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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Commissioners - Minutes - 12/14/19930 0 Minutes of the OTTER TAIL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Commissioners' Room, Floor 1-B Otter Tail County Courthouse Tuesday, December 14, 1993 1:00 p.m. Call to Order The Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners convened Tuesday, December 14, 1993, at 1:00 p.m. at the Otter Tail County Courthouse with Commissioners Malcolm Lee, Chairman; Harley Windels; Bill Stone and Virginia Partmann present and Commissioner Andy Lindquist absent. Approval of Minutes Motion by Stone, seconded Partmann and unanimously carried to approve the minutes of December 8, 1993 as submitted. Truth In Local Taxation Overview The Auditor, Wayne Stein, reviewed handout materials prepared for the Truth In Local Taxation Public Hearing, scheduled for 7:30 p.rn. this evening. Pre-Payment Authorized Motion by Partmann, seconded Windels and unanimously carried to approve the following invoices which have been prepaid to take advantage of offered discounts: Vendor Total Payment Discount Co-op Services, Inc. 469.46 449.96 19.50 First Brands Corporation 2,040.00 1,999.20 40.80 Penrose Oil Company 2,449.96 2,311.77 138.19 Home Improvement Lien Motion by Partmann, seconded Windels and carried, with Stone opposed, to forgive the lien with regard to Steven and Judy Rakes of Henning, MN, on a home improvement lien that Otter Tail County holds on their property given the superior mortgages held by Farmers Home Administration and pending foreclosure. Release of this lien poses no liability to Otter Tail County nor the Fergus Falls Housing & Redevelopment Authority and is intended to clear the property title. CSAH 16, Battle Lake, SAP 56-616-09 Motion by Stone, seconded Windels and unanimously carried to approve the Highway Construction Contract with Mark Sand & Gravel Co., Fergus Falls, MN, on CSAH 16, Battle Lake, SAP 56-616-09 as recommended by the Highway Engineer. County Drainage Ditch No. 21 Report Rick West, Highway Engineer, reported culvert installation, on a township road previously identified as an obstruction to the County's Drainage Ditch No. 21, has been completed by Maine and Friberg Townships. West indicated that evidence was found during 0 0 0 otCer Tail County Board of Commissioners December 14, 1993 Page 2 the installation process that proposed grade elevations proved to be very close to the original grade. He also reported that the installation, based on these elevations, has placed the pipe at a level below the ditch bottom and that the inlet to the pipe must be cleaned next spring to ensure flow. At this time the pipe has been sealed shut to keep it from plugging. Stalker Lake: SAP 56-600-11 Motion by Windels, seconded Partmann and unanimously carried to approve a reduction in retainage with regard to the Stalker Lake Project, SAP 56-600-11, from 5% to 2% because the work items remaining are minimal. MnDOT Safety/Education Program Motion by Partmann, seconded Windels and unanimously carried to authorize the Highway Engineer to expend $250, from the Highway Department budget, as a donation to the Minnesota Department of Transportation to promote highway work zone safety among children. The program is entitled, 11 What Color is Orange?" and is directed to students in grades 1-6. Detention Facility Rates Lieutenant John Halvorson, Jail Administrator, discussed an increase to $45 in per diem rates for prisoners held in the Otter Tail County Detention Facility. Halvorson and the County Coordinator were requested to make a comparison on jail rates of other counties and report those findings to the Board. Reclassification Committee Chuck Kitzman, Diane Thorson and Kevin Newborg, members of the County's Reclassification Committee, discussed their overall progress with regard to revamping the employee classification system. Chairman Lee directed the Coordinator to work with the Committee to develop a request for proposals for a consultant to review the work already completed and make recommendations. '93 Flood Emergency Commendation Chairman Lee presented Bill Kalar, Land & Resource Director and former Director of Emergency Management, a Certificate of Commendation from the Governor's Office on behalf of the Minnesota Division of Emergency Management in recognition of his cooperative efforts during the flood of 1993. Taxation Resolution Upon motion made by Partmann, seconded Windels and unanimously carried the following resolution was adopted: RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, that: WHEREAS, state law required that counties set their preliminary budget and net levy figures in September of 1993, based on HACA or local aid dollars certified by the State Department of Revenue for 1994; and WHEREAS, a decision to refund certain sales tax revenues, combined with the faulty projections by the State Department of Revenue for 1994 have reduced the net amount of sales tax revenue available to the Local Government Trust Fund in 1994; and 0 0 otter Tail County Board of Commissioners December 14, 1993 Page 3 WHEREAS1 the state has now announced a cut in aid to counties and cities, including $166,891.00 to Otter Tail County for 1994, thereby reducing the available revenue base and shifting the tax burden from the sales tax to the property tax. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners opposes both the principle applied and the method utilized by state officials to handle the shortfall in the Local Government Trust Fund. The decisions made by state officials have shifted tax burden from the sales tax to property taxes at the expense of the integrity of County Boards of Commissioners. Not only do these decisions impact taxpayers negatively but they also hurt county government. When County Boards were forced to endorse the one-half cent increase in the Government Trust Fund, there was an implied contract with the state that this act would stabilize county funding. Because of the time line for Truth in Taxation hearings, the state has, in effect, forced counties to operate out of financial balance. This violates the spirit of the agreement. It is time for state officials to face a Truth in Taxation meeting of their own and give the public 11 the rest of the story11 • Dated: I/Jere,m,1,ta1 ,;,;, I qq 0--OTTER TAIL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS "'""'¼z¥1!_ By M:l!t(. Jld~;h~ Larry Krohn, Clerk Closed to Public At 2:35 p.m. a motion was offered by Partmann, seconded Stone and unanimously carried to close the meeting of the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners to the public for the purposes of labor negotiation strategies with the County's four collective bargaining units. Adjournment At 4:47 p.m., with no further business, Chairman Lee declared the meeting of the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners adjourned until 7:30 p.m. Reconvened The Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners reconvened at 7:30 p.m., on December 14, 1993, for the purpose of conducting the Truth In Local Taxation Hearing. Public Hearing -Truth In Local Taxation In addition to Commissioner Malcolm Lee, Chairman; Commissioners Harley Windels, Virginia Partmann and Bill Stone, the following County Department Heads were in attendance: Wayne Stein, Auditor Larry Krohn, Coordinator Diane Thorson, Public Health Director Mike Hanan, Solid Waste Director Thomas Fawcett, Social Services Director 0 0 Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners December 14, 1993 Page 4 Steve Andrews, Treasurer Bob Moe, Assessor Rick West, Highway Engineer Bill Kalar, Land & Resource Management Director Chuck Kitzman, Court Services Director Wally Senyk, County Attorney Chet Toso, Veterans Service Officer In addition to the above, a number of Otter Tail County staff also attended as well as approximately eighteen individuals from the public. Chairman Lee provided a brief introduction about the state-mandated hearing, then turned the balance of the meeting over to Wayne Stein, Otter Tail county Auditor. The Auditor provided handout materials to those in attendance and presented an overview of the Truth In Local Taxation materials, details of the County's budget, and general explanations on how taxes are derived. Throughout his presentation he answered questions by the public. Individuals from the public who identified themselves were: John Blashek Cliff Keller Roger Halvorson Victor Horne The discussion ranged from criticism with regard to the Board's decision to cut County spending for the Soil & Water Conservation Districts (letter written by the Districts) to questions about the garbage fees and praise for the County Board's work. Adjournment At 8:47 p.m., with no further testimony wishing to be expressed by the public, Chairman Lee declared the Truth In Local Taxation Hearing by the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners adjourned until 7:30 p.rn. on Monday, December 20, 1993, at which time the Board will set the 1994 budget. Dated : .&vi!11<ft4 ,2 9 I 'T'f? CB:kal Attachments