Caledonia Argus

County OKs local JOBZ changes

Posted: 6/22/04

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

The Houston County Board of Commissioners passed two motions that would allow Winona Controls tax breaks for expanding in the cityís industrial park.

At a public hearing on June 15, the board approved a Job Opportunity Building Zone (JOBZ) subzone modification for the portion of a new Winona Controls building.

Winona Controls does mechanical service and installation for commercial and industrial customers for things like plumbing, heating, air conditioning, building automation, and high pressure piping.

Winona Controls owner Randy Klinski said the building would cost about $250,000, and would take 6-8 months to construct.

Joyce Iverson, Community/Bus-iness Development Coordinator for Southeast Minnesota Development Corporation, said the state now needs to craft a relocation agreement, because the business is moving from its rural location in Sheldon township to the cityís industrial park.

The Caledonia school board will also be apprised of it, she said.

JOBZ provides tax exemptions to qualifying businesses in exchange for job creation. Fourth district commissioner Dave Corcoran said the program is designed to create better paying jobs.

With the JOBZ program, Winona Controls could save an estimated $60,000 in property taxes, based on a projected assessment increase of about $6,000 per year for ten years. Corporate and sales tax exemptions are possible as well.

Klinski said that the new building will help them grow their customer base, and that he is excited about it. The project will create two new full-time jobs, and will retain eight full-time jobs. The state of Minnesota will make the final decision on whether the application will be approved as a relocation. Klinskiís proposed site is outside the JOBZ zone, and a land swap will be necessary. The county board also approved that on June 12 as a preliminary step to state approval.

(See sidebar ìJOBZ in a nutshellî for more on the program.)

Auction discussed

The board also debated whether to hold an auction for items that are no longer being used by the county, the sheriffís office, the City of La Crescent, ABLE, and the extension office.

Some board members thought there were not enough items to justify an auction, and wondered whether it should even be held. They decided to put a small ad in the local papers telling people that there is a sale, but not list the items. The sale will be on Tuesday, August 17 at 4:30 in the public works building, 1124 East Washington Street, Caledonia.

Highway department news

At the regular county board meeting that followed the JOBZ hearing, Houston County engineer Allen Henke talked about bids on the state aid project on County Road 29, which is a joint project between the county and the City of La Crescent. Henke said the La Crescent city officials were not comfortable with the low bid, which came in 26 percent over the estimate, so they want to wait.

Dave Corcoran made a motion to rebid the job in the fall so that there would be more time to get it done. He said if it were rebid now, there would not be enough time to finish the job.

The project involves reconstructing County Road 29 from North Second Street to the Houston/Winona County line.

ï Seal coating on County Roads 18 and 21 will start the week of June 21, Henke said.

ï Ann Thompson said she would like to see the highway department work on its requests for proposals for federal money for the Houston County airport. The board had committed to doing this last fall, Thompson said. This is the first step toward getting airport improvements, Henke said after the meeting.

Courtroom security

Court administrator Darlene Larson and technology coordinator Lindsay Pierce updated the board on a courthouse surveillance camera system. Larson asked the board to approve up to $2,500 for a system that would include up to 16 cameras. The board did so unanimously. Pierce praised the digital system, in which images are stored on a computer hard drive. The goal of having the cameras is to improve security in the courtroom area. Larson and jail administrator Mark Schiltz had made an initial pitch for it at the June 1 county board meeting.

Larry Graf, district one commissioner, was absent from the meeting, which lasted an hour.

Personnel items

ï The board approved an unpaid military leave for Tom Moenck from July 17 to August 15. Moenck is in the Army Reserves.

ï The board approved the hiring of Deborah Hartley as a full-time case aide in the human services department. She replaces Jennifer Stark, and will start on June 28.

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