June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.
Cass to continue to use state auditor
The state Legislature last year voted to enable counties to use private audit services instead of the state auditor.
She said she has asked the state auditor to conduct Cass' audit earlier in the year. The county's 2015 audit recently concluded. Norikane said the later year meant the county could not begin to act on any changes to improve its accounting until three-fourths of this year had passed.
Norikane said Cass currently carries the equivalent of one and one-fourth year's expenses in its cash reserves.
The board recognized Jerry Lerom for his 14 years of service as president of the Association of Cass County Lakes. He is retiring from the ACCL board.
Lerom said the success of that countywide association of individual lakes associations in the county could not have had the success it has in advocating for clean water without the entire board's active participation.
Crooked Lake Township Supervisor Lloyd Thyen obtained county board approval to name the two-block service road for State Highway 6 in Outing for Glen Mechelke. Mechelke has served as township clerk for about 55 years and will retire this year.
The commissioners voted to support Leech Lake Division of Resource Management plan to purchase 45 acres and 3,500 feet of Leech Lake shoreline for $1,500,000 with a state Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund grant. The Legislature must approve the grant application in 2017.
If approved, there would be deed and grant funding stipulations that the land will be purchased in fee, it will remain taxable land and it be open to the public for hunting and fishing.
Tuesday, the board continued a public hearing held Sept. 30 to the board's Nov. 1 meeting at Backus concerning an application for a cartway to give Mark Dorholt access to property he owns in the unorganized township area.
Central Services Director Tim Richardson obtained board approval to buy a chain link fence to replace a railing along the sidewalk of the courthouse complex parking lot from Oberg Fence Company for $4,250.
The board also approved using the county recorder's technology fund to buy a $39,990 backup and archival system, which would have terminals in the courthouse at Walker and at the land department building in Backus.
This will replace the current archival storage system at Walker, which will no longer be updateable by 2018. It will reduce the time needed to back up entries and will have 10 times the capacity. Cost includes migrating data from the old system.
Rima Smith-Keprios will give presentations at the Mid-West AIS Conference in LaCrosse, Wis., this month. She oversees Cass' aquatic invasive species prevention programs.
The board approved spending an additional $4,000 to abate additional hazardous materials found in the abandoned church at Cass Lake that the county is demolishing.
Cass County sold 1,682 cords of timber Sept. 29 from county managed land for $54,696.
Loggers paid about half as much this month as last month, paying $18.62 per cord for aspen and $19.99 per cord for red oak.
Incoming Administrator Joshua Stevenson said the drop in prices paid this month reflect the facts that loggers have purchase contracts bought earlier, which they have been unable to access due to the wet summer and some markets are already at capacity..
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