KITTSON COUNTY BOARD PROCEEDINGS October 5, 2021

KITTSON COUNTY BOARD
PROCEEDINGS
October 5, 2021

The Kittson County Board of Commissioners met, pursuant to adjournment, on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 9 a.m. The following members were present; Commissioners Gillie, Younggren, Kraulik, Olson, Johnson and County Administrator Brian Buhmann.
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Gillie, the pledge to the flag was given.
A motion was made by Commissioner Younggren, seconded by Commissioner Olson and unanimously carried to approve the agenda.
A motion was made by Commissioner Olson seconded by Commissioner Kraulik and unanimously carried to approve the meeting minutes from September 21, 2021.
A motion was made by Commissioner Johnson and seconded by Commissioner Olson and passed unanimously to approve the Bills and Meal Reimbursements.
A motion was made by Commissioner Younggren and seconded by Commissioner Johnson and passed unanimously to approve the Per Diems and Expense Sheets.
Auditor’s Warrants
September 7, 2021 $ 1,121.190
September 8, 2021 $ 215,940.67
September 9, 2021 $ 968.58
September 10, 2021 $ 2,313,290.70
September 17, 2021 $ 660,045.77
Commissioner’s Warrants
September 24, 2021 $ 353,065.59
Meal Reimb $ 127.58
Meeting with the County Board was County Engineer Andrea Weleski and Hayley Kresel who spent time discussing the 2020 Kittson County Highway Department Annual Report. It presents in detail the various accounts within the Road and Bridge Funds pertaining to revenues and expenditures. Discussion held as informational on the repairs to Ditch #8 in Skane Township and the potential of a 50/50 sharing of the repair expenses with the land owner(s). Administrator Buhmann was asked to research Minnesota statutes on Ditch levies for the Commissioners. Weleski added a request for support from the Commissioners at the next Association of Minnesota Counties Regional meeting asking that MNDOT hold their training labs at a closer location to the region instead of being held in the Twin Cities area.
Scot Olson, Emergency Management/Environmental Services Administrator joined the meeting and a motion was made by Commissioner Younggren, seconded by Commissioner Olson and passed unanimously to take off a tabled request from the last Board meeting submitted by Olson. Olson described the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) reimbursements for Emergency Management and the Sheriff’s Department for personnel who responded to a request to and rendered aid on September 7, 2021 in Clearbrook and Crookston, MN
A motion was made by Commissioner Johnson and seconded by Commissioner Younggren and passed unanimously to approve the request to the PUC for reimbursements.
Marc Bloomquist, Regional Corrections Supervisor met with the Board and provided an update on activities from his office. He shared that with secured grants the costs to Kittson County have been reduced. Utilization of new practices like: the use of technology with clients to attend meetings and sessions has been successful for both clients and their employers with less time away from work and more engagement by participants.
10:05 a.m. Administrator Buhmann provided the Board with an update on the Noyes Property on Highway 75 and that the County had received no payment from the winning bidder. A motion was made by Commissioner Johnson and seconded by Commissioner Olson and passed unanimously to void and make null the winning bid from June 9, 2021 for the purchase of Tract 3-PID R26.2254900 due to noncompliance and to bar the bidder(s) from being allowed to bid in any future County auctions.
Administrator Buhmann met with the Board and requested that they extract their motion from the September 7, 2021 Board meeting awarding the sale of County land to Spencer Billings due to noncompliance and award the sale to the second highest bidder Scott Billings.
Administrator Buhmann presented information to the Board in regards to delinquent solid waste bills and the process per Kittson County Ordinance of placing the owed amounts onto the owner’s property as an assessment. For 2020 the total amount was $10,160.40 and for 2021 the amount was $11,056.75. A motion was made by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Olson and passed unanimously to approve placing the delinquent solid waste bills for both 2020 and 2021 onto the properties delinquent in making their payments.
A motion was made by Commissioner Olson, seconded by Commissioner Kraulik and approved unanimously for the Approval for Fourth Quarter Appropriations:
Kittson Soil
& Water (51,000.00) $12,875.00
Kittson County Historical
Society ($65,405.00) $16,351.25
Kittson County Ag
Society ($22,500.00) $ 5,000.00
Northwest Regional
Library ($67,500.00) $16,875.00
A motion was made by Commissioner Younggren, seconded by Commissioner Johnson and passed unanimously to approve the appropriations to local Fire Departments ($1,000.00 each)
A motion was made by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Kraulik to appointment Roger Anderson to the Board of Managers of the Two Rivers Watershed District (2 openings) filling one of the two openings.
A motion was made by Commissioner Olson, seconded by Commissioner Kraulik and passed unanimously to move the first Kittson County Board meeting in December (12.7.2021) to Thursday December 9, 2021 at 5 p.m.
A motion made by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Younggren and passed unanimously to set December 9, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. for the Truth and Taxation meeting.
Administrator Buhmann shared information with the Commissioners on the County’s 2022 open enrollment for employee health insurance.
Administrator Buhmann shared the Third Quarter Payroll Information with the Commissioners.
Board Committee reports were given.
Correspondence – Thank you card shared with Board from Trina Bengtson.
A motion was made by Commissioner Olson, seconded by Commissioner Kraulik and passed unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 10:37 a.m.
Theresia Gillie,
Kittson County Board Chair
ATTEST: Brian E. Buhmann,
Kittson County Administrator
(October 27, 2021)
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