After a brief public hearing without public comment, the Sherburne County Board June 18 adopted a temporary moratorium ordinance on cannabis businesses within the county.
The moratorium will allow time for county staff to study and adopt reasonable restrictions on cannabis businesses within the county’s zoning jurisdiction. That would include the unincorporated areas of the county, excluding Baldwin Twp., Becker Twp. and parts of Haven Twp. The moratorium does not cover cities within the county. By statute, the ordinance will expire Jan. 1, 2025.
“This isn’t saying we would have an ongoing moratorium,” said George Kennedy from the county attorney’s office. “This is to make sure we have time to get appropriate restrictions in place for the location of those businesses.”
“I think this is a smart move,” said Commissioner Raeanne Danielowski. “It allows us to get things in place so we are not having a cannabis business opening too close to a school, a daycare or a park - other areas like that.”
Administrator Bruce Messelt said other jurisdictions have also adopted moratoriums, including Wright County.
Tobacco Licenses
The board approved tobacco license renewals for (In City of Zimmerman): Frontier Liquor, Holiday Stationstore 239, Z Market, P&A Liquor, Speedway 4535, Uptown Off-Sale, Casey’s General Store 3445, Dollar General Store 19543, Zimmerman Tobacco. Zimmerman Smoke Shop; (Baldwin Twp.): Ridgewood Bay Resort; (Becker Twp.): Holiday Stationstore 598; (Orrock Twp.): Sand Dunes Food & Fuel, Sand Dunes Spirits; (Palmer Twp.): Briggs Lake Country Store. Incomplete Application: Santiago Country Store. New Establishment Application: Adam’s Tobacco Shop.
Tri-CAP
The board approved a two-year lease extension with Tri-CAP. Under the extension, the organization will pay the county a three-percent increase to $43,290 in 2025 and 2026.
Mileage Resolution
The board passed a resolution supporting equal mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers, joining the National Association of Counties (NACo) in urging Congress to enact such legislation. Equal mileage would aid the county in its effort to recruit and retain volunteer drivers for its various programs.
Auditor-Treasurer
The board appointed Loraine Rupp as the new Sherburne County Auditor-Treasurer. Rupp was sworn in at the beginning of Tuesday’s proceedings. Rupp takes over for Diane Arnold, who is retiring on July 8, after 34 years with Sherburne County, the past 17 of which have been as elected Auditor-Treasurer. Later in the meeting, Arnold presented her final Auditor-Treasurer’s report.
Staff Reorganizations
The board approved the reorganization of the Building Facility Division due to a recent vacancy in the division. The changes include: Reclassifying the Director position to Project Manager; Reclassifying the Assistant Director position to Operations Manager effective July 2, 2024; Reclassifying a current Building Facilities Technician to a building Facilities Lead Technician; Changing the Maintenance Helper title to Maintenance Assistant. In addition, the Project and Operations Manager would report to the Assistant County Administrator.
The re-organization would result in an approximate 2025 levy savings of $30,000.
Other Business
In other actions the board:
• Approved the hiring of a Public Service Specialist and an Administrative Specialist in the Planning & Zoning Dept. to replace two staff members who are leaving by the end of 2024;
• Approved issuing a solid waste license to Elk River Composting Inc. (ERC) for a one-year term. The company has been operating a compost site within the county for approximately 15 years. ERC intends to move their yard waste operations to an adjacent parcel, and close operations at their current location;
• Approved a three-year server licensing agreement with Microsoft at a cost of $40,587.94 per year.
