The Wright County Board of Commissioners voted last week to approve an amended contract with the lobbying firm of Flaherty & Hood.

It was the third time the contract came before the board.

 

At the Sept. 11 board meeting, Flaherty & Hood had presented a contract that covered a wide scope of services, not just work regarding legislative and regulatory issues about the future closing of the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant and its impact on the county’s tax base.

 

The contract also mentioned representation for other services, including transportation and bonding.

 

The board decided to have it revised for consideration at a future meeting.

 

The contract was amended and presented again at the Sept. 25 meeting, but still included a contract amount of up to $45,000 for “utility taxation, potential bonding projects, and other issues of interest to the county.”

 

Members of the board were concerned that the county might be paying for services they didn’t want, and voted to send the contract back to Flaherty & Hood again to narrow the scope even more.

 

Last Tuesday, it was back again.

 

“After discussion at our past meeting where this was laid over, we did make a connection with Flaherty & Hood to make a revisal of the proposal,” said Wright County Coordinator Lee Kelly.

 

“We are eager to assist you with this utility property tax issue,” said Bradley Peterson, a shareholder partner with Flaherty & Hood. “We have worked with a number of cities, including Monticello on these issues.”

 

He said there isn’t any other firm that has as much familiarity with the topic and the interplay between the utilities, lawmakers and property tax issues.

 

“There is lots of discussion over the last three years at the legislature on changing the valuation method to more of a production tax,” he said. “It remains to be seen, but I  think there is a lot of interest with Xcel and the other utilities in the state in moving in that direction. It will impact your future.”

 

Commissioner Michael Potter, who wasn’t originally in favor of hiring a lobby firm for the issue, said it was important to keep the county in the loop.

 

“I firmly believe you need to be at the table because Xcel will continue to change positions to see which narrative fits them the best,” he said. “We need to be there to know the impact so that whatever direction they shift to, we can react in a timely manner.”

 

The board voted, 5-0 to approve the contract.