FEMA Threshold Met: $152,000 available to defray County costs from flood damage

At their May 23rd meeting, Emergency Management Director Jill Hasbargen Olson brought updated facts and figures before the Board of Commissioners about seeking a disaster declaration to receive federal assistance to repair damage to county infrastructure brought on by flooding over the spring thaw. "We've met the FEMA threshold," Olson told the board, "and there's $152,000 available for the county to help defray the costs."

"This is at the federal level." added County Engineer A.J. Pirkl, "There's a culvert washout on Judicial Ditch #28 and the surface on the Birch Beach and Sandy Shores Roads."

"We found the missing dock," Pirkl told the board, referring to a floating dock that went missing from its anchor at the Clementson Rapids. The dock was washed out into the bay during the flooding brought on by the spring melt and grounded along the bank on the U.S. side of the Rainy River.

"We don't need to get a new dock then," commented Board Chair Ed Arnesen referring to the discussion at the May 9th meeting about committing ARPA funds to improve or restore public facilities.

A motion for the disaster declaration was made by Commissioner Grund, seconded by Commissioner Waibel, and passed unanimously.

In other County-related business the Commissioners:

• Agreed by consensus that County Recorder Sue Nye and Auditor/Deputy Auditor Eric Tange should set up a booth at the County Fair to explain to residents the coming necessity of having some sort of Real ID. "It can be a passport, passport card, or enhanced driver's license," said Nye adding, "The deadline for having one was extended to May 2025 due to the COVID restrictions."

Real ID in the form of a passport, passport card, or enhanced driver's license is required for U.S. citizens entering federal buildings and reentering the United States. "Returning travelers will need a passport book to enter the country by air," added Nye, "the card will work when entering by vehicle."

Nye told the board that earlier this year the Federal Passport Office had a backlog of 500,000 applications so it is imperative that prospective travelers get their applications in as soon as possible for planned travel. The $75 booth fee will be covered out of the County Recorder's budget.

"We've had a booth at the fair before," said Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson, "when we wanted to introduce the new mail-in ballots."

In response to a question from this reporter, it was noted that the procedure for crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada is now "back to normal" as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Opened two bids for a 13-acre county-leased agricultural parcel. The advertised minimum bid was $30/acre or best offer, and the winning bidders were Brian Powers and Duane Thompson for $32/acre. The vote to accept the higher bid contingent on the bidders obtaining their FSA number by 15 July was unanimous.

• Paid the Social Service Claims as presented by Social Service Director Amy Ballard. The Commissioners also approved a Cooperative Fraud Management Agreement with Beltrami County.

• Approved the Auditor/Treasurer's Claims as presented by Auditor/Treasurer Lorene Hanson.

• Heard a legislative update from Board Chair Ed Arnesen. Arnesen said that the Northern Counties Land Use Control Board had approved PILT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) payments of $1.18 per acre for most of the 480,000 state-owned acres in the county, with an inflation factor. Tourism passed, getting the county about $500,000 per year for promotion, and $2.1 million over an extended period was approved for the Northwest Angle.

The Williams School and the Law Enforcement Center did not make it this year, but Arnesen said, "Approval of three out of five projects wasn't too bad. The money for the Northwest Angle, PILT, and the tourism dollars will bring in about two million a year into the county."

• Discussed topics to be covered at the June 13th meeting at the Northwest Angle. Among them were: FEMA recapture for flood damage, having the metal recyclables picked up, chloride application on the roads, getting Rep Grasso and Sen Greene to attend, and replacement of the unheated fire hall.

• Heard an update from Public Works Director AJ Pirkl on the new truck purchase. "We ordered two trucks in 2021, and they just showed up," Pirkl told the board, "And the plow equipment cost $40,000 more than the truck itself."

The county is also getting two new mowers and selling off two mower trailers and a pickup truck. The old plow truck will have the plow gear and dump bed removed and have a 5th wheel hitch installed to haul the county's lowboy trailer. The plow equipment will be kept and used for spare parts as needed.

• Declined by consensus to make a pay raise to a county employee retroactive and reclassified a Social Worker position to a Lead Social Worker with a commensurate raise in pay. The commissioners also gave HR Director Savanna Slick permission to advertise, interview, and hire a Night Dispatch/Corrections Officer at grade 11, step 1, and hire a deputy at grade 13, step 1.

• By consensus, decided to wait and see what happens about the state-mandated Juneteenth Holiday, which is supposed to go into effect August first. State offices are to be closed on June 19th, meaning that there will be no DMV transactions made.

• Approved unanimously the disbursement of the ARPA funds as discussed on the May 9th working session. Additional ARPA funding approved was: $35,000 for the Baudette Fire Department for a gear washer and a gear drying rack. $25,000 was earmarked for the Williams Fire Department for new turnout gear and $10,000 for the Northwest Angle VFD. An ADA route from the parking lot to the dock at the Clementson Rapids was also discussed.

There being no further business to discuss Board Chair Arnesen recessed the meeting at 11:05 am.