The Sherburne County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday morning and tackled a number of items, from ARPA funded positions to performance standards for exterior storage of vehicles.

County Planner Marc Schneider along with Dave Lucas, Solid Waste Administrator, spoke with the board regarding the historical perspective of how the county has addressed the issue of junk vehicles being stored on properties. 

The issue dates back many years, including a survey in 2017 by the county that showed 5 of 7 townships wanted it addressed through ordinance or other legal remedies. 

Lucas explained that since 2019, staff has received 250 solid waste complaints and many of the issues revolve around the storage of unlicensed or “junk” vehicles.

Specifically, there has been interest from many homeowners and several townships to deal with the issue, as these non-conforming properties can have a negative effect on surrounding property values, as well as posing environmental concerns.

In 2018, the county proposed some additional language that was met with lukewarm reception from some townships so staff went back to the drawing board and came up with plans to attend township meetings in 2020 to gather more information.  Covid restrictions derailed that attempt at a consensus, leading to the current proposal that would address the issue through performance standards aimed at regulating where the vehicles could be parked (improved surfaces).

Schneider was quick to point out that the issues were being targeted at residential developments that were platted subdivisions, such as those with 2.5 acre lots.  He noted that the issue is much different on larger tracts of land where there can be things such as natural screening that mitigate the impact on neighboring properties.

Board discussion centered on issues such as the definition of a motorized vehicle, minimizing the nuisance created by the vehicle storage and the general aesthetics and environmental issues created by junk vehicles.

Schneider presented maps and pictures to show examples of problem properties, along with proposed solutions in terms of the percentage of improved surfaces allowed on different acreage lots.

Board Chair Raeanne Danielowski noted that she frequently gets calls about the issue and would like to see a solution brought forward.  She cited a recent example that a property had to sell for $20,000 less because a neighboring property was littered with junk vehicles.  She said the issue has been discussed for too long and a solution needed to be found.

Commissioner Tim Dolan agreed and also wanted staff to look at the definition of a motorized vehicle (perhaps using the State of MN definition), as well as county regulations on what is allowed for accessory structures.  His belief was that some land owners might be willing to park vehicles indoors if they could build larger outbuildings.

Commissioner Felix Schmiesing said he wasn’t opposed to doing something on the issue, but cautioned that the ordinance should not allow “one neighbor to beat up on another”.  

Several members of the board also wanted to make sure that any changes would not result in staff being overwhelmed with policing the situation, while noting that the majority of people do comply with the current ordinance.

Schneider noted that many of the problem properties are repeat offenders, who temporarily bring things into compliance for a matter of months before relapsing into noncompliance.

Ultimately, the board voiced consensus for Schneider and other staff to bring the issue before the Planning Commission so they can weigh in on the possible solutions.  Once their input is gathered, the issue will be brought back to the commissioners for further discussion and possible action.

ARPA

The board also spent a good deal of time looking at staffing requests as they pertain to the expenditure of the over $18 million the county is set to receive from the Federal ARPA legislation.

County Attorney Kathleen Heaney spoke to the board about staffing levels in her office and the current backlog of court cases that have piled up during the Covid pandemic.  Heaney stated that in the next several months there are 144 jury trials on the docket, whereas new felony cases are rising rapidly. With the addition of civil litigation backlogs, her office is understaffed and is looking to add to the lawyer ranks and support staffs.

Since the retirement last year of her long-time chief deputy, a contract lawyer position was hired to help fill some of the caseload.  In addition, an office assistant position was reassigned because of the reduction in cases during the Covid shutdown and more help is needed in this area.

Overall, just one lawyer position had been added since Heaney took office in 2003.

In analyzing the numbers, the board gave permission to hire a permanent lawyer position now, as well as one in 2022 when the current contracted position will be re-examined.  In addition, hours will be added to an existing part-time office assistant position to help clear the back log of cases.

HHS Director Amanda Larson also brought forward a funding request for an Eligibility Specialist to help clear the applications on file for medical assistance.  

All the added positions will utilize ARPA funds or revenue recapture provisions in the legislation for the first two years until the positions can be re-examined or eliminated if the need no longer exists.

In the area of affordable housing, Larson announced that the county did receive grant funding for a .5 position to address the issue.  Because the county currently does not have a dedicated staff person working in this area, the commissioners agreed to use ARPA funding to make the position full time, as they have been seeing an increased need for housing assistance, especially as it relates to homelessness and the need for stable housing for workers for county industry.

Business Relief

Assistant Administrator Dan Weber presented some guidelines for the policy being developed for a third round of business relief.

This round will specifically be targeted to the pandemic and applicants will need to show a 20% revenue loss from the Q1 of 2019 to Q1 of 2021.  In addition, there will be a $20,000 maximum grant award and home based businesses will be eligible.

Commissioners directed Weber to create a separate program for nonprofits that will focus on areas such as mental health, housing and child care.

In Other Business, The Commissioners:

• Received a presentation by Deputy Roxanne Schreder and the Sherburne County Safe Roads Coalition;

• Approved the acceptance of the award for the Human Resource Information System Services to provide for services such as payroll, time and attendance and leave of absences, etc.;

• Approved AO Docs as a Technology Solution for Social Services Electronic Filing System;

• Received the Covid-19 Pandemic Update - from now on this update will be combined with the Public Health Board update done on an every other month basis;

• Approved sending a letter of concern to the City of Clearwater who recently voted to extend their subdivision ordinance into Sherburne County;

• Canceled their July 13th meeting and approved a special meeting to be held July 15th at 10 am;

• Approved the Social Services Electronic File System Replacement.

The next board meeting will take place at 9 am on June 15.