The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday morning at the Polk County Government Center.
CONSENT ITEMS
The board began the meeting by approving the Auditor Warrants and the Payment Lost Warrant dating back to November 22, 2019, issued to Kyle Engelstad for $97.30, a payment to Vanguard Appraisals Inc. for Website Service Fees for the Tax Payer Service Center for $5,775 to be paid out of the Compliance Fund, and a payment to New Finish, LLC in Crookston for $2,600 for a concrete slab and sealer for the Facilities Management Department.
VETERANS SERVICE-KURT ELLEFSON
The board first heard from Polk County Veterans Service Officer Kurt Ellefson on a resolution for the county to take part in Operation Green Light, a collaborative initiative with the National Association of Counties and National Association of County Veteran Service Officers to support military veterans by illuminating the county flag poles with green lights at night during the week of Veterans Day. He explained they had gotten multiple boxes of green film that they would cover the lights aimed at the flag poles outside to make a green light aimed at the flag poles at various county buildings. “Here at the county, we’re going to display our flagpole lights at night with a green film to display the honoring of the veterans,” Kurt Ellefson explained. “We’ll have it at the Justice Center, the Law Enforcement Center, the Highway Department, and the Government Center.” Ellefson also encouraged the county’s residents and businesses to participate in this event and show their support on the week of Veterans Day by displaying a green light inside or outside of their buildings.
FACILITIES-RICHARD LANGLOIS
The board then heard from the Government Center’s Facilities Director Richard Langlois about a Tuck-Pointing Project. Langlois reported that the granite block on the lower level of the Government Center building has mortar joints between each stone in the advanced stages of deterioration. Langlois reported that they had hired Palmer Masonry, who said they are able to attend to the work this fall. After he had discussed this with County Administrator Chuck Whiting, he recommended they begin the work now rather than wait. Langlois explained that this would be a lifetime fix, make the building more weatherproof, and save them on maintenance costs on the current concrete if it rotted out. Palmer Masonry gave a proposed quote of $51,135 for the project, which Langlois said will come out of the 2022 Facilities Budget. The board approved the request unanimously.
EAST POLK SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT-RACHEL KLEIN
The board then heard from Rachel Klein of the East Polk Soil & Water Conservation District to discuss the Conservation District’s budget for 2023. She reported that the district’s revenues and expenses had balanced themselves out at $252,912, giving them a net of $0. The county used $69,947 of the budget for Local Water Management, Feedlots, the Wetland Conservation Act, and County Allocation. She reported, however, that they were asking for a 2% increase ($860) to their 2022 budget for education programs for the county schools. These programs included their water festival, where they go to elementary schools, usually to fourth-grade classes, to give presentations about the district and teach them about water districts. The board said it would add it to the other considerations it had for the budget and make a decision about it with the rest of the 2023 budget.
SOCIAL SERVICES-KAREN WARMACK
The board then heard from Social Services Director Karen Warmack to approve signing a contract with CareerForce MFIP/DWP Joint Powers Agreement to provide Minnesota Family Investment Program and Diversionary Work Program Employment and Training services, such as MFIP/DWP Case Management, Job Search, and Employment and Training services for $607,025 beginning on January 1, 2023 and going until December 31, 2023.
Contract with DEED
Her other item included the board approving a contract with the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to provide SNAP Employment and Training program for $7,469, starting on October 1 and lasting until September 30, 2023. The board approved both contracts unanimously.
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES-JON STEINER
The board then heard from Environmental Services Administrator Jon Steiner to fill two positions at the Polk County Resource Recovery Facility (RRF), the Mechanical Maintenance and Loader Operator. He reported the Loader Operator position opened after the employee walked off the job without giving notice and the Mechanical Maintenance position was open after the employee gave a proper notice. He also noted that both positions require progressive licensing that takes 3-5 years to achieve, and they expected to lose another two workers for October and wanted to have the advertisements ready to fill those positions and stay staffed for the rest of the year. The board approved the payment unanimously.
Purchasing Fosston Recycle Building Roofing Materials
Steiner then requested for the board to approve a quote from their local material supplier (Miller Building Center in Fosston) to get materials to replace the roof of the Fosston Recycle Building, which has been leaking. The patches they implemented over the last eight years have had limited success, and local contractors are scheduled out until 2023. “Even during the summer, we were being told they were booking out into 2023, and as material prices keep going up, we may as well buy the materials now and have them on site,” Steiner explained. “We won’t have to worry about lead times then, and we can control the price. Then we’ll bid on the project in early mid-spring so that we can start right away. Hopefully, contractors will give us a good price knowing all the materials are sitting there and ready to go.” The current quote they received from Miller Building Center is $74,978.83. The board approved the quote unanimously.
Landfill Compactor Fire
Steiner’s final item for the board was an update he had about one of their backup Bomag Landfill Compactors, which caught fire while in operation on September 28. Thankfully, no employees were injured, as all safety protocols were followed. However, the fire damage to the machine was extensive, and it was lost to the fire. Steiner reported that they have another one in service to replace it, but the old Compactor had its engine and other circuits destroyed in the fire. Steiner reported that the insured value with MCIT was $60,000 but purchasing a used replacement machine would cost about $150,000 to $200,000, and a brand-new machine would cost around $750,000 to $850,000 or $180,000 on a 5-year lease. “It wasn’t planned that we’d buy two compactors this year, and there’s a long lead time, and the prices are quickly spiraling higher and higher. We updated the board today on what happened and what our options are. We’re looking at some used machines that may be available next spring or buying a new one. We, unfortunately, know what those prices are, reaching over $700-800 thousand for a machine. We have some work to do to figure out the best option, and we’ll be back again, I’m sure, in front of the board with that option.”
The Board of Commissioners will next meet on Tuesday, October 17, at the Polk County Government Center.
