Lake of the Woods (Minn.) Commissioner Proceedings/May 12, 2020
COMMISSIONER PROCEEDINGS
MAY 12, 2020
PURSUANT TO MN. STATUTE 331A.01, SUBD. 10 THE PUBLISHED MATERIAL IS ONLY A SUMMARY AND THE FULL TEXT IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION AT THE LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY AUDITOR/TREASURERS’ OFFICE OR BY STANDARD MAIL OR ELECTRONIC MAIL OR LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY WEBSITE -www.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us
The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, May 12 2020 at Lake of the Woods County Government Center in the Commissioners’ Room.
CALL TO ORDER-Chair Jon Waibel 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, Emergency Management Director Jill Hasbargen-Olson, and County Attorney James Austad.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA-Motion-was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the agenda.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES-Motion-was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the official and summarized minutes of April 28, 2020 with changes. Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the official and summarized minutes of May 5, 2020.
SOCIAL SERVICES-Claims-Motion-was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the following claims: Commissioners Warrant’s $11,260.77, Commissioners Warrant’s $1,300.65, Commissioners Warrant’s $2,966.91.
AUDITOR/TREASURER-Claims-Motion-was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to approve the claims against the County as follows: Revenue $63,959.68; Road & Bridge $243,973.13; County Development $1,828.50; Solid Waste $3,297.73; EDA $44.56.
WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION
Warrants Approved On 5/12/2020 For Payment 5/15/2020
Vendor Name Amount
American Solutions For Business 3,557.79
Bert’s Truck Equipment Of Moorhead, Inc 25,005.98
Counties Providing Technology 3,926.00
I-State Truck Center 62,539.00
Klein McCarthy & Co, Ltd, Architects 9,833.73
McCoy Construction & Forestry Inc 147,000.00
Mn Counties Computer Co-Op 35,314.33
Voyageurs Communications, Inc 2,307.50
Widseth Smith Nolting&Asst Inc 6,777.31
42 Payments less than 2000 16,841.96
Final Total: 313,103.60
Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants: April 29, 2020 for $63,084.52; May 6, 2020 for $173,481.38; May 7, 2020 for $186,076.86.
Reappoint Veteran Service Officer-The Commissioners requested to have an update from the Veteran Service Officer at the next regular board meeting.
Snowmobile/Trail Application-The snowmobile and trail applications were reviewed and will be submitted by May 15, 2020.
Review Revenue and Expenditure Guidelines-The Commissioners received the revenue and expenditure guidelines to review.
WELLNESS COMMITTEE-Angie Eason, representing the Wellness Committee, requested funding for memorials to be placed on county grounds for fellow employees, who passed away while employed at the County. The Commissioners suggested employee fundraising to help cover the cost of the memorials.
LAND AND WATER PLANNING-Consideration of Conditional Use Permit-Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund met with the board and presented a Conditional Use Permit for J&L Hennum, Inc. Applicant is requesting a Conditional Use Permit as required by Section 401-D of the Lake of the Woods County Zoning Ordinance, to operate a commercial planned unit development consisting of recreational vehicle camping park located in a Commercial Recreation Zoning District. No comments were heard from the public. Stromlund reviewed the Findings of Fact of the Planning Commission and informed the board that this application was approved by them with the flowing conditions: 1) Fence to be located off of property line an adequate distance to allow for maintenance activities, 2) Must meet density requirements, 3)Approved for year-round use, 4) Must meet MDH requirements and obtain approval, 5) All permanent and temporary structures must meet the required fifty (50) foot Right-of-Way setback.
Motion-was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the following Findings of Fact for J&L Hennum, Inc. to operate a commercial planned unit development consisting of recreational vehicle camping park located in a Commercial Recreation Zoning District with conditions:
1) Fence to be located off of property line an adequate distance to allow for maintenance activities.
2) Must meet density requirements.
3) Approved for year-round use.
4) Must meet MDH requirements and obtain approval.
5) All permanent and temporary structures must meet the required fifty (50) foot Right-of-Way setback.
Consideration of Preliminary Plat-Land and Water Planning Director, Josh Stromlund, met with the board and presented a Consideration of Preliminary Plat of Hooper Creek: A parcel of land located in Government Lots (One) 1, (Five) 5, and (Six) 6 all within Section Eighteen (18), Township One Hundred Sixty-one (161) North, Range Thirty-one (31) West. Applicant is requesting to create sixteen (16) tracts for a residential development. No comments were heard from the public.
Recess – Commissioner Ed Arnesen requested to recess at 9:33 a.m., meeting resumed at 9:40 a.m. with Commissioner Ed Arnesen as acting Chair and Commissioner Jon Waibel was absent from the meeting.
Motion-was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried as follows, For: Buck Nordlof, Joe Grund, Ed Arnesen; Abstain: Cody Hasbargen; Absent: Jon Waibel, to approve the Consideration of Preliminary Plat of Hooper Creek: A parcel of land located in Government Lots (One) 1, (Five) 5, and (Six) 6 all within Section Eighteen (18), Township One Hundred Sixty-one (161) North, Range Thirty-one (31) West. Applicant is requesting to create sixteen (16) tracts for a residential development.
Attendance: Chair Jon Waibel rejoined the meeting.
COUNTY HIGHWAY/LANDFILL-Highway Update-County Engineer, AJ Pirkl, provided the Highway Update. Quotes came back for calcium chloride, EnviroTech was the low bidder. The Highway Department did reach out to the public to see if anyone was interested in private application of calcium chloride as well. The CSAH 31 project will be starting late June. The Highway Department is planning gravel road maintenance for the North West Angle in early June. County road restrictions should be lifted by early next week, depending on the weather. Summer Equipment Demo: Pirkl provided information on the GradeAll Excavator, to rent one with a 35-foot reach would cost $20,000 a month. The department may have an opportunity to demo a GradeAll Excavator this summer. The department will rent a mini-excavator to assist with ditch cleaning this summer, at a cost of about $4,000 to $6,000.
Landfill Update-The Rotochopper will be delivered this week, a week-long training will take place on this new equipment.
Motion -was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to close the regular meeting and open the Ditch Authority Meeting at 10:04 a.m.
Ditch Authority-County Engineer, AJ Pirkl, requested approval to get quotes for cleaning JD 26. The department is looking at cleaning 2,000 to 3,000 feet of JD 26 this year, at a cost of $5 to $6 a foot the total cost will be $15,000 to $18,000. The Commissioners would like to set a Ditch Authority meeting date in early June. Pirkl will create a map of what needs cleaning, what is assessed and what is not. The meeting date will be on June 8th at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Room. It was the consensus of the Ditch Authority to approve getting quotes to clean JD 26.
Motion-was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to close the Ditch Authority meeting and open the regular meeting at 10:09 a.m.
Motion-was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve getting quotes to clean JD 26 at up to $24,000.
COVID-19 UPDATE-Update-Jill Hasbargen Olson, Emergency Management, provided an update. There are still no confirmed cases in Lake of the Woods County, but Koochiching County has reported two new cases. The COVID-19 quick tests should be available at CHI LakeWood Health at the end of this week or by early next week. The National Guard will be flying over Wednesday, May 13th to honor health care workers. Hasbargen Olson requested that FEMA training certificates be turned in to her.
County Policy (reopening)-A preparedness plan policy for the County was presented. The policy allows for updates by departments.
Motion-was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the Lake of the Woods County COVID-19 Preparedness Plan Policy.
Other-A decision or update on border crossing should be made on May 20. There has been no new information from the Department of Corrections.
RECESS-With no further business before the Board, Chairman Jon Waibel called the meeting to recess at 10:30 a.m.
Attest: May 26, 2020
County Auditor/Treasurer, Lorene Hanson
Chairman of the Board, Jon Waibel
COMMISSIONER PROCEEDINGS
MAY 19, 2020
PURSUANT TO MN. STATUTE 331A.01, SUBD. 10 THE PUBLISHED MATERIAL IS ONLY A SUMMARY AND THE FULL TEXT IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION AT THE LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY AUDITOR/TREASURERS’ OFFICE OR BY STANDARD MAIL OR ELECTRONIC MAIL OR LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY WEBSITE -www.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us
The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, May 19 2020 at Lake of the Woods County Government Center in the Commissioners’ Room.
CALL TO ORDER-Chair Jon Waibel 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 (by phone), Jon Waibel, Buck Nordlof, Cody Hasbargen and Ed Arnesen. Also present were: County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson, Emergency Management Director Jill Hasbargen-Olson, County Attorney James Austad.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA-Motion-was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried as follows, For: Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, Joe Grund, Ed Arnesen, Buck Nordlof and Jon Waibel; Against: None, to approve the agenda with the addition of Support for Charter Boats/Guiding Fishing.
COVID-19 UPDATE-Update-Jill Hasbargen Olson, Emergency Management, provided an update. She has not heard of any concerns about the Lake of the Woods County COVID-19 Preparedness Plan that was implemented at the County and suggested to start thinking about when to end the County’s Declaration of Emergency. Postcards will be sent out to residents of Lake of the Woods County this week with information on cleaning and social distancing. Kay M. Schell, CHI LakeWood Public Health, talked about the Governor’s Five-Point Plan for Protecting Minnesota’s Long-Term Care Residents and Workers. She said that the COVID-19 quick tests should be ready by May 26, 2020 and that the plan for the graduation ceremony follows MN Department of Health guidelines.
CHARTER BOATS/GUIDING FISHING RESOLUTION-The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried as follows: For: Commissioner: Ed Arnesen, Joe Grund, Cody Hasbargen, Buck Nordlof and Jon Waibel; Against: None.
RESOLUTION CHARTER BOAT SAFETY PLAN COVID-19
RESOLUTION NO. 20-05-01
WHEREAS; the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners is in support of the following letter of support for a Charter Boat Safety Plan due to COVID-19: Dear Governor Walz: First, we want to thank you and your staff for the efforts during this COVID-19 pandemic. These are certainly very challenging times with tough decisions having to be made. Charter boats are a staple in Lake of the Woods County, enabling people without boats or those intimidated by big water, to successfully fish the lake. Without charter boat services, those tourists may not come here and the cabins would sit empty. The resorts and associated economy are at a standstill. We are hoping you will consider this “Charter Boat Safety Plan” for Minnesota which would allow charter boats to begin operating much like they are in other states. For the time being, charters in Minnesota could: Have a guide and maximum of four customers who are staying together and part of the same group, Groups cannot be mixed on a charter boat, Require face masks or covering for all clients and customers, Conduct daily health assessments of employees and employers, Maintain good hygiene, social distancing and hand washing, Clean and sanitize workplaces often, Maintain social distancing practices. We believe we can provide safety at a greater level than many businesses already allowed to operate in Minnesota. Currently, four people can stay in a cabin together, but not board a charter boat. We believe it is actually safer to allow those same four people to board a charter boat and be out in the fresh air. As you know, many people are allowed in grocery and big box stores. Having a captain plus four on a large charter boat averaging 27’ to 30’ long and is 10’ wide with safety precautions in place, we believe is a very reasonable option. In fact, it might be safer than a guide plus two on a 16’ to 18’ boat which is currently allowed. The Lake of the Woods Area has lost much business since mid-March, losing two weeks of ice fishing, our spring fishing for walleyes on the Rainy River and then our sturgeon season. Now, we are cutting into walleye season at the Walleye Capital of the World. Every day that goes by, our area loses money, current fishing trips are being cancelled, future trips on the books are being cancelled and people that would normally be calling to book trips are not calling. It is having a very negative impact on many. We are desperately asking you to consider this proposed “Charter Boat Safety Plan’ and allow charter boats to start up in Minnesota. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED; Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners, is desperately asking you to consider this proposed “Charter Boat Safety Plan” and allow charter boats to start up in Minnesota. Commissioners: Ed Arnesen, Joe Grund, Cody Hasbargen, Buck Nordlof, Jon Waibel
Other Areas of Concern-Still no update on Lake of the Woods County’s bill regarding local sales tax. Briefly talked about the CARES Act and how the funds would be distributed between cities and counties. Soil and Water Conservation District requested to have their annual planning meeting in the Commissioners’ Room on June 8, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The Commissioners all agreed that the meeting could be planned in the Commissioners’ Room, subject to change.
RECESS-With no further business before the Board, Chairman Jon Waibel called the meeting to recess at 9:40 a.m.
Attest: May 26, 2020
County Auditor/Treasurer, Lorene Hanson
Chairman of the Board, Jon Waibel
Publish June 3, 2020