Board congratulates & thanks retiring Commissioners Dan Stenseng/Arlen Syverson
Wed, 01/02/2019 - 1:37pm
admin
By:
Karen Edelbach
The Clearwater County Board of Commissioners met on December 18, 2018 to address the Aerial Imagery update, proposed amendments to Rules Governing Environmental review, and other departmental issues.
After the Board meeting, congratulations were offered to Dan Stenseng and Arlen Syverson who are retiring as commissioners. A reception followed. (Retirement articles accompany this article.)
MIS Director, Stuart Lien has reviewed the proposal for the Aerial Imagery update, along with County Attorney Al Rogalla. Mr. Lien said there are no legal or technical issues with the contract, so the County will commence with the project.
County Engineer, Dan Sauvé received information recently of proposed amendments to Rules Governing Environmental Review. A letter is being sent to submit a request for a hearing and comments regarding the proposed amendments. Each county has been notified of the proposed amendments, and 25 such letters need to be received by the Environmental Quality Board by January 7, 2019 or the rules will go into effect.
The letter was signed by the Board Chairman, Dan Stenseng, Environmental Services Director, Dan Hecht, and Engineer, Dan Sauvé.
The letter shows that Clearwater County supports the rule amendment to the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) highway category that meet the update goal of improving environmental review efficiency.
However, it strongly opposes the changes to “Wetlands and Public Waters” as currently written, which would significantly increase the number of projects that trigger preparation of an EAW. Therefore, the Engineer stated the importance of a hearing being required.
Payment of Highway Department bills in the amount of $5,115 was approved as presented.
Mr. Hayden Swanson will be hired as an Engineering Technician I. He received his training from Dunwoody College in Minneapolis as a Civil Technician and is proficient in construction inspection.
Environmental Services Director, Dan Hecht brought an update regarding the Polk County Solid Waste Advisory Board, and an equipment update for the landfill. He will be providing an article for the public regarding this update in the near future.
Assessor, Jamie Freeman received the State Statute requiring that a senior assessor must maintain a file that is available to the public. The statute states, “Property parcels subject to taxation shall be listed, and at least one-fifth of parcels listed shall be appraised each year with reference to their value on January 2,” then reappraised at least every five years.
Clerical errors in Falk Township were corrected and letters were sent in October to all property owners whose values were effected by the errors.
County Auditor-Treasurer Allen Paulson received authorization to pay the submitted invoices of $103,926 from the County Revenue Fund, and $4,261 from the Nursing Service Fund.
A motion was passed to approve the 2019 salary for the Commissioners to remain the same as 2019, $20,742 annually.
The Clearwater County Courthouse has been designated as the polling place for the South Clearwater 143-36 and Red Lake Reservation precincts.
Liquor license applications were approved for the Fireside Grill, Hoot Owl Resort, and 20 tobacco licenses for 2019.
Commissioners present at the meeting were Daniel Stenseng, Dean Newland, John Nelson, Neal Illies and Arlen Syverson.
New commissioners will be sworn in on January 8, 2019.