Commissioner Proceedings

January 12, 2021

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at Lake of the Woods County Government Center in the Commissioners’ Room. 

Call to Order

Chair Joe Grund called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited with the following members present: Commissioners: Joe Grund, Jon Waibel, Buck Nordlof, Cody Hasbargen and Ed Arnesen. Also, present were: County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson and County Attorney James Austad.

Approval of Agenda

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the agenda with the following additions: Affidavit of Lost Warrant and Stonegarden Salary Resolution.

Approval of Minutes

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Jon Waibel and carried unanimously to approve the official and summarized minutes of January 5, 2021.

SOCIAL SERVICES

Claims

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Jon Waibel and carried unanimously to approve the following claims: Commissioners Warrant’s $19,393.45 Commissioners Warrant’s $828.58, Commissioners Warrant’s $4,496.07.

Rural MN CEP Contract

It was the consensus of the Board for Chair Joe Grund to sign the contract addendum with Rural MN CEP.

Schackman, Kramer & Associates Contract

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the Purchase of Service Agreement with Schackman, Kramer & Associates and for Social Services Director Amy Ballard and County Attorney James Austad to sign the same.

AUDITOR/TREASURER

Claims

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the claims against the County as follows: Revenue $282,644.16; Road & Bridge $84,540.46; Solid Waste $32,280.58; EDA, $2,198.82. 

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

Warrants Approved On 1/12/2021 For Payment 1/15/2021

Vendor Name Amount

Air Med Care Network 16,803.00

Bollig Inc 3,000.00

Cenex Co-Op Services, Inc. 7,534.26

Esri 25,000.00

Freeberg & Grund, Inc 17,000.00

Howard’s Oil Company 2,918.88

LOW Soil & Water Cons. Dist. 101,188.00

Mn Assn Of Counties 5,333.00

Mn Counties Computer Co-Op 15,225.00

MN Counties Intergovernmental Trust 149,886.00

Nw Mn Household Hazardous 6,651.00

OnSolve,LLC 7,500.00

Quadient Finance USA Inc. 2,000.00

Schneider Geospatial, LLC 8,400.00

University of North Dakota 9,202.71

Voyageurs Comtronics, Inc 2,640.00

50 Payments less than 2000    21,382.17

             Final Total: 401,664.02

Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants: December 31, 2020 for $608,272.41; December 31, 2020 for $12,329.15, December 31, 2020 for $64,659.40; January 6, 2021 for $138,772.03.

Affidavit for Lost Warrant

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the application and affidavit for lost warrant for Kim Hough, dated December 18th, 2020 for $37.62 without furnishing indemnifying bond.

LAND AND WATER PLANNING

Conditional Use Permit #21-01CU by Grant and Savanna Slick

A 4.6-acre tract in Section Twenty-nine (29), Range One Hundred Sixty-one (161) North, Range Thirty-one (31) West – Parcel ID#: 24.29.22.020. Applicants are requesting a Conditional Use Permit as required by Section 401.C of the Lake of the Woods County Zoning Ordinance to operate a short-term transient rental in a Rural Residential Zoning (R2).

Motion 

Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Buck Nordlof, and carried unanimously to table the decision on conditional use permit #21-01CU for further review by the planning commission.  It was further moved to schedule a work session for the Commissioners and the Planning Commission to review and work on ordinances for short-term rentals.

COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS

Highway

Authorization to Advertise Projects for Bids: SAP 039-608-024, SAP 039-606-019 and
SAP 039-631-007

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Jon Waibel, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to authorize the advertisement for project bids for: SAP 039-608-024, SAP 039-606-019 and SAP 039-631-007.

Bostic Creek Grade Stabilization Final 

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Jon Waibel, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the final payment for LOTW 2020 Bostic Creek Grade Stabilization for Wright Construction of TRF, Inc. of Thief River Falls, MN in the total amount of $232,513.00 and hereby authorize final payment of $14,044.83.

Office Manager Retirement

Office Manager, Marti Carlson has submitted her resignation effective May 14, 2021.

Permission to restructure and hire

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the restructure of the Public Works Office and to advertise and hire.

Set Road Tour Date

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to set the road tour date for October 13, 2021 at 8:00 a.m.

Update

County Engineer AJ Pirkl discussed the need for hands-free headsets for safety.

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Jon Waibel and carried unanimously to approve up to $100 reimbursement for Highway Department employees to purchase a hands-free headset for safety reasons.

Solid Waste

Purchase of walking trailer and snow pusher

County Engineer, AJ Pirkl reviewed three quotes for a walking trailer and four quotes for a snow pusher with the Board.

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the purchase of a Wilkens walking trailer at a cost of $75,653.34.

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Jon Waibel, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the purchase of a Bobcat snow pusher at a cost of $2,800.

Update

County Engineer AJ Pirkl provided the Board with an update regarding communication with the MPCA.

LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY FAIR BOARD

Jenny Johnson, representing the Lake of the Woods County Fair Board, met with the Board to provide an update on the grandstand project. Commissioners Joe Grund and Cody Hasbargen will plan to attend the Fair Board meeting on January 20, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. at the VFW.

STONEGARDEN SALARY RESOLUTION

Stonegarden Sheriff Salary

Resolution

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Jon Waibel, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the following:

AMEND COUNTY SHERIFF SALARY

Resolution No. 21-01-02

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Homeland Security has asked local law enforcement agencies along our Nation’s border to step up border monitoring, pursue joint objectives, and enhance their capabilities for providing border security; and,

WHEREAS, in an effort to assist local governments in fulfilling this request, the Department of Homeland Security through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, offered “Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant; and,

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff’s Office is a successful recipient of an

Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant; and,

WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff has undertaken, as additional duties, the responsibility to avail himself and his officers for additional training, or to provide such training for his officers’ himself, for border protection and border security, and the additional duties of improving the distinct capability of the sheriffs’ office as a whole with regard to border security and border patrol as part of a joint mission; and in addition, as and for additional duties, the sheriff will necessarily devote more of his own time to border patrol and border enforcement; and,

WHEREAS, the Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant given to assist the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff’s Office in its efforts to secure the border includes the sum of $120,000.00 and $60,360.00, of this grant is for salaries.

WHEREAS, it is estimated that these additional border security duties will necessitate that the

Sheriff expend on average another eight (8) hours per week; and,

WHEREAS, through the Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant, all of the additional overtime worked by officers devoted to border security issues is fully reimbursable under the grant, including the cost of officer overtime pay, PERA, Medicare and worker’s compensation, so that the net cost of the additional homeland security duties to Lake of the Woods County is fully reimbursed by the grant.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the resolution setting the sheriff’s salary, as

originally set by this board on December 15, 2020 was $91,162.08 and fringe benefits were

$17,457.54, be amended so that the sheriff’s salary is increased by the sum up to $18,162.56 and fringe benefits are increased up to $3,478.13 commencing January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021, with the increase funding from the Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant contingent upon the following:

1. That the Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant funding be available; and
2. That the Sheriff works, in addition to his regular duties, eight (8) hours per week of said

Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant.

At such time that the Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant funding is no longer available and/or if the Sheriff is unable to complete the additional eight (8) hours per week of Operation Stonegarden 2019 grant work, the Sheriff’s salary shall return to the original balance set by the board on December 15, 2020 in addition to the accumulated Stonegarden wages earned based on Stonegarden funding available and actual hours worked.

CALVIN BENSON, DISTRICT OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVE

from the Office of Congresswoman Fischbach

Calvin Benson, District Outreach Representative from the Office of Congresswoman Fischbach, discussed federal issues and opportunities that pertain to Lake of the Woods County. 

JOINT POWERS/TOURISM BUREAU/CHAMBER BUILDING

The Board discussed looking into options and their expectations for the tourism bureau.

RECESS

The Board took a brief recess at 12:15 p.m. and reconvened at 12:25 p.m.

DITCH AUTHORITY

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Jon Waibel, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to close the regular meeting and open ditch authority.

Ditch Assessments

The following Ditch Assessments were recommended by the Ditch Authority and presented to the County Board for 2021:

• CD 1: $22,800.00
• CD 2: $882.40
  • JD 16: $8,500.00
  • JD 24: $16,000.00
  • JD 26: $24,000.00
  • JD 28:  $50,000.00
• JD 22:  $4,800.00 (Joint Ditch with Roseau County)
• JD 62: $16,900.00 (Joint Ditch with Roseau County)

Motion 

Motion was made by Commissioner Jon Waibel, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to close the Ditch Authority meeting and reconvene the regular meeting.

Motion

Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Jon Waibel and carried unanimously to approve the recommendations of the Ditch Authority to set the 2021 Ditch Assessments as follows: County Ditch 1-$22,800; County Ditch 2-$882.40, Judicial Ditch 16 Outlet Fee- $8,500; Judicial Ditch 24- $16,000; Judicial Ditch 26- $24,000; Judicial Ditch 28-$50,000; Judicial Ditch 22-Joint Ditch with Roseau-$4,800; Joint Ditch 62 with Roseau-$16,900.

RECESS

With no further business before the board, Chair Joe Grund called the meeting to recess at 12:30 p.m.

Attest: January 26, 2021

County Auditor/Treasurer, Lorene Hanson Chair of the Board, Joe Grund