Lake of the Woods (Minn.) County Board Proceedings/September 22, 2020

COMMISSIONER PROCEEDINGS SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at Lake of the Woods County Government Center in the Commissioners’ Room. CALL TO ORDER Vice-Chair Ed Arnesen 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, Cody Hasbargen, Buck Nordlof and Ed Arnesen. Absent was Commissioner Jon Waibel. Also present was: County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to approve the agenda with the following changes; Add: Approve minutes from September 16, 2020 and Cares Act. Remove: Hoffman, Philipp and Knutson Audit Exit. KENT HANSON FROM CENEX CO-OP Kent Hanson presented a resolution and was asking for support from the County Board for the establishment of a natural gas distribution system within certain areas of Lake of the Woods County. There was no action taken at the time and it was tabled for further discussion later in the meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the official and summarized minutes of September 8, 2020. Motion Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the official and summarized minutes of September 16, 2020. SOCIAL SERVICES Claims Motion Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to approve the following claims: Commissioners Warrant’s $10,889.24 Commissioners Warrant’s $4,234.87, Commissioners Warrant’s $5,257.12. AUDITOR/TREASURER Claims Motion Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the claims against the County as follows: Revenue $97,871.58; Road & Bridge $13,668.15; County Development $1050.00; Joint Ditch $702.50; Solid Waste $31,357.06, EDA $843.24. WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION Warrants Approved On 9/22/2020 For Payment 9/25/2020 Vendor Name Amount Bollig Inc 23,626.00 Cenex Co-Op Services, Inc. 14,421.02 Counties Providing Technology 3,751.00 Cps Technology Solutions 3,995.00 Hoffman, Philipp & Knutson, PLLC 12,650.00 John Deere Financial 2,501.44 Lakewood Health Center 14,443.05 LOW Highway Dept 7,033.75 M-R Sign Co, Inc 2,084.95 Motorola Solutions, Inc 15,793.24 Nelson’s Collision Center (Dba) 9,584.13 Premier Biotech, Inc 2,020.54 Quadient Finance USA Inc. 2,000.00 R & Q Trucking, Inc 3,090.00 Royal Tire Inc 3,208.08 SeaChange Print Innovations 3,509.46 U.S. Bank Equipment Finance 6,268.50 34 Payments less than 2000 15,512.37 Final Total: 145,492.53 Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants: September 8, 2020 for $101,160.89, September 15, 2020 for ($955.66), September 15, 2020 for $228,152.69, September 16, 2020 for $14,873.14. Proposed 2021 Tax Levy Resolution RESOLUTION ADOPTING PROPOSED 2021 BUDGET AND TAX LEVY RESOLUTION 2020-09-01 The following Resolution was proposed and moved for adoption by Commissioner Joe Grund: WHEREAS, the Proposed County Budget for the year 2021 has been reviewed by the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners; and NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the following Proposed Budget and Tax Levy is hereby adopted for the Lake of the Woods County for 2021: Revenue Fund $ 1,768,300 Road & Bridge Fund $ 449,580 Social Services Fund $ 603,935 Economic Development Authority Fund $ 60,000 2021 Proposed Budget and Tax Levy $ 2,881,815 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following amounts be levied against the unorganized townships of Lake of the Woods County for 2021: Twp Road & Bridge $ 451,470* Twp Fire – Baudette $ 25,000 Twp Fire – Williams $ 14,872 Twp Fire – NW Angle $ 6,500 Total $ 497,842 2021 * $451,470 for Township Road & Bridge, includes $12,765 Admin of Township Roads (438,705+12,765=451,470) A public meeting to discuss the 2021 Proposed Budget and Tax Levy will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. in the Lake of the Woods County Commissioners’ Room. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried. COUNTY HIGHWAY/LANDFILL Highway Update County Engineer, AJ Pirkl, provided a highway project update. The following Resolution was offered by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the following: TRANSPORTATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM APPLICATION Resolution No. 2020-09-02 BE IT RESOLVED that, Lake of the Woods County will act as the legal sponsor for the Northern Excellence Seed Turn Lane project and requests funding from the Transportation Economic Development (TED) Program of the Minnesota Department of Transportation; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, Lake of the Woods County has the legal authority to apply for financial assistance, and the institutional, managerial and financial capability to ensure matching funds and adequate construction of the proposed project; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, Lake of the Woods County has not violated any Federal State or local laws pertaining to fraud, bribery, graft, kickbacks, collusion, conflict of interest or other unlawful or corrupt practice; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, upon approval of its application by the state, Lake of the Woods County may enter into an agreement with the State of Minnesota for the above-referenced project and that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in all contract agreements; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, Lake of the Woods County will commit the required local match; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, Lake of the Woods County confirms if the project cost increases above the amount listed in the Application, Lake of the Woods County will provide or secure all additional funds necessary to complete the project; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, Lake of the Woods County certifies that it will comply with all applicable laws, regulations and rules of the Application; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, the sources and uses, private investors, equity and other financing commitment represented in the attached document are accurate. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Board Chair, Jon Waibel and Lake of the Woods County Engineer, Anthony “AJ” Pirkl, or their successors in office, are hereby authorized to execute such agreements, and amendments thereto, as necessary to implement the project on behalf of the applicant. Landfill Update County Engineer, AJ Pirkl, provided a landfill update. CARES ACT Motion Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to approve the following appropriations of the CARES ACT funds: $300,000 for the Economic Development Authority for small businesses, up to $13,636 for the City of Williams, up to $10,000 for Lake of the Woods County Social Services, $50,000 for Lake of the Woods School, and the remaining funds for other Lake of the Woods County expenses. KENT HANSON FROM CENEX CO-OP The following Resolution was offered by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the following: RESOLUTION APPROVING NORTHERN TIER NATURAL GAS SYSTEM Resolution No. 2020-09-03 WHEREAS, Lake of the Woods County Board met on September 22, 2020; and, WHEREAS, Northern Tier Natural Gas, LLC (an LLC organized and existing through the laws of Minnesota with the sole member being Coop Service, Inc of Baudette) has proposed to build and operate a new natural gas distribution system to serve residential and commercial customers in unincorporated areas within Baudette, Wabanica and Wheeler townships in Lake of the Woods County; and, WHEREAS, prospective customers within the proposed Northern Tier Natural Gas service area have expressed a desire for natural gas service; and WHEREAS, the Lake of the Woods County Board finds that addition of a natural gas distribution system within the County would enhance overall utility service for prospective customers; and WHEREAS, Northern Tier Natural Gas has appeared before this Board and has provided assurances that it is obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals for construction and operation of the natural gas distribution system from applicable regulatory agencies including: 1) the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, 2) the Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety, 3) the Minnesota Department of Transportation, 4) the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and 5) the Lake of the Woods County Highway Department; and WHEREAS, Northern Tier Natural Gas has agreed to provide periodic progress reports to this Board regarding development, construction and operation of the proposed natural gas distribution system; BE IT RESOLVED, that Lake of the Woods County Board approves of the establishment of a natural gas distribution system within unincorporated areas of Lake of the Woods County by Northern Tier Natural Gas, LLC as described above. BUDGET WORK SESSION It was the consensus of the Board to postpone the Budget Work Session to October 7, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. RECESS With no further business before the Board, Vice-Chairman Ed Arnesen called the meeting to recess at 10:10 a.m. Attest: October 13, 2020 County Auditor/Treasurer, Lorene Hanson Vice-Chairman Ed Arnesen COMMISSIONER PROCEEDINGS OCTOBER 27, 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, October 27, 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: Cody Hasbargen, Ed Arnesen and Jon Waibel. The following members were absent: Commissioners: Joe Grund and Buck Nordlof. Also present: County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson. APPROVAL OF AGENDA-Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the agenda with the following additions: Permission to hire temporary part-time help in the Auditor/Treasurer’s Department; Lease agreement and funding requests for Emergency Management; and Funding request for the Northwest Angle. SOCIAL SERVICES-Claims-Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the following claims: Commissioners Warrant’s $11,897.58 Commissioners Warrant’s $3,858.62, Commissioners Warrant’s $15,867.30. APPROVAL OF MINUTES-Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the official and summarized minutes of October 13, 2020. ATTENDANCE-Commissioner Joe Grund arrived to the meeting. AUDITOR/TREASURER-Claims-Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the claims against the County as follows: Revenue $48,682.44; Road & Bridge $364,539.59; County Development $1,039; Joint Ditch $76,154.96; Solid Waste $13,895.95, EDA $12,835.51. WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION Warrants Approved On 10/27/2020 For Payment 10/30/2020 Vendor Name Amount Cenex Co-Op Services, Inc. 3,671.69 Compass Minerals America 9,542.46 Earthworks Contracting Inc 76,154.96 Element Materials Technology 32,180.00 Headwaters Regional Development Commiss 12,700.53 Mn State Dept-Correction 21,992.73 Northern Light Region 2,480.47 Quadient Finance USA Inc. 2,000.00 Royal Tire Inc 4,977.62 Shi Corp 4,826.00 U.S. Bank Equipment Finance 6,268.50 University Of Mn 6,271.34 Widseth Smith Nolting&Asst Inc 5,438.00 Ziegler, Inc 310,691.15 36 Payments less than 2000 17,952.00 Final Total: 517,147.45 Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants: October 14, 2020 for $37,311.44, October 21, 2020 for $12,759.05. Health Insurance-Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to set the 2021 county contribution for family health insurance up to $1,310 per month and single health insurance up to $960 per month. The Public Employees Insurance Program “Advantage Plan” consists of “High”, “Value” and “HSA” plans. For the HSA plans only, any excess county contribution will be deposited directly into the employee’s health savings account, up to the IRS caps. Permission to Hire Temporary, Part-Time-Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to authorize County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson to hire Janet Rudd to a temporary part-time position at $27.00 per hour. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT-Lease Agreement-Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the Communications Facility Lease with the State of Minnesota Department of Transportation and for Chair Jon Waibel and Emergency Management Director Jill Olson to sign the same. Funding Requests-Motion-was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve $3,885 from the 911 Fund for a media convertor and equipment needed to create redundancy for communications. Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve up to $5,200 from CARES Act funding for items needed for inmate programming in the detention room. Due to COVID-19 there is a need for alternative programming options for inmates. HOFFMAN, PHILIPP and KNUTSON-Audit Exit Review-Colleen Hoffman from Hoffman, Philipp and Knutson provided an audit exit review to the Board of Commissioners. AMEND THE AGENDA-Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve the amendment of the agenda to allow for a closed session. HUMAN RESOURCES-Union Negotiations-Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen to close the regular meeting pursuant MN Statute §13D.03 at 10:30 a.m. for union discussion. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. The following board members were present: Commissioners Cody Hasbargen, Ed Arnesen, Joe Grund, and Jon Waibel, others present were: County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson, Human Resources Director Savanna Slick and County Engineer AJ Pirkl. Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen to close the closed session and open the regular meeting at 11:00 a.m. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and the same being put to a vote was unanimously carried. Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to offer a one-step increase effective 11/1/2020 to four union employees. COUNTY HIGHWAY/LANDFILL-Highway-County Engineer AJ Pirkl provided a highway update. The 1st Avenue project is not complete and work has stopped for the year, the project was scheduled to be finished September 2020. The highway department will start work on culvert replacement near the golf course. The plows are ready for the snow season. A public hearing for the railroad crossing closure near the Pitt Church will be held on Tuesday, December 15th at 10:30 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Room. Landfill Update-County Engineer AJ Pirkl provided a landfill update. A response was submitted to the MPCA. A solid waste assessment meeting will be held on November 12. NORTHWEST ANGLE-Funding Request-Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and carried unanimously to approve up to $10,000 in CARES Act funding for public safety at the Northwest Angle. The funds will be used for the ice road between Flag Island, Oak Island and the mainland, upon submission of an invoice. RECESS-With no further business before the Board, Chairman Jon Waibel called the meeting to recess at 11:15 a.m. Attest: November 10, 2020 County Auditor/Treasurer, Lorene Hanson Chairman Jon Waibel Publish November 18, 2020