The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, June 17, at the Government Center in Crookston.
James Tadman – Sheriff
Sheriff James Tadman gave his monthly report for May. Some of the numbers Sheriff Tadman shared with the Board were the call count numbers for May. The Sheriff’s Department received 2,667 calls in May, 796 of which were emergency calls. He also shared some numbers from the Calls for Service list for May. There were 801 Calls for Service, with the top five categories being Civil Process, Traffic Stops, School Patrol, Motorist Assist, and Assisting Other Agencies.
“I submitted my call for service numbers for the month of May and kind of ran through some of the stuff that kind of jumped out,” says Tadman. “All in all, it was a pretty good start to our summer.”
Sheriff Tadman also brought to the board a motion to approve selling two 1999 portable gas generators that the Sheriff’s Department has not used in over 10 years. After discussion with the board, a new plan for the generators was decided upon. “If they are not being maintained, maybe someone else in the county could use them, such as building and grounds, or maybe some of the fire departments,” says Tadman. “We are going to open that up. So, if we can’t use them, maybe they can and get some use out of them versus them just sitting there and going to waste.” The motion to approve the sale of the generators turned to trying to use them within the county first. The Board unanimously approved reaching out to the county to see if the generators were of use to another department or agency.
Jacob Snyder – Environmental Services
Assistant Environmental Services Administrator Jacob Snyder had two items on the agenda needing approval. First was a motion to approve the FINAL PLAT for “First Re-Subdivision of Northern Lights Addition” with conditions. The applicant proposes to replat a portion of land in the agricultural and shore land zoning districts in sections 21 & 28 of Knute Township. The request will allow the replatting of eight lots from the existing plant, Northern Lights Subdivision. “This is a property just along Bradley Lake and just South of Erskine in Polk County,” says Snyder. “We discovered some discrepancies with the original plat, where roads were placed and some lot line issues that were going on out there.” Snyder says that they are redeveloping the eight parcels and manipulating them so they have the features that were put on them. “There were a couple of abandonments of right-of-ways and then realigning the right–of–way with where the actual road was built.” The board approved the FINAL PLAT unanimously with conditions.
The second item for Snyder was approving an Interim Use Permit request allowing for a temporary asphalt batch plant and contractor yard. The applicant wishes to operate a temporary hot-mix asphalt plant and contractor yard for one year, located in the General Agriculture District in Section 25 of Chester Township. “My second item is an Interim Use Permit for one year for Hawkinson Construction Company,” says Snyder. “In order for them to asphalt batch on an existing gravel pit just west of Trail, MN, for a roadway Project.” Snyder says they will operate out of there for about a three-week period and be out of there for the rest of the year.
Stacy Grover – Finance
The board was introduced to the new county Finance Director, Stacy Grover, during the meeting. Grover briefly summarized what she has been up to in the weeks since she started and what she hopes to accomplish for the county both immediately and down the road. “My family and I are new to the East Grand Forks/Crookston area. We moved here last summer and are very much enjoying it,” says Grover. “We bought a farmstead and we’ve got lots of animals and are learning about farming and all of the ‘snirt’, I think we call it?” Grover and her husband moved last summer from International Falls, where she was born and raised. She previously worked for the Minnesota Department of Education, and her husband is currently working within the East Grand Forks School District. Grover said it has been a good start. “They’ve been really good. I’m a curious person, so I ask a lot of questions, and they kind of look at me, but not, they are really good,” says Grover. “I think the Staff are really good, they’ve got. We just need to kind of bring everything up to more current type software and some of those things.” Coming into the busy audit and budget season didn’t seem to worry Grover. “I came in right at audit time and just hit the ground running.”
Chuck Whiting – Polk County Administrator
Whiting brought a resolution to the board further amending the resolution that designates American Rescue Plan Act Funds for Eligible Expenses. This particular resolution came as the City of Mentor returned $2,384.40 to Polk County after completing its project for the Mentor Fire Department. The funds are now designated as Sheriff’s Department ARPA 2024 eligible payroll expenses. The board approved unanimously to move the funds to the Sheriff’s Department.
