign meeting on January 13, 2010 at the IRRRB Facility in Eveleth at the request of the Community Service Director. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-14 Motion by Hanson, seconded by McBride authorizing Board members attendance to the open house for the Arrowhead Transit Bus Garage located in Koochiching County on January 15, 2010 as requested by AEOA. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-15 Motion by Lepper, seconded by McBride to adopt the following resolution supporting the Voyageur’s National Park Clean Water Joint Powers Board WRDA Funding Request:

WHEREAS, Koochiching County and St. Louis County have formed a Joint Powers Board to plan, design, develop and fund the VNP Clean Water Project; and

WHEREAS, visitors to VNP access the park through 4 distinct areas: Ash River, Crane Lake, Kabetogama Township and Rainy Lake, and;

WHEREAS, tourism is a major industry in the region and VNP is the only water based national park in the United States, and;

WHEREAS, resorts and businesses on the lands adjacent to VNP provide nearly all the sewage treatment needs for park visitors through treatment systems that often times do not effectively protect ground and surface water, and;

WHEREAS, the remoteness of the area and rugged nature of the terrain makes it cost prohibitive for businesses and homeowners to bring their systems to code, and;

WHEREAS, financial assistance for VNP Clean Water Project has already been received by Koochiching County, St. Louis County, the Iron Range Resources Agency, the Township of Kabetogama and the Crane Lake Water and Sanitary District, and;

WHEREAS, the United States has an obligation as a nation to protect its waters as well as shared International waters, and federal assistance is necessary to address the clean water concerns of VNP, and;

WHEREAS, the VNP Clean Water Joint Powers Board has submitted a request for $21 million through the Water Resources Development Act II (WRDA).

BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of Koochiching County fully supports the Voyageurs National Park Joint Powers Board, the VNP Clean Water Project and the WRDA request for $21,421,000 or approximately 75% of the estimated project costs. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Environmental Service Director informed the Board that in addition to the resolution passed to support the VNP Clean Water Project, letters were sent to other agencies and organizations requesting support of the project. In addition, the consultant contract for the project is up in February and a recommendation will be forthcoming to continue the consultant contract for the project.

000 Commissioner Pavleck requested the County Board establish a Committee to pursue the White Cedar Wetland Bank Plan due to the support currently in place from BWSR for this project. It was agreed to set time at the January 19 County Board committee session to put a plan in place to move this project to include formation of a project committee.

2010/01-16 Motion by McBride, seconded by Lepper accepting the Highway Engineer’s Annual County Bridge Inspection Certification with no change in posting from the previous year.
Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-17 Motion by Hanson, seconded by McBride authorizing the Highway Engineer to call for annual fuel bids to include bulk delivery and in and out of county service stations. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

2010/01-18 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by Lepper accepting the Highway Engineer’s recommendation to rank the Transportation Enhancement Projects with the Gateway Corridor Project over the County’s Bike Path Project due to the County not having the 20% local match for their project and the Gateway Corridor Project’s local match being covered by the City of International Falls’ State bonding funding. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board reviewed the City of International Falls December 22, 2009 letter to the County Board in which the City would approve the CSAH designation within their City limits for the Highway 332 Turnback but that the City wants payment of $2.15 million of the $3.5 million for the portion of the Highway 332 Turnback known as the Burner Road and in turn will use the $2.15 million and MnDot’s assistance to plan a state aid route and construct the road to the Foreign Trade Zone. That the City agrees the remaining $1.35 million of the Turnback funding would go to Koochiching County. The letter went on to state additional funding the County would save by not pursuing their original plan to reroute Highway 332 to Highway 11 and the County’s plan to establish a route to the Foreign Trade Zone from Highway 11 at the Ranier Junction. The Board agreed the letter was inaccurate as these County projects are funded by CSAH and federal funding so not doing the projects does not help the County with local funding needs for operation of the Highway Department. The County Board was not in favor of this proposal and discussed what remaining options the County has to secure this funding for Koochiching County. If the issue with the City is who has road jurisdiction with regards to Highway 332, the Board discussed the option of proposing the City authorize the CSAH designation for the portion of Highway 332 in the City limit and allow the Turnback to proceed. The County could then secure the funds for Koochiching County and request the Municipal Dispute Resolution Board to determine the local road authority under State law for the portion of the state highway to be turned back which in turn decides the road authority due the turnback funding. This proposal would be based on whether there is a question on road authority and whether the Dispute Resolution Board has authority to decide on a road jurisdiction dispute. The County Board agreed that all options have to be explored and pursued by the County to provide this tax relief opportunity for the County, noting that the deadline is fast approaching to include the Koochiching County $3.5 million Highway 332 Turnback in MnDot’s Omnibus Bill for the 2010 Legislative Session.

2010/01-19 Motion by Pavleck, seconded by McBride authorizing the Board Chair to send a letter to the City of International Falls stating that the County is not in support of their December 22, 2009 proposal for payment to the City of $2.15 million of the Turnback Funding for the Burner Road and further, to propose that if there is a question as to which entity has jurisdiction of the Highway 332 route proposed in the Turnback, to ask the City to approve the CSAH designation within the City limits as needed for the Turnback and request the Municipal Dispute Resolution Board to review and determine the road authority under state law which in turn will answer what entity should receive the turnback payment. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.

000 The Board Chair called for public comment at 12:35 p.m. Einar Sundin inquired on the Rural Fire Protection issue and questioned whether another fire department is needed.

2010/01-20 Motion by Hanson, seconded by Lepper to adjourn the meeting at 12:40 p.m. Voting yes: Adee, McBride, Hanson, Lepper, Pavleck. Motion carried.