June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.
Cass Board approve business subsidy criteria policy
Shingobee Township July 10 endorsed a tax-increment financing (TIF) district for Reed's Sporting Goods to develop a distribution center in the Walker Industrial Park.
The county board has had in place a policy stating the board would only support financial incentives when requested by a township. On Tuesday, the board approved a business subsidy criteria policy first.
That policy states assistance should be delivered through local units of government at no cost to the county. Projects must further county objectives.
Assistance must be shown to be needed. Reed's had submitted a statement that the project would not proceed or would greatly be reduced in scope without tax-increment financing.
Business subsidy criteria in the board's policy requires that a project create quality jobs paying at least 110 percent of poverty level, must attract or retain new business, that essential services must be available to the project site, that the county tax base will increase and that a slum or blight will be prevented by the project.
There currently is one unoccupied building on the site. Sewer and water service and road access is available in the industrial park.
The board's policy notes the county does not support subsidies for housing or that would adversely increase the demand for government services or that the local government does not support.
A public hearing was held before the county board and Cass County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) Board before the two boards separately voted to support the Reed's TIF project.
The HRA now will meet with the developers to draft a developer's agreement.
A committee of the county board will further review the adopted business subsidy policy before recommending any further changes to the county policy.
Pine Lake Township on a separate issue asked the county board to transfer authority for an abandoned road right of way to the township.
Cass County assumed ownership of this former State Highway 200 right of way just east of Whipholt in 1942 after the state was done using it as a bypass route during the rebuilding of the highway. It has been used as trail in recent years.
Pine Lake Board Chair Susan Boege presented a petition to the county board, which she said contained 67 signatures of people who want to keep the former road as a trail.
This became an issue when Leech Lake Watershed Foundation and Stanley Rehn, owners of a government lot overlapping the trail/road, requested that the road be vacated.
The county board, following a public hearing, voted to transfer ownership to Pine Lake Township.
Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.
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