June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.
Majority of Cass County road construction bids awarded Tri-City Paving
The work will include reconstructing and repaving rural portions and a section inside the city of Boy River of County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 4 and repaving CSAH 65.
The board selected Terry Freeman of Northern Engineering and Consulting of Walker to serve as the county's new contract county surveyor at $75 per hour.
While NorthWoods Surveying of McGregor bid $70 per hour, Administrator Robert Yochum said the selection committee decided it would be more convenient to work with a firm located closer to the county seat. Bids ranged up to $150 per hour.
The board increased some of the county highway department's charges to customers. Culverts and delivery will rise from $300 to $350 (more for larger culverts). Mailbox supports will increase from $25 to $35. A county-installed mailbox support will rise from $60 to $70. A mailbox support installed and old support removed will rise from $70 to $80.
Administrator Robert Yochum reported the selection committee for a new veterans service officer unanimously recommended and the board approved Tuesday the selection of current assistant officer Jeff Woodford as the new veterans services officer.
Woodford began his final training this week to become a fully qualified veterans service officer. The committee will now review applicants and select a person to fill the assistant veterans service officer position Woodford will vacate.
The person selected for that position will be required to complete training to be able to process all the same applications as a veterans service officer.
Kim Minton, who directs the county transportation programs, reported to the board those services provided mostly by volunteers continue to be a popular service with elderly people, veterans and medical assistance clients. Drivers are paid only the IRS current mileage rate and no other pay.
The senior transportation program spent 61.82 percent of the $84,000 budget in 2012 to provide 103,024 miles of taking seniors to mostly medical appointments. Riders provided $6,160 in donations toward the program.
Drivers for veterans logged 60,848 miles in 2012 and were paid $33,770.64. That program takes veterans to clinics at Bemidji and Brainerd and veteran medical services in Fargo, St. Cloud and Minneapolis. Riders donated $3,392 toward the program.
Clients who drive themselves as well as volunteer drivers may be reimbursed under the medical assistance program. They were paid $280,177 in 2012. The volunteer drivers logged 251,656 miles and were reimbursed $139,177.
Anyone wanting to schedule an appointment for transportation through these programs or to volunteer as a driver can do so by calling the transportation coordinator, Deb Benesh, at (218) 947-7530.
Cass County Health, Human and Veterans Services spent 27.38 percent of the budget after 33.33 percent of the year in 2013. Out of home child placements ran 21 percent of budget in the same period.
Land Commissioner Joshua Stevenson reported his agency has planted 115,110 red pine seedlings on county administered land so far this year and had 284 acres seeded by aerial application for black spruce, white spruce, jack pine, white pine and red pine.
He said he has had very good success planting trees the last five years by aerial seeding. The only unsuccessful year was one very dry spring. He said seed-planted trees seem to be less susceptible to deer browsing.
The county board approved a contract, pending Minnesota DNR approval, for a grant-in-aid all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trail in the Emily-Outing area that will be maintained by the Over the Hills Gang ATV club.
The contract calls for controlling dust with calcium chloride and run-off with silt fencing. Educational programs for trails use also will be offered and signs posted to control speed and to require stopping for roads and driveway approaches.
Outing Chamber of Commerce has provided $4,000 to repair ATV damage to shoulders on CSAH 58 in that area.
Kohout Surveying was the lowest of five bidders to survey tracts in Slater and Ponto Lake Townships for $5,494 and $7,300 prior to the county offering timber for sale from tracts there. Karvakko Engineering presented the lowest $9,820 bid to survey a site in Beulah Township. Ulteig presented the winning low bid to survey a site in Woodrow Township for $5,900.
Environmental Services Director John Ringle obtained board approval Tuesday to lower the cost to file a new plat and to put Cass more in line with neighboring counties.
The new charge will be $750 for a preliminary plat hearing and $750 for a final plat hearing, plus $50 per lot and survey costs. Under the new rate system, it would cost a developer $2,500 for a 20-lot plat, plus survey costs. Under the old system, it would have cost the developer $7,700 for the same size plat, Ringle said.
The board approved a joint powers agreement with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to allow the county to perform its own inspections of larger private sewer systems such as commercial systems and receive a 75 percent cost reimbursement.
At least one of the county's staff inspectors has the qualifying state license to inspect these systems or the county could use a state-licensed private contractor to conduct an inspection under this agreement.
Assessor Mark Peterson reported property foreclosures remained about steady during the first quarter of each of the last three years following a major drop in numbers. There were 45 foreclosures the first quarter of 2010, but the number has remained steady since at 27 to 29.
This is the first year, however, that three commercial properties went into foreclosure during the first quarter. Each of the preceding years, there was one or none.
More cabins than homesteads continue to be the foreclosed properties, and valuations continue to fall under $400,000, with the largest number under $200,000.
Despite the fact there was a late spring this year and early spring last year, there were only two fewer arms-length property sales the first quarter this year (98) compared with last year (100), according to a report from the county assessor's office.
Both years are ahead of the lowest sales year in 2009 (72), but have not recovered to most recent peak in 2004 (233) and 2005 (227).
Auditor-Treasurer Sharon Anderson obtained board approval to seek cost estimates to have an engineering firm analyze costs for cleaning drainage Ditch 9 in the farming area south of Pine River. The ditch has been plugged with an accumulation over time of fallen trees, beaver dams and other debris.
Five people have signed a petition to have the ditch cleaned. Anderson has searched old county records and determined 41 property owners currently own 99 parcels of land, which is the area originally assessed in 1918 or 1919 to have the ditch dug. They were invited to a recent hearing on the ditch.
It is believed this ditch never has been cleaned since it was installed.
County Engineer David Enblom advised the board that current laws now would require purchasing wetland mitigation after the ditch is cleaned to offset draining any areas now that have flooded and become wetlands over the years due to the back-up from the plugged ditch.
Wetland mitigation could cost much more than the actual cost to clean the ditch, he said.
Once figures are available on the potential engineering cost, the board will decide how to proceed.
United States Department of Interior has sent Cass County notice of Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe's application to have the former World of Christmas business property on Shingobee Island south of Walker declared "held in trust for the band", which would make it exempt from property taxes.
The application notice indicates Leech Lake plans to turn the property into a retail outlet and museum for Leech Lake Band's Ojibwe Traders, a tribal business.
Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.
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