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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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| 1/28/2010 9:49:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Special work sessions scheduled on radios and social host ordinance
BY DENISE MARTIN
What normally is a basic task of appointing people to fill expiring Chisago County Planning Commission seats; heated up last week when Commissioner Mike Robinson made a motion to re-appoint a member who'd missed one-third of his 2009 county planning commission meetings.
When Robinson didn't get a second to his motion he complained. "It's too bad what's going on here..." He said he could see that the "north end" of the county was being set up to be purposely under-represented on the county planning commission.
Robinson didn't explain where his "north" line is drawn; but the planning commission consists of eight meeting attendees, with Robinson a non-voting planning commissioner. Appointees also reside in the Almelund area, a member is from Sunrise Township, and a member lives outside of Rush City. The largest township Chisago Lake, has two members. Commissioner Montzka's district representative lived in a township until the Wyomings merged into a single entity. Member number eight resides in Shafer Township.
Two at-large seats and the District 2 seat (Chairman Greene's district) were open for 2010.
The Board ended up re-appointing Jim Klinke as recommended by Greene. The at-large members will be (incumbent) Lin Strong and new appointee Jim McCarthy.
Commissioner George McMahon observed that if Commissioner Robinson feels at-large memberships be eliminated and residency made a priority, that the structure of the planning commission needs to change-- why didn't Robinson bring this up a few minutes earlier?
The county commissioners held a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. this evening on the composition of the planning commission. The ordinance was adopted 5-0, basically putting official wording into the zoning code defining the way the planning commission's already been operating for years.
Another consideration tied to these appointments was the county attorney's memo on appointees. The state laws say "no voting member of the planning commission shall have received, during two years prior to appointment, any substantial portion of income from business operations involving the development of land within the county for urban and urban related purposes."
County Attorney Janet Reiter advised the county commissioners to use half of someone's income as a measure for meeting what the law called "substantial." The issue was raised because certain planning commission applicants are employed in real estate/property appraisals line of work. Reiter left the decision on these appointees to the County Board.
And, during the public hearing Chisago Lake Town Board Chair Jim Froberg said he feels there should be NO appointees from incorporated areas of the county serving on the planning commission. The wording adopted however, allows for a maximum two members to reside within cities.
Froberg, who serves on the planning commission, also told the Board it should re-appoint all the incumbents. Another citizen, Tony Peterfeso, said during the hearing it was "distasteful" that a member of an advisory board was telling elected officials whom to appoint.
In additional business: the County Board officially accepted into the record a petition of 80-plus "pages" of names collected by Concerned Citizens, the grassroots group opposed to the LS Plant.
~ The Board scheduled a work session at the government center on the proposed social host ordinance, for February 24. County Commissioners anticipate members of law enforcement and others who work in the field of underage consumption will want to attend. Social host extends county ordinance language to allow prosecuting willing providers of locations where illegal drinking takes place
~ Scheduled a work session requested by the sheriff, to discuss the two-way radio network upgrade. The session is Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in the government center.
~ Heard there's a vacancy on the Board of Adjustment for a resident of District 2, Rick Greene's area. If you'd be interested in applying see the county website or look for vacancy ad in legal notices in this paper.
~ Heard an update from Parks Director Laird Mork on progress connecting various property links (some donated, some easements purchased) for the Swedish Immigrant Trail out of Taylors Falls to Shafer. Mork hopes to put out RFPs soon for design/engineering quotes on the trail. The County Board consensus was to support a request for state bonding proceeds to be earmarked towards the trail and to move forward on buying a slice of land with an earlier grant the county received. The 2010 legislature convenes next week and will be taking up bonding aid requests from all over the state.
~ County Administrator John Moosey got the $50 nightly motel limit lifted.
The limit was put on by the Board to try to curtail expenses for employees attending conferences and trainings. Moosey said training expenditures are better-controlled than when the rule on limiting cost of overnight stays was put into place and the limit is counter-productive.
Retirement for Russell Frank was accepted in the agenda personnel issues, effective this month.
In public forum several comments were received about the power plant issue.
Also power plant developer representative Blake Wheatley said there is a deadline of March 29 when the company needs to make a "deposit" with the agency that oversees all electric transmission connections, the midwest ISO. An air quality permit application is also being submitted to state regulators around that time.
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