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County to advance fair board $20,000
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
After listening to some compelling testimony by Houston County Fair Board President Elden Pohlman and County Financial Director Casey Bradley, the Houston County Board agreed to advance the fair board $20,000.
Up until 2008, the county budgeted $25,000 to help fund what many feel is the best “small county” fair in the state. When state budget cuts hit in 2008, the amount the county budgeted was cut to $18,000.
The funding cuts (which totaled $14,000 over a two-year period) and the floods of 2007, which produced a $17,000 loss, have really put the fair board in the hole, according to Pohlman.
“When you figure those losses in with the fact the fair board had to spend considerable money for some needed updates, you can see how they are in a financial bind,” Bradley added.
Bradley went on to explain the county can not loan the money to the fair board. But the county can give the fair board an advance. He recommended the county give the Houston County Agricultural Society a $20,000 advance. Over the next 10 years the county will subtract $2,000 per year out of the line item budget for the fair board.
“I think this is something we should approve,” Commissioner Dave Corcoran said. “The county owns the property and the fair board owns the buildings. They (the buildings) need to be maintained. The 2007 floods and our budget cuts have really hurt them. They had a great fair this year and this is one of the best county fairs around. It’s something we all take pride in.”
Corcoran made a motion to approve Bradley’s recommendation. His motion was seconded by Commissioner Tom Bjerke and unanimously passed.
In other board action:
Zoning requests
The county board went along with a number of recommendations made by the County Planning and Zoning Commission. They included:
• Denying a 19-foot variance request by Scott Halverson of Hokah Township to meet the required 20-foot setback from a public right of way to plant shrubs and a 15-foot variance to meet the required 20-foot setback from a public right of way to build a shed. According to Zoning Administrator Bob Scanlan, the P&Z Commission felt Halverson had adequate property to have the shed and shrubs farther off the roadway.
• Approved an 800-foot variance made by Steve and Kendra Van Gundy of Houston Township to meet the required quarter-mile setback from a registered feedlot to build a house. The board also approved a conditional use permit requested by the Van Gundys to build a house on less than 40 acres in an ag district. The Van Gundys plan to replace their current mobile home with a stick-built house.
• Approved 37 zoning permits that included 20 ag buildings, nine house additions and seven new stick-built, modular and/or mobile homes.
HR training tool
The board approved entering into an agreement with J.J. Keller for a 27-month subscription for an on-line human resources and training service. County HR Director Tess Arrick-Kruger and Emergency Services Coordinator Kurt Kuhlers brought the request to the board.
Kruger explained that the on-line service would provide a myriad of services that included recruiting, developing salary surveys, employee surveys and affirmative action plans, regulatory and compliance information services, continued education and certification for various department heads, to name a few.
Kuhlers said it would be a good service for his department and had $970 in an EMS fund that could be used to help pay for the service.
Kruger said the cost to the county would be $2,395 for 27 months. With $970 coming from the EMS grant, the cost to the county would be $1,425.
Annual audit
Carla Blahnik of the State Auditor’s Office did a brief overview of the state’s latest audit with the commissioners.
She said for the most part, the county’s revenues and expenses were in pretty good shape. She noted the county experienced major expenses during the 2007 and 2008 floods, where expenses far exceeded revenues.
“It’s best to have revenues higher than expenses, and the county has done a good job of this, except for those two years,” Blahnik said.
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