Commissioners ponder how to pay for new Barnum shop

All options are on the table as Carlton County board commissioners try to figure out how to pay up to $10 million for a new or renovated shop building at the Carlton CountyTransportation Center in Barnum.

During its Tuesday, June 11 regular session meeting, the board called for public input at a hearing to be held at 9 a.m. July 9 during its regular monthly meeting. Public input is being encouraged in person or by writing a letter.

Funding for the transportation garage, whether it’s from a wheelage tax or using monies from the half-cent county sales tax, would have to cover a bond payment of $600,000 a year. If the wheelage tax is implemented, $10 paid at the time of licensing one’s vehicle would raise $300,000 annually and $20 per year would raise $600,000.

“All funding sources are being considered,” explained commissioner Gary Peterson in a phone conversation. “We, as commissioners, are in a difficult situation — a perfect storm, in which not only do we have to consider state pressure to build a new jail at the same time we are needing to upgrade the Barnum garage and renovation work is needed in the present courthouse.”

Peterson explained that the Barnum garage was built at a time when the county’s road equipment was much smaller.

“Now, whether summer or winter, some work has to be done outside by our crew because the equipment with attachments, such as our snowplows, will not fit in the building,” he said. “The present building by itself needs renovation on old plumbing, electrical, and even the locks on the doors. The technology for equipment maintenance has far outpaced our capabilities in the room we currently have.”

In the past few years the half-cent county sales tax has raised an average of $1.8 million yearly which has been dedicated to certain projects for roads numbered above 100. At its inception almost five years ago, then county engineer Mike Tardy promoted the sales tax as funding aging roadways that had little hope of repair because of the funding restrictions from limited state monies available. A dedicated list was approved by the county board and has been updated periodically since.

Assistant county engineer Milt Hagen said the sales tax has been a good thing for county roads.

“I have worked for the County Transportation Department for 28 years and the half-percent sales tax has made it possible to repair our roadways more in the last four years than was done in the rest of the time I have worked here,” Hagen said. “The list of road upgrades is long for both tarred and gravel roads numbered above 100 and will take years to accomplish. Then, of course, repairs on the newest upgrades will start again one day.”

In other county board action, the Carlton County auditor/treasurer’s office was authorized to hold funds for each ambulance service in the county until a new ambulance was purchased by one of the services. The $15,000 budgeted each year is earmarked by the county to each ambulance district and is dedicated for ambulance purchase only.

It was reported at the board meeting that Cloquet buys a new ambulance every other year. The North-Western Ambulance District based out of Cromwell recently put into service a new ambulance in 2018 and due to rising costs may not buy another one for many years. This ambulance will be upgraded as technology changes.

After a hearing and approval by the planning commission and county board action, Ramona Laveau was given permission to subdivide 55.7 acres at 560 County Road 4, Wrenshall, amending the Official Zoning Map of Carlton County. Family members are going to buy or build on the three parcels. Part of the acreage will be switched from A-1 Agricultural/Forest Management to A-2 Agricultural/Residential, yet is consistent with the zoning in that neighborhood.

A cabin and lot at 3982 Little Hanging Horn Circle in Barnum was forfeited for nonpayment of property tax in December 2018. The former owner has been notified that the personal property of a pontoon and three kayaks will be sold through a local auction house.

The Oldenburg Arts and Cultural Community received funding from the Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and is sponsoring a number of events during the summer to encourage public awareness of how pollinators such as birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals sustain our ecosystem and help produce part of our food. The county board gave approval to use county parking areas for some events with the condition that insurance was provided and no harm was done to the areas.