---

WALKER - Jaimee Meyer, the new Cass County Economic Development Director, introduced herself to the Cass County Board Tuesday.

The board approved a renewed service agreement with the EDC for the county to continue paying EDC $42,500 for services through 2016 and to consider extending payments to EDC through the remaining four years of the agreement when the county considers its 2017 budget.

Also approved was a lease through 2020 of one office at the courthouse in Walker and one office in the land department building at Backus for EDC at no cost to EDC. This includes office furnishings and utilities.

Nicholas Podoll, the newly hired University of Minnesota Extension Service 4-H coordinator also introduced himself to the county board Tuesday. He is a graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University at Marshall and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. He has worked on his family's farm in North Dakota and for the North Dakota extension service in 4-H development. He also has experience in water quality sampling and testing.

Cass commissioners approved a $1,301.50 easement across county tax forfeited land to Blind Lake Township, which will enable access to people owning property in Louise Lake Addition plat abutting Lake Louise.

Land Commissioner Joshua Stevenson reported the county sold timber from six tracts of land to loggers for $133,609 at a Dec. 17 auction. Aspen sold for $34.20 per cord. The highest price was paid for red oak at $46.52 per cord.

The county paid Working Together Coalition $3,500 to provide beverage server training to owners and employees of businesses that sell alcoholic beverages the second half of 2015 and for the coalition to make alcohol compliance checks to be sure businesses are not selling alcohol to minors.

Health, Human and Veterans Services spent 89.08 percent of its budget after 91.67 percent of the year through the end of November. In the same period of 2015, out of home child placement costs ran 31 percent over budget, with the county's share of those costs hitting 42 percent over budget. Cass will receive a $15,412 state grant in 2016 for children's mental health respite care services.

Boy River American Legion donated $160 to the county veterans transportation program, which takes veterans to medical appointments.

As a part of the pretrial release program state grant awarded to Cass County, the state requires an independent person to report on the effectiveness of the new program designed to keep people out of jail while awaiting trial.

Tuesday, the board hired Dr. Elizabeth Hagensen of Bemidji to do that independent review for $50 per hour, for a total cost through September 2017 of up to $20,000.

County Engineer David Enblom obtained board approval to attend the National Association of County Engineers conference in Tacoma, Wash., in April.

Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.[[In-content Ad]]

---