|
County board supports off-road vehicle recreation area in county
|
|
|
By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
If all goes as planned, Houston County may become the destination for four-wheelers and off-road enthusiasts. State officials feel this could generate $800,000 in additional revenues for area businesses.
The Minnesota Four-Wheel Drive Association is in the process of establishing a hill climbing facility and series of trails in the Houston area. A meeting was held several weeks ago where representatives of the state association, the Minnesota DNR and Houston-area landowners discussed the possibility of a facility in the area.
The Houston County Board approved a resolution at the Nov. 17 board meeting supporting efforts by the Twin Cities-based organization to locate an off-road vehicle recreation area in the county.
The Minnesota association works with the DNR to establish off-road vehicle recreation areas and trails. The land is purchased through state grant-in-aid programs, with the money coming from gas tax revenues.
At the Nov. 17 board meeting, County Financial Director Casey Bradley explained if the land is purchased by the DNR, the county will still derive property taxes through the “payment in lieu of taxes” program.
According to County EDA Director Jordan Wilms, who has been working with this project, the Minnesota Four-Wheel Drive Association has been working with the DNR for a number of years establishing trails and also several off-road vehicle recreation areas in northern Minnesota. The organization has been looking at Houston County for some time and feels this area could realize some substantial economic benefits with the establishment of a recreation area.
“The City of Houston has been quite receptive to this,” Wilms said. “This could be a real benefit to the area.”
In other board action:
MCIT dividend payment
County Auditor Char Meiners reported the county received a check for $98,034 from the Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust. The dividend consisted of $33,961 attributed to the county’s worker’s compensation coverage and $64,073 attributed to the county’s property/casualty coverage.
New lap top for Meiners
The board approved the purchase of a new lap top for Meiners. She explained that her old computer is wearing out and will not even run many of the newer programs required for her office. She added that she had money in the 2009 budget for the computer upgrade. The new computer will cost $1,478.88.
County receives award
Human Resources Director Tess Arrick-Kruger informed the board the county is one of four counties in the state that will be honored by the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) for having the most improved worker’s compensation during the past year.
“This really says a lot for the people who work for Houston County,” Kruger stated. “Our employees have taken the issue of safety to heart.”
Meeting notices
Meiners noted that the Dec. 8 county board meeting will be cancelled, as this is when the AMC conference is being held. There will be four board meetings in December however, as the board will meet Dec. 29, which is the fifth Tuesday of the month.
The board has scheduled a public hearing to be held during the Dec. 15 board meeting on the proposed county fees for 2010.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
