County will explore courtroom in Cloquet City Hall

The Carlton County Board of Commissioners are considering a rather novel use for the current Cloquet City Council Chambers, once the city employees move down the street and the current building becomes county property.

“Let us see if Sixth District Chief Judge [Sally] Tarnowski would be open to having a courtroom established in the purchased current Cloquet City Hall boardroom,” said Commissioner Dick Brenner, chair of the Committee of the Whole (COW) at the Dec. 4 COW meeting. “We, as a County Board, are having pressure from our Sixth Judicial District to establish a third courtroom and more space for the courts.”

County Coordinator Dennis Genereau said he would open discussions with the courts about the possibility as quickly as possible.

“Security is a big concern in the present courthouse,” he said, adding that the new space at the purchased City Hall may be available as early as April and could provide a home for several yet-to-be determined departments. “Chief Judge Tarnowski has made probably four trips to assess the court program and space at the courthouse within this last year. She has given a number of suggestions. Building new would be very costly. The purchased City Hall would provide us with a lot of room without a budget-busting cost.”

Brenner wants the county to consider everything.

“We have a long list of building needs which also include a jail,” the longtime commissioner said. “We have to look at all options for long-term solutions.”

In other news, County Engineer JinYeene Neumann stated that the Highway Department has a contract with Nickerson Township in northeastern Pine County. The Township pays the Carlton County Highway Department $5,000 a year for snowplowing, grading, and some culvert replacement. Pine County does no maintenance work or snowplowing for their townships.

“Why are we using county tax dollars to handle township work outside of our county?” Neumann asked. “I believe we should try to improve services within Carlton County with the tax dollars provided. I bring up this subject to get some direction before I meet with Nickerson Township officials.”

Commissioner Gary Peterson asked if the county makes or loses money on the work and whether or not equipment wear and tear was figured into costs.

The county engineer will come back to the county board with an in-depth cost analysis of the work for Nickerson Township before further action is taken.

Jared Hovi, coordinator of the county’s GIS system, gave his annual report. Use of the system by the public has been increasing. The GIS staff is focused on preparing for the 2020 Census, having reviewed more than 10,000 addresses in Carlton County and updating more than 700. “We are working hand-in-hand with the state demographer to ensure that every one of our residents is counted,” Genereau said, adding that it was “a good move to put the GIS system under the Land Department.”

Hovi said the implementation of the GIS system has increased the efficiency of using information in the daily workings of such departments as Transportation, Assessors and Zoning.

“During the flooding of 2018 in southeastern Carlton County, our department pinpointed all the trouble spots in five hours rather than the two or three days it would have taken previously,” Hovi said. “This is a good example of the success of the GIS effort.”