June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.
Cass Commissioners update capital improvement plan
It calls for the county to continue through 2014 without incurring any debt. The county currently has no debt.
The plan also sets through 2011 budget planning process a continuation of a $284,000 annual levy for capital improvements. Should the county general fund generate any surpluses during the five years, those surpluses would be placed into the capital improvement fund.
Cass currently has about $10,250,000 in the county capital improvement fund, partially because, until a few years ago, the county levied $1.2 million annually for capital improvements.
Cass expects to spend down some of the capital improvement fund as the sheriff installs a new 800-mgh radio system to upgrade communications and be compliant with new federal regulations in the next two years. That system is expected to cost about $5 million.
The county has been and will be seeking grants to help cover the radio system, but until more grants can be secured, Auditor-Treasurer Sharon Anderson said Tuesday Cass's share of that project is expected to be 80 percent.
In approving the capital plan, the board did not authorized expending the dollars, but rather set potential amounts for expected capital improvement needs. Each project will require additional board approval before the money can be spent.
The plan calls for replacing a baler in 2013 and making repairs in 2014 at the county's garbage collection and recycling center at Pine River.
It calls for a variety of maintenance and energy saving improvements on the county buildings in Walker and upgrading the telephone system in those buildings.
It sets aside $60,000 per year through 2014 toward replacing highway signs with higher reflectivity ones to meet a federal mandate. It suggests money be set aside in 2014 for a highway equipment repair shop at Walker.
The plan also includes annual highway construction project funding. Tuesday, the board authorized projecting that improvements to County It covers spending $90,000 this year and next, plus $15,000 the following three years to have a contract surveyor locate all the corner survey markers in the county and continue keeping those current. It designates funding to maintain and upgrade connections on county trails.
The county has set for "future years" the potential to build new county buildings on the former Ah-Gwah-Ching land the county purchased from the state. State reuse funding has enabled the county to finish removing all Ah-Gwah-Ching buildings and to install new sewer and water line connections to city of Walker systems.
In 2007, the county proposed the first steps to building there would be a jail/courts building and a sheriff's office, courthouse and health, human and veterans services building. Total estimated cost then would have been $43 million.
All plans to build those new buildings were suspended indefinitely when the recession hit. The capital improvement plan indicates the county likely will have to borrow money to build those buildings, so would have to be in a position to increase the levy to cover annual loan repayment amounts.
If cost savings can be achieved, the county plan currently calls for considering replacing highway department garages at Remer (in 2012) and Pine River (in 2017) as joint projects with other government agencies such as MnDOT.
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