By Jean Ruzicka
jruzicka@parkrapidsenterprise.com
The Hubbard County board learned this week the Peddlers Ordinance, addressing those calling upon residences to sell merchandise, is unconstitutional.
County attorney Don Dearstyne notified Eric Buitenwerf in Environmental Services that the ordinance had been challenged in several counties in early 2000. A subsequent memo sent from the Minnesota County Attorneys Association indicated enforcement of the ordinance requiring a license for transient merchants would be considered unconstitutional,
At Buitenwerf’s recommendation, a public hearing on the matter will be held at 9:45 a.m. Nov. 4 during the board meeting to consider action.
In other action, the board:
n Heard a request to keep a Schoolcraft Township forest access road gated at both ends.
Land commissioner Chip Lohmeier said the issue is being researched.
Board chair Kathy Grell asked for the request in writing, specifying the location.
n Approved a reciprocal GIS data sharing agreement between Great River Energy and Environmental Services.
The data may be useful for emergency management purposes, assessing, law enforcement and to the highway department, Buitenwerf told the board.
GIS data sharing is becoming common, as opposed to charging for the information, the commissioners learned.
n Approved final payment of $287,130 for chloride application to Envirotech of Greeley, Colo.
Commissioner Cal Johannsen questioned if chloride was working well on county roads, indicating the substance is hard on cars, and questioning the cost.
Approximately $555,000 per year is spent on chloride, county engineer Dave Olsonawski said, indicating the process to be effective. “It’s definitely doing the job.”
n Accepted a $19,654 federal grant to purchase a boat, motor and trailer with sonar equipment. The boat will be used to locate drowning victims, sheriff Cory Aukes explained.
“It’s a huge upgrade for us,” he said. The current 9-year-old boat will be traded, bringing the department’s total to three boats.
A report on the number of hours the boats spent on the water was requested by commissioners.
n Discussed corrections’ overtime hours, which exceed last year’s by 200, Grell noted.
“The jail is maxed out on part-time staff,” Aukes told the commissioners, indicating a request will be made to increase staff by three, from 15 to 18.
“If we don’t have part-time people, there will be overtime,” he said.
A decision on additional staff was deferred to the next meeting.
Aukes reported the law enforcement center is currently housing 10 inmates from Becker County, with more expected.
Clarification was made that the state will pay for inmates actually housed in Hubbard County, not the number contracted for in the agreement.
n Commissioner Matt Dotta told board members questions have been raised on his voting on a resolution asking the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to reroute the Enbridge pipeline.
“It’s potentially a conflict of interest,” Dotta said, because of “property I own.”
In August, the board on a 3-2 vote signed a resolution asking for rerouting of the Canadian pipeline, circumventing the county’s lakes and streams. Dotta had voted in favor of the measure; Grell and Johannsen voted no.
At this week’s meeting commissioner Greg Larson cited his involvement - representing “both sides of the issue” - Enbridge and people opposed to the pipeline.
“We can’t fix something that’s over and done with,” commissioner Cal Johannsen said.
“And there was no financial gain,” Grell said.
The board agreed to take no action but to include the statements in the minutes.
n Agreed to develop a policy for use of the court house third floor conference room, the city of Park Rapids expressing an interest as well as Todd Township continuing to use space.
“The more public use of this room the better,” Larson commented.
“But we need to be fair to the rest of the townships,” Johannsen said, noting all the other county townships maintain town halls.
Grell suggested charging for janitorial costs, but noting the room “should be open to as many as possible.”
Determined the applications for the finance director/auditor/treasurer will be reviewed in-county with a recruitment firm hired if the position is not filled by November.
n Reviewed information from the county attorney on criminal and total cases opened over the past two years (January through September).
Assistant county attorney Erika Randall reported criminal cases were up by 301 in the nine-month period in 2014 compared with 2013, 1,349 and 1,048, respectively. Total cases were 1,206 in the nine months of 2013, compared with this year’s 1,493.
The board requested a breakdown on the severity of cases filed and a trend analysis.
n Approved the purchase of ITV equipment for video conferencing at a cost of $6,485. A portable storage unit will be purchased for mobility of the gear.
n Rescheduled work sessions for budget discussions to Nov. 13 and Dec. 11, both beginning at 9 a.m.
n Set a truth in taxation hearing for 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2 in the county board room.
n A payment of $67,459 to Larson Excavating was approved for the Park Rapids Main Avenue project, $60,010 to Tri-City Paving for work on CSAH 13 and $48,158 to Gladen Construction for work on CSAH 71 near Laporte.
n Easements were approved for Potlatch Corporation for unsold tax forfeited land in Lake Alice, Lake George and Nevis townships.
n A quote of $807 was approved for pre-demolition asbestos inspection at a Park Rapids building.
n Payment of $860 was approved to upgrade the transformer at the highway department’s Nevis shop.
n Reported the final timber auction of the year will be held at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 13 at the Public Works building.
n Repealed the Paid Time Off donation program - sick leave available through vacation donations by union personnel. The donation does not qualify under the IRS catastrophic leave policy.
nClosed the meeting to discuss union strategy.
