Posted: 7/18/06
EDA interest rates going down
County looking at forming airport commission
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
County commissioners lowered interest rates for business loans from the Houston County Economic Development Authority (EDA) at its July 11 meeting.
The old rates were 5%, 6%, and 7%. The new rates are 4%, 4.5%, and 5%. The EDA has a revolving loan fund balance of $77,760.
EDA director Joyce Iverson recommended the change. She said the old rates werenít much different than what banks were offering. ìThe purpose is to have them be used to benefit local businesses throughout the county,î she said.
Commissioner Tom Bjerke asked if people were aware of the money being available.
ìI can certainly work harder on that,î Iverson responded.
The loans are intended to partially fund new projects or redevelopments.
Iverson presented a 2006 EDA budget of $36,232, which the board approved.
She also said the board is looking for a replacement for Kermit McRae, who resigned on July 5. She and several commissioners praised his work with the group.
Bev Jiardina, a member of the Southern Minnesota Tourism Association (SMTA), attended the meeting with Iverson. Jiardina talked about the importance of tourism, and passed out copies of a magazine called Explore Southern Minnesota.
She also asked the board for its support of SMTA at the rate of 5 cents per capita in 2007. The board has done that in the past.
Board members Larry Graf and Ann Thompson said that local distribution of the magazine was important.
Bjerke said all the tourism efforts should be linked to local web sites. Sometimes people canít find the magazines, he added.
Jiardina is the executive secretary of the La Crescent Chamber of Commerce.
Airport commission?
Iverson recommended that the county establish an airport commission. She said it would be a stronger body than a committee, which is what the county now has to oversee airport issues.
Commissioner Kevin Kelleher said such a commission would need a balance of airport and business people.
The airport committee will study the matter further and look as sample bylaws that Iverson gave the board.
Tree petition, new server
Interim county engineer Tracey Von Bargen talked to the board about a petition the county had received opposing removal of trees and the widening of South Third Street in La Crescent.
ìFor the safety of the road the trees need to go,î Von Bargen said. Commissioners Kevin Kelleher and Dave Corcoran agreed with him.
Von Bargen said the road will be 56 feet wide, with two lanes of traffic each way and a 4' shoulder. There is a more traffic on the road now, he added.
Corcoran said the county could help somehow with the planting of new trees. That would be the property ownersí responsibility, Ann Thompson said.
Von Bergen and information systems director Lindsay Pierce also requested board approval to spent $9,860 for a new server to handle software the the State of Minnesota wants to install in August.
The board voted to OK this, noting that it would come out of next year's budget. the advantage to doing it now is that the county will receive six months of free training and technical assistance, Pierce said.
The software, called One Office Software, keeps better track of paperwork, Von Bergen said.
Yucatan officials concerned
Larry Gaustad and Franklin Hahn from the Yucatan Township board said they were concerned about a loss of funds from a recent land sale.
They were referring to a 658 parcel that the Sween family sold to the State of Minnesota earlier this year for $2.2 million.
The township will receive $1,903 in taxes from the property this year, county assessor Tom Dybing said. Townships received 40 cents per acre from the State of Minnesota last year in lieu of taxes, auditor Pete Johnson said. The county received 3/4 of 1 percent of the landís value.
"So you can see itís quite a difference," Gaustad said. He would like to see more money for the township.
Hahn added that the township did not know about the sale of the land until it was printed in local newspapers. He said the township would have to raise its levy because of the sale. ìWhereís it going to stop?î he asked.
Dybing explained the tax impact in an e-mail to The Argus on July 13. ìThe taxes the township recieved is $1903.22 for pay 2006 on the Sween properties. If the township keeps the same budget this next year the $1,903 will be spread out over the taxable properties in Yucatan Township on the township portion of taxes. The total tax capacity lost because the Sween property goes exempt is $6,315. The total tax capacity in Yucatan is $342,999. The township of Yucatan will lose 1.84% of its tax capacity. If they maintain the same budget next year, the 1.84% would be made up by the remaining taxable properties. The same can be said for the Rushford school district and the Houston County portion of the taxes, but with a much less impact, because the total tax capacity for Houston County and the Rushford school district is much greater. Houston Counties tax capacity loss is 0.05%.î
Other business
ï Personnel: The board approved the hiring of Laurie Bigalk as a full-time public health nurse at step 6, which is $21.92 per hour.
The status of home health aide Anita Meyer was also changed from probationary to regular status.
The board also OKed a new affirmative action/equal opportunity plan.
ï Recycling discussion: Solid waste officer Rick Frank gave commissioners a proposed contract with Waste Management in Spring Valley for recycling appliances. Frank said the cost of disposing of an average load there would be $700, compared to about $1,300 at Scientific Recycling in Holmen Wisconsin, which the county presently uses.
Kevin Kelleher said he liked the fact that it would be saving money and supporting Minnesota jobs.
Tom Bjerke, who toured the Spring Valley facility on June 28 with Frank, said it was not the cleanest site in the world. He felt there was the potential for problems. ìThis other place [Scientific Recycling] you could eat off the floor,î he said.
Kelleher said he would like to hear from both companies before a decision is made.
ï Watershed news: The board approved three ìassurances related to real property acquisitionî for two parcels of land in the Bear Creek Watershed south of Spring Grove.
Ralph Tuck, director of the Root River Solid and Water Conservation District, requested the approvals so that the district would build watershed structures on the properties.
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