The proposed Osakis Lake Improvement District (LID), Virkus Properties conditional use permit, and assessing contracts were prominent on the agenda for the Douglas County August 1 board meeting.
Assessor
Douglas County Assessor Stacy Honkomp shared with commissioners the assessing contracts that will be in effect for four years. The county assessor’s office provides this fee-based service, which includes assessing property parcels for tax purposes, to most cities and townships in the county. The renewals approved were for the cities of Osakis, Kensington, Millerville, and Miltona and the townships of Lund, Millerville, Spruce Hill, Osakis, Miltona, and Belle River.
Public Works
Public Works Director and County Engineer Tim Erickson provided an update on the 2023 road construction season. He first gave his engineering staff a giant pat on the back. He shared that typically crews will put down 25-30,000 tons of mix in a full year and this summer they put down 70,000 tons of mix in one month. He shared that example to reinforce it has been a busy road construction summer in Douglas County.
He also praised Central Specialties for the mill and overlay work it did on County State Aid Highway 82 between Brandon and Evansville. Erickson said, “It turned out beautiful.”
He also said the parking lot and road leading into Pilgrim Point Park is paved and is beautiful, the County State Aid Highway 13 grade widening east of Carlos is all paved and shouldering should be finished up by August 4, and work on the roundabout near the Alexandria YMCA is progressing as is work on County State Aid Highway 8 between north and southbound 7.
Ag and Drainage Inspector Tom Anderson presented a proposal to repair a private crossing at County Ditch 10 Branch 1 and share the cost among the landowners. Commissioners approved the work and approved the ditch system would pay half the costs and the property owners would pay the other half. Commissioner Tim Kalina voted no after questioning why, in this case, the landowners wouldn’t be responsible for the entire cost as other landowners have been for private crossings.
The board also approved allowing Anderson to enter into negotiations with landowners impacted by obstructed tile on County Ditch 23 Branch 25. Those negotiations will involve how to move forward with needed tile replacement.
Osakis Lake Improvement District (LID)
The board heard a presentation on the probability a Lake Improvement District (LID) will be approved by the required number of property owners on Lake Osakis. A LID is a governmental entity that is established by lake property owners to help share the costs of managing and improving a lake. It would result in lake property assessments by the county which would be the taxing authority. Doug Schmidt and Mike Helwig from the Osakis Lake Association Board of Directors told commissioners the LID is necessary to improve the quality of the lake as well as the lake water level. The presentation was informational only.
Land and Resource Management
Director Dave Rush presented a preliminary plat for one lot from a 5.68-acre tract of land on the south side of Lake Mary. His report shared the plan is consistent with the county’s 2011 Comprehensive Plan which identifies this area as residential and suitable for development.
Next, he invited Derek Virkus with Virkus Properties to join him in front of the commissioners. Virkus asked for an extension on meeting the requirements of his conditional use permit which include presenting the county with a certificate of occupancy. Virkus has entered into a contract for the installation of a fire sprinkler system in his wedding and event center, but the work will not be completed by the agreed upon August 15 deadline. Virkus shared that supply chain back up issues are the cause of the delay. Commissioners questioned him about why this compliance has taken so long and ensured he had actually put money down on a fire sprinkler system before approving a motion to extend the compliance deadline until later this year with the inclusion of a letter from Virkus’s insurance company holding the county harmless if a fire occurs at the wedding venue property before that deadline.
Rainbow Rider Update
Rainbow Rider Director Brenda Brittin and Operations Manager Tom Partington provided county commissioners with an update on their planned bus garage in Alexandria and a review of the history and importance of Rainbow Rider, which is a public transit system serving Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Todd, and Traverse counties with handicapped accessible buses. They shared that Douglas County receives 820 hours of service per week, compared to 150, for example, in Pope County. The counties pay 5 percent of the operating costs which amounts to $129,147.00 in Douglas County. The actual appropriation will be voted on later in August.
Elected Officials Budget Proposals and Salary Requests
Next on the agenda were the annual budget and salary requests by elected officials.
Sheriff Troy Wolbersen appeared first and shared with commissioners that the biggest increases in his 2024 budget proposal are due to payroll, a change in inmate medical care caused by the previous provider going out of business, and a project for the 911 communications center that could allow for live streaming of body and squad cameras in certain instances into the dispatch center. The sheriff did not make a specific salary increase request but reminded the board this is his seventeenth year as sheriff and his experience pays off for the office and his employees. He told the board the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is a leader in law enforcement and he and his staff are dedicated to providing public safety.
County Attorney Chad Larson appeared before the board next saying increases in his budget are due to payroll and legal software costs. He mentioned he’d like to work with Sheriff Wolbersen on developing a local monitoring program so lower income people could meet their obligations to demonstrate non-use of prohibited substances, without the exorbitant testing costs that currently exist.
He did not request a specific salary but said he’d like it to be similar to that of the sheriff.
County Recorder Mary Skillings told commissioners it’s been an interesting year for her to budget for. She said real estate recordings are down 32 percent which is consistent statewide. However, passport requests are up 72 percent. Skillings did not request a specific salary for 2024.
Auditor Treasurer Vicki Doehling shared that she has to prepare her office for 2024, which is an election year. She submitted what a three percent salary increase would look like for her combined position but stressed she is very pleased with her salary. She and all other elected officials thanked the board for providing a $2 an hour increase in addition to salary increases in 2024. Board Chair Charlie Meyer thanked Doehling for her work and said, “You make us proud.”
The next board meeting is August 15 at 9 a.m. at the Douglas County Administration Building 821 Cedar Street, Alexandria.