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Solid waste disposal prices will remain the same for county in ‘09
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
Prices for everything keep going up, right? Solid Waste Officer Rick Frank brought some welcomed news to the Houston County Board July 15 when he reported rates La Crosse Solid Waste Department will be charging in 2009 will be the same as they were this year.
According to Frank, the county sent 9,565 tons of waste material to La Crosse County last year. Of that total, 4,393 tons of material went to the French Island incinerator at $60 per ton, while the remaining 5,172 tons went to the landfill at $39 per ton.
Waste collection program
Frank informed the county board of a new waste pesticide collection program the state is offering to counties. The state will pay for both a waste pesticide collection program for the residential sector, as well as the ag sector.
The board unanimously passed a resolution to approve enrollment in the program. Two residential collections will be scheduled for August and September, and an ag waste pesticide collection will be scheduled for late fall or early spring.
Recycling center repairs
The county only received one bid for roof repairs and a new overhead door for the recycling center. The bid was from Caledonia Lumber for $3,809.40. The bid was unanimously approved.
Out of chlorine
County Highway Engineer Marcus Evans told the board his department has used up its supply of dust-inhibiting chlorine. With the Highway 76 detour, many local drivers are taking to the gravel roads to get to their destinations, instead of the CSAH 27 through Spring Grove.
“We’re hoping to get more by the end of July, but that’s just a guess right now,” Evans said. “If we get too many complaints from people living near the Highway 76 detour, we might have to contact the state and ask them for some help. It’s their project. They are creating the problem.”
Evans also noted bituminous prices continued to be a concern, as they are directly related to escalating petroleum prices. He added that he had heard that Olmsted County had received a favorable bid, but felt there are probably more paving companies in the Rochester area, making the bidding process more competitive.
“With bituminous almost double what it was a year ago, some counties are looking at concrete. But the trucking is so much more with concrete, so I really don’t see that as a viable alternative,” Evans added.
Personnel issues
Personnel Director Tim Comstock reviewed three different personnel issues with the board.
The first was approving the hiring of Maria Betz as a temporary employee with the Highway Department to help with the FEMA paperwork from the June 2008 floods. Her salary will be reimbursed by FEMA.
The second was approving the resignation of Engineering Supervisor Matt Kopp, who worked for the county since December 2006. The board discussed the difficulty of hiring a certified civil engineer in Houston County, with the pay scale here compared with larger cities or the metro area.
The third issue was an insurance premium snafu with one of the two probation officers that were county employees, but are now state employees. The county board approved that the officers be allowed to remain on the county’s health insurance until they are eligible for coverage from the state.
However, one of the officers is enrolled in family and dependant coverage and will be required to pay a portion of the premium for that coverage from the state starting July 1. This employee will be paying two premiums for family and dependent coverage. Comstock felt since the county’s action to contract with the state is what caused this issue, the county should pay all insurance costs for maintaining this employee’s current insurance coverage through the end of July. The board approved the request.
Flood grant extended
The 2007 flood grant was prematurely closed out by the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA. According to Comstock there is still $8,493.30 in the account. The board approved extending the granting period until Feb. 22, 2009.
Change of ownership approved
The board approved the change of ownership for the service portion of Loken Auto Sales and Service. The Lokens had received a Houston County EDA Flood Recovery Loan to help them recoup damages incurred to their Houston business during the August 2007 floods.
One of the stipulations of the flood recovery loan program was in the event of the sale of any assets of the borrower, which served as collateral for the loan, the net proceeds resulting from such sale needs to be fully applied towards the borrower’s obligation on the note.
Houston County Attorney Suzanne Bublitz reviewed the language of the flood recovery loan, as well as the contract for deed between the Lokens and Chad Rosendahl, and felt with the stipulations in place, it was doable. The Loken’s business must remain in tact, and the county board must give prior consent before the sale could go through.
The contract for deed between Lokens and Rosendahl is for five years. The Lokens will start paying off the flood recovery loan in 2011.
The board unanimously approved the request.
County auction Aug. 12
The county auction will be held Aug. 12 at 4:30 p.m. at the County Highway Department. Johnston Auction submitted the low bid to conduct the auction at 5 percent commission.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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