OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNTY BOARD LAKE COUNTY, MINNESOTA

Tuesday, February 25, 2025. Lake County Board of Commissioners’ regularly sched­uled meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by Lake County Board Chairperson Rich Sve. Chairperson Sve led the rec­itation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Unless otherwise stated, all actions have been approved by unanimous yea vote. Lake County Board members present in the Lake County Service Center, Split Rock River Room, 616 Third Avenue, Two Har­bors, Minnesota: District 1 Commission­er Joe Baltich, District 2 Commissioner Derrick “Rick” L. Goutermont, District 3 Commissioner Richard “Rick” C. Hogen­son, District 4 Commissioner Jeremy M. Hurd, and District 5 Commissioner Rich Sve. Board member absent: None. Oth­ers present: County Administrator Mat­thew Huddleston. County Sheriff Nathan Stadler, Senior Payroll Auditor Lisa Knight, Highway Engineer Jason DiPiazza, En­vironmental Services Director Christine McCarthy, and Clerk of the Board Laurel D. Buchanan.

MOTION GOUTERMONT, SECOND HO­GENSON: 01 – Approval of the agenda. Absent: None

Lake County Board Chairperson Rich Sve opened the floor for public comments. No public comments were made. Lake County Administrator Matthew Huddleston provided an update on several items of county business. U.S. Senator Tina Smith will be reintroducing a bill for a potential amendment to the Thye-Blatnik legislation. Lake County is currently unaware if there is a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. County Administrator Huddleston advised that the 2023 Audit Exit Conference took place today with the Office of the State Auditor, State of Minne­sota. Lake County anticipates receiving the actual audit by next week. There are two separate audits; one is for the County, and one is for the Housing and Redevelop­ment Authority (HRA). County Administra­tor Huddleston advised that Lake County’s proposed resolution on Helium has been communicated to legislators, including committee members on the Minnesota State Senate’s Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee (10 members), the Min­nesota House of Representative’s Envi­ronmental and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee (13 members), the Minnesota State Senate’s Taxes Com­mittee (9 members), and the Minnesota House of Representative’s Taxes Commit­tee for the 2025-2026 Regular Session (24 members).

Lake County Sheriff Nathan Stadler pro­vided an update on the request from the shipwreck organization for two mooring buoys. Lake County has purchased these buoys. The total cost for the two buoys was approximately $700. Sheriff Stadler discussed recent Rescue Squad training. Two of the trail clubs did not have ARM­ER radios for some of the groomers. Lake County will donate a some of its older ra­dios to the entity that grooms the trails in Finland, Minnesota, and to the Silver Bay Trail Riders.

Lake County Highway Engineer Jason DiPIazza review proposed agenda items on behalf of the Lake County Highway Department. Engineer DiPiazza provided an update on recent bid openings and the corresponding projects. For one of these projects, half of the cost is coming out of bridge bond money. After that money is spent, those bridge bond funds will be depleted. The Highway Engineer advised that Lake County should consider re­questing or supporting legislation to add additional funds to this account for bridge bond funding. Engineer DiPiazza dis­cussed a few upcoming bid openings and their respective projects. One project is for Highway 2 Reconstruction. One project is for the Banks Boulevard Reconstruction. Engineer DiPiazza also discussed the Cra­mer Road / 9-Mile Funding, just south of Highway 8. This project is subject to the recent federal funding freeze. A box culvert is needed, and we must follow trout stream requirements. There was a question about the chloride contract and status for the upcoming spring and summer. Engineer DiPiazza advised that St. Louis County will be reaching out to the contractor for negotiation. Lake County anticipates that the contract will be a similar contract to the previous year’s contract.

Lake County Senior Payroll Auditor Lisa Knight was present on behalf of the Office of the County Auditor. Lake County Envi­ronmental Services Director Christine Mc­Carthy was present for any questions on her department’s proposed action item for today, which is a purchase as part of the grant that we are using for increasing re­cycling in Lake County. Director McCarthy advised that this weekend is the kickoff for the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, which has a newly revised starting point in Lake County, due to the conditions. Lake County employee Colleen Wallin is partic­ipating in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon this weekend, and we wish her luck.

MOTION GOUTERMONT, SECOND HO­GENSON: 02 – Approve Consent Agenda as follows:

1. Approve Board of Commissioners’ regular meeting minutes of Febru­ary 11, 2025.

2. Approve Health and Human Ser­vices claims payments in the fol­lowing amounts:

a. Administrative Payments $ 38,420.46

b. Region III Payments $ 36,782.25

c. Special Payments $ 4,483.79

3. Award SAP 038-626-008 to the lowest responsible bidder, Asphalt Surface Technology Corp, aka Astech Corp in the amount of $ 272,296.99 for the 2025 Seal Coat Project on CSAH 26 and various Two Harbors city streets and alleys, pending Two Harbors City Council recommendation to award, and authorize the Board Chair to sign the construction contract pending County Attorney review. Please note, for SAP 038-626-008 (Two Harbors Seal Coat), award is de­pendent on Two Harbors Council recommendation to award.

4. Award SAP 038-598-009 (CP 102- 024-001) to the lowest responsible bidder, Redstone Construction LLC in the amount of $ 2,199,918.00 for the construction of Bridge 38538 on CR 102, Hawk Hill Road, over the Knife River and authorize the Board Chair to sign the construction con­tract pending County Attorney re­view.

5. Authorize the Board Chair to sign the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association’s communal letter of support, on behalf of Lake County, for Minne­sota Legislature 2025 Session Bill SF1116, which will appropriate $1.5 Million for two Gitchi-Gami State Trail projects in Lake County.

6. Appoint the following to the North Shore Cooperative (NSC) Joint Powers Board to serve a one-year term beginning January 1, 2025: Courtney Crilley, Accend Services; Meg Justison, Human Develop­ment Center; David Mills, Cook County Board of Commissioners; Richard (Rick) Hogenson, Lake County Board of Commissioners; Rena Rogers, Cook County School Board; Brittany Anderson, Grand Portage Tribe; Norbert Norman, Lake Superior School District; Emily Simonson, AEOA; Brian Stevenson, Arrowhead Regional Corrections.

7. Approve the appointment of Dean Rudloff and Melissa Pederson, Co- Chairs of the Lake County Local Mental Health Task Force, to the Lake County Health and Human Services Advisory Committee, ef­fective January 1, 2025, for a one-year term.

8. Approve the appointment of Shel­ley Fredrickson, Chair of the Lake County Public Health Task Force, to the Lake County Health and Hu­man Services Advisory Committee, effective January 1, 2025, for a one-year term.

9. Approve the appointment of the fol­lowing to serve on the Lake County Health and Human Services Advi­sory Committee for a term to expire on December 31, 2026: Susan Rosette, Deb Scott, Community Partners; Honor Schauland.

10. This request for board action from the Lake County Information Tech­nology (I.T.) / Information Systems Department affects the County’s windows server licenses and our Adobe Licensing. Our server en­vironment needs yearly licensing per Microsoft’s requirements. This licensing includes not only the op­erating system and environment itself, but the user access licenses required to allow our employees ac­cess. This needs to be purchased yearly in order to legally license and use the windows server products. The bill for our server licensing is $15,620. Our Adobe licenses for Adobe Pro and Adobe Creative Cloud are also purchased through Integris. Lake County has the need to use this software for PDF edits/ creation, as well as web design, map editing, and other visual cre­ative needs. The bill for our Adobe licenses is $8,904. Resolved, the Lake County Board of Commis­sioners authorizes payments in the amounts of $15,620.00 and $8,904.00 to Integris for Windows DataCenter Licenses and user CALS and Adobe licenses. The first invoice extends the renewal date of our server licenses to January 31, 2026. The second invoice extends the renewal date of our Adobe li­censes to February 13, 2026.

11. Authorize the purchase of a Pro-Tainer Recycling Trailer for use at community events or as a recy­cling drop-off location continuing the implementation of the Com­posting and Recycling Waste to Resources Grant Project awarded by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The cost of this item will not exceed $30,000 and will be reimbursed by the Greater Minnesota Recycling and Com­posting Grant by June 30, 2025.

12. Approve out-of-state travel for Lareesa Sandretsky, Community Health Educator and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, to at­tend the National Preparedness Summit in San Antonio from April 29-May 2, 2025.

13. The Lake County Board of Com­missioners hereby adopts this resolution titled: RESOLUTION DESIGNATING HUMAN SER­VICES DIRECTOR TO SIGN ON PROBATE ACCOUNT

WHEREAS the State of Minne­sota has a Medical Assistance Lien against the Estate of ANNA KATH­ERINE HOUSEY which Lake Coun­ty is charged with enforcing, and

WHEREAS Lisa Hanson is the Director of Human Services, which is the County department respon­sible for collecting Medical Assis­tance Liens, and

WHEREAS no other person or entity filed for appointment as the personal representative for the Estate of Anna Katherine Housey, Lake County has petitioned the Court for appointment as Personal Representative of the Estate.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lake County Board of Commissioners approves this resolution designating Lake County Human Services Director, Lisa Hanson, to sign on Probate Account for Lake County as Per­sonal Representative of the Estate of Anna Katherine Housey, and to perform the duties of Personal Representative, including but not limited to deposit, withdraw and sign on the account as Estate Per­sonal Representative of the Estate. Absent: None

MOTION HURD, SECOND BALTICH: 03 – Approve the change in employee status of Duane Fransen, Mechanic, due to completion of probation period effective February 28, 2025. Absent: None

MOTION BALTICH, SECOND GOUTER­MONT: 04 – The Lake County Board of Commissioners hereby adopts this resolu­tion titled: A Resolution of Lake County Supporting the Creation of Streamlined Regulations for Helium Extraction, En­suring Fair Compensation for Mineral Rights Holders, and Optimizing Tax Benefits for the County.

WHEREAS, exploration has re­vealed the presence of helium in Lake County; and

WHEREAS, helium is an invaluable resource used in critical industries such as healthcare, aerospace, defense, and electronics, and its extraction presents an opportunity for economic development in Lake County and the surrounding area; and

WHEREAS, Lake County recogniz­es the importance of ensuring responsible and environmentally sustainable devel­opment of helium resources, balancing economic opportunities with the protection of our community’s health and natural en­vironment; and

WHEREAS, Lake County under­stands that the state is in the process of creating regulations to ensure fair com­pensation for all holders of mineral rights, in the context of helium extraction, and emphasizes the need for these regulations to reflect principles of equity and fairness; and

WHEREAS, Lake County strongly believes that the county where helium is extracted and its respective local govern­ments, should see the greatest benefit from any tax revenue generated by helium extraction, supporting essential public ser­vices, education, infrastructure, and long-term community development; and

WHEREAS, Lake County recogniz­es the need for streamlined and efficient state-level regulations that enable the re­sponsible extraction of helium while safe­guarding the health, safety, and well-being of residents and the environment; and

WHEREAS, Lake County is com­mitted to working collaboratively with the state, industry stakeholders, and the com­munity to ensure that the helium extraction framework balances economic growth with the protection of local interests, ensuring that all aspects of development are benefi­cial to our region;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RE­SOLVED by Lake County:

1. Support for Streamlined Regula­tions: Lake County strongly supports the state’s efforts to create stream­lined regulations for helium extraction, ensuring that the process is efficient, environmentally responsible, and re­flective of the interests of local commu­nities.

2. Fair Compensation for Mineral Rights Holders: Lake County urges the state to finalize and implement regulations that ensure fair and just compensation for all holders of mineral rights.

3. Optimizing Tax Benefits for the County: Lake County requests that the state establish a tax structure for heli­um extraction that ensures the largest portion of tax revenues is directed to the local county and its respective local governments. This revenue should be used to fund vital services, including public safety, education, infrastructure, and community development, in order to enhance the well-being and eco­nomic stability of the region.

4. Collaboration and Communication: Lake County pledges to collaborate closely with the state legislature, state agencies, and industry stakeholders to ensure that the regulatory frame­work for helium extraction benefits the people of Lake County, enhances local governance, and supports the long-term prosperity of the county. Absent: None

MOTION HOGENSON, SECOND BAL­TICH: 05 – Cancel the Agenda meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, 2025, due to lack of quorum. Absent: None

MOTION HURD, SECOND BALTICH: 06 – Adjourn Board meeting of the Lake County Board of Commissioners at 2:49 p.m. Absent: None

The Lake County Board of Commissioners will convene for the following meeting to be held in the Lake County Service Center, Split Rock River Room, 616 Third Avenue, Two Harbors, Minnesota:

• CANCELLED: Agenda meeting on March 4, 2025.

• Regular meeting at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

ATTEST:

Keri Parks

Acting Clerk of the Board

Rich Sve, Board Chairperson

Lake County Board of Commissioners