Lake of the Woods County Commissioner Proceedings - February 28, 2023

COMMISSIONER PROCEEDINGS
February 28, 2023

PURSUANT TO MN. STATUTE 331A.01, SUBD. 10

THE PUBLISHED MATERIAL IS ONLY A SUMMARY AND THE FULL TEXT IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION

AT THE LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY AUDITOR/TREASURERS’ OFFICE

OR BY STANDARD MAIL OR ELECTRONIC MAIL OR LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTY

WEBSITE -www.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us

The Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, February 28, 2023

in the ITV room at the Lake of the Woods School.

HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER, MR. THOMAS FRERICKS Mr. Thomas Frericks thanked the Commissioners for meeting at the School so his students could attend and participate in the meeting.

CALL TO ORDER Vice-Chair Cody Hasbargen called the meeting to order at 8:15 a.m. and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited with the following members present: Commissioners: Buck Nordlof, Cody Hasbargen, Joe Grund. Also present was County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson. Absent were Commissioners: Ed Arnesen and Jon Waibel. The Board introduced themselves to the students and which districts they represented.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the agenda with the following changes: Add Permission to Hire Social Worker.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the minutes of February 14, 2023.

Joining the Meeting Commissioner Ed Arnesen joined the meeting at 8:30 a.m. and resumed chair.

Social Services Jodi Ferrier introduced herself and gave an overview of the Social Services department.

Claims Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Joe Grund and carried unanimously to approve the following claims: Commissioners Warrants $4,552.30; Commissioners Warrants $1,589.44; Commissioners Warrants $6,786.56.

Shelley Pepera Retirement Resolution

The following resolution was offered by Commissioner Ed Arnesen and moved for adoption:

RECOGNITION OF YEARS OF SERVICE
SHELLEY PEPERA
Resolution No: 2023-02-01

WHEREAS: Shelley Pepera has served the residents of Lake of the Woods County since March 3, 2008 as Lake of the Woods County Social Services case aid; WHEREAS: Shelley Pepera has resigned from Lake of the Woods County Service effective March 3, 2023 with 15 years of service; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Lake of the Woods County Board of Commissioners extends its deepest appreciation to Shelley for her dedicated service and best wishes to her; The resolution was seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and the same being put to a vote, was unanimously carried.

Permission to Hire Social Worker Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to hire social worker Mariah Rothfork at Grade 13, Step 1, $24.73 per hour at 298 points effective March 20, 2023.

Auditor/Treasurer County Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson introduced herself to the students and gave an overview of the Auditor/Treasurer department and services.

Claims Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the claims against the County as follows: Revenue $40,747.33; Road & Bridge $13,641.26; County Development $1,200.00; Joint Ditch $3,820.99; Solid Waste $12,921.90.

WARRANTS FOR PUBLICATION

Warrants Approved On 2/28/2023 For Payment 2/28/2023

Vendor Name Amount

Compass Minerals America 9,358.48

Counties Providing Technology 4,086.00

Hoffman, Philipp & Martell, PLLC 4,200.00

Larkin Hoffman Attorneys 14,920.00

Motorola Solutions Connectivity, Inc 3,260.00

Pemberton Law, P.L.L.P. 2,812.50

Roseau County Treasurer 3,820.99

Swanston Equipment Corp 2,011.72

U.S. Bank Equipment Finance 6,268.50

38 Payments less than 2000 21,593.29

Final Total: 72,331.48

Further moved to authorize the payment of the following auditor warrants: February 14,2023 for $14,476.07, February 22, 2023 for $21,688.53.

Public Works County Engineer Anthony Pirkl introduced himself to the class and gave an overview of his position at the County.

Approval of Bids for SAP-039-608-026 Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen and carried unanimously to approve the bid from KGM for SAP-039-608-026 in the amount of $4,336,705.15.

Updates County Engineer Anthony Pirkl gave an update that included bridge funding, and bridge consultants.

Historical Society Historical Society Director Lindsay Marshall gave a presentation about museum exhibits, how she became a director of a museum, events to celebrate the Lake of the Woods County Centennial, and upcoming fundraisers to raise money for a new roof at the museum. Ms. Marshall also informed the students that the Historical Society is always looking for volunteers if they need volunteer hours.

Minnesota Department of Corrections District Supervisor Cody Underdahl gave a presentation about the history of probation and its origins. He also discussed his prior education and training and an overview of his current position as District Supervisor. Mr. Underdahl explained to the board and the class the difference between probations and supervised release and how these programs can be more effective than prison.

Borderland Treatment Court Probation Officer Sara Ubel, Judge Jerrod Shermoen, Kara Schneider, County Attorney James Austad, Tammy Doebler, and Alex Stoskopf presented on the process and the purpose of the Borderland Substance Abuse Court. Alex Stoskopf spoke to the board about how the treatment courts can help lead people living with substance use out of the justice system and into lives of recovery and stability and his own experiences with this program.

Northwest Angle Private Airport Motion was made by Commissioner Ed Arnesen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof to approve the removal of trees that are an obstacle to the airport contingent on the County Attorney’s approval.

Recess A brief recess took place at 11:15a.m. and reconvened at 12:27p.m.

Pine to Prairie Task Force Deputy Sheriff/Investigator Craig Severs provided a presentation on the Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force, which works with nine different counties, local law enforcement, conservation officers, the Paul Bunyan Task Force and others.

Land & Water Land & Water Director Josh Stromlund introduced himself to the students and gave an overview of his department.

Buckthorn Removal on the Gun Range Property Land & Water Director Josh Stromlund discussed the need to remove the buckthorn that is scattered on the gun range property located in Section 30, T. 160N, R. 31.

Motion was made by Commissioner Cody Hasbargen, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to approve the removal of buckthorn.

Community Rating System (CRS) Land & Water Director Josh Stromlund informed the board of the Community Rating System (CRS) that is related to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). CRS has the potential to provide reduced flood insurance premiums where there is better floodplain management. Mr. Stromlund discussed the benefits of this program and the need to look into it for more information. It was the consensus of the board to gather more information on CRS to see if it would benefit our area and to keep the board informed of any findings.

Toward Zero Death TZD Coordinator Sue Johnson, State Aid Engineer Brian Ketring, District Engineer JT Anderson, and County Engineer Anthony Pirkl met with the board and presented a power point and information on the Towards Zero Death Task Force and the importance of safe driving and wearing seatbelts.

Add to Agenda Motion was made by Commissioner Buck Nordlof, seconded by Commissioner Joe and carried unanimously to add acceptance of resignation to the agenda.

Acceptance of Resignation Motion was made by Commissioner Joe Grund, seconded by Commissioner Buck Nordlof and carried unanimously to accept the resignation of Juan Carlos Garcia effective February 28, 2023.

Lake of the Woods Extension (4-H) Brenda Jewell-Nelson gave a presentation about the 4-H program that included project days, youth leadership, community involvement, county fair, skilled instructors, shooting sports & wildlife club, youth retention & recruitment, curriculums, and the need to increase volunteers.

DNR Fisheries DNR Fisheries Assistant Supervisor Matt Skoog gave an update on how they are keeping track of the amount of people on the lake as well as the amount of fish and what kind of fish are being caught and kept. He also discussed current fishing conditions on Lake of the Woods.

Recess With no further business before the Board, Chair Ed Arnesen called the meeting to recess at 3:05 p.m.

Attest: March 14, 2023

______________________________ _________________________________

County Auditor/Treasurer, Lorene Hanson Chairman Ed Arnesen