Once again, the hot-topic of the parking ordinance came up during Tuesday’s County Commissioners’ meeting. Chairperson Raeanne Danielowski offered some feedback she had received and asked how the board wished to proceed. 

Commissioner Felix Schmiesing suggested that this was not the right time to pursue the ordinance. 

“Coming out of a pandemic,” Schmiesing stated, “[the people’s] sensitivity to government interventions… is pretty high right now. I would suggest that we follow the planning commission’s recommendation and take this up again sometime in the future.”

The other commissioners agreed. It may be possible the ordinance, or similar policy, could come back to the board in the future. 

The commissioners went on to discuss their dissatisfaction with the misinformation they felt was spread very quickly on social media, and the township staff and representatives who played a role in it.

On a related note, Commissioner Danielowski asked about the process of accepting petitions, noting that one of 800 signatures was filled out nearly a quarter, in her estimation, with signees whose addresses were in Minneapolis, Chicago, and even outside the country. The other commissioners felt it was a waste of taxpayers’ money and staff’s time to check the addresses of signees.

Kinitski’s Bar and Grill

Kinitski’s Bar and Grill of Palmer is being sold to a new owner. The board held a public hearing to approve the liquor license for the new owner. No one spoke at the hearing, and the commissioners approved the license, which will be awarded pending state approval.

PUC Letter

The commissioners sent a letter to the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) regarding the environmental impact of Xcel’s proposed solar field in Becker Twp. The letter contained information about the county’s policies and views on the issue.

Loans for Septic Systems

The county offers loans to homeowners who wish to update their septic systems. According to county staff, this loan program has been very successful. They requested that the commissioners raise the budget for the program, on the hopes that the program will continue to be utilized through the fall and possibly early winter, until the ground is frozen. The commissioners raised the budget to $750,000.

Public Health Position

The Dept. of Public Health added a 30 hour/week position, taking advantage of a public workforce grant from the state. Short term, the hiree would focus on the COVID-19 response of the county, but would shift into department planning as the pandemic situation becomes resolved. 

Staff assured the commissioners that there would be grants in the future to help sustain the position after the COVID-19 funding is gone. Commissioner Schmiesing was still concerned about paying for the new position in, for example, 2023. Still, he made the motion to go forward with the creation of the position, and the motion carried.

Elk River Zoning

The commissioners discussed the possibility of working with the city of Elk River to change the zoning of a parcel owned by the county. The parcel is currently zoned for business park use, but staff thought the land, which has been for sale since 2015, might sell if it was instead zoned for mixed-use residential. The commissioners discussed, some being concerned that the county may want to keep that land for expansion of the government building. They directed staff to look into rezoning, which will be added to the comprehensive plan at a later date.

American Rescue Plan Act Funds

The Parks Dept. asked for some of the county’s ARPA funding to purchase trail grooming equipment. The equipment will groom trails in the winter to allow for skiing and snowshoeing on some trails.

Next, the commissioners approved reimbursing some payroll costs.

Cambo Flare of Big Lake requested some funding from the county. Despite the fact that they did not meet the minimum living wage requirement, paying less than $15.91 per hour, staff, and commissioners, wanted to support the new Big Lake business, since they opened right during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other businesses were approved automatically, having met all the requirements. Six more businesses were not granted funding at the time of the meeting due to staff having insufficient information on the business’s situation.

A couple of non-profit organizations will be giving presentations to the board soon for funding consideration.

In Other Business,the Board:

• Approved a final plat for Ziegler Custom Homes;

• Approved a license for a new Big Lake Twp. business, a dog grooming and daycare service on Hwy. 25;

• Submitted the solid waste management plan to the Minnesota PUC;

• Heard regular department and committee reports;

• Discussed making a zoning change in an underdeveloped area in Elk River;

• Approved a $0 levy for the regional rail authority, with funds coming from the county budget.