County tobacco ordinance passes easily

Several Carlton County health staff and about 25 other people attended the year-end meeting of the Carlton County Board of Commissioners Dec. 23 to support and finally clap when a new tobacco ordinance was passed unanimously. It is believed that this ordinance will decrease tobacco and vaping use by young adults by controlling access to those products to the age of 21.

Nine letters of support came to the commissioners from sources such as the state Department of Health, the American Lung Association and medical provider Essentia.

Only one retailer spoke of his concern that restrictions on menthol cigarette sales, a mainstay of the cigarette retail trade locally, will impact the bottom line of those businesses.

Community Memorial Hospital CEO Rick Breuer voiced his support for the ordinance. “This will do more to help the health of our community than any other move I can think of,” he said.

Among the many points made in favor of the sale ban until age 21 is the statistic that 95 percent of current smokers started before the age of 21.

Three days before the county meeting, President Donald Trump signed a $1.4 trillion spending package that included a measure to raise the age for buying tobacco from 18 to 21. The tobacco provision makes it a violation of federal law to sell tobacco to anyone under 21. It applies to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping cartridges. The federal law will go into effect this summer across the country.

County attorney Lauri Ketola told the Pine Knot News Tuesday that the local ordinance doesn’t have an effective date yet, and noted that the local law is likely more restrictive than the federal ruling will be.

Board sets salaries

The board set next year’s salaries for the commissioners and other elected officials and per diem meeting rates at the final meeting of the year.

Commissioner salaries drew intense discussion with chairman Dick Brenner making a motion for a 2.25-percent increase and Bodie seconding. Brenner said it is not out of line with salary contracts with other county employees.

Commissioner Gary Peterson said the increase of Social Security payments was at 1.6 percent for the coming year and it was the amount that many of the county residents live on. Brenner said the comparison was not applicable.

“Why would we follow a supposed increase of 1.6 percent for Social Security recipients when the federal government manipulates the real figure by upping each person’s contribution to Medicare coverage?” Brenner asked.

The 2.25 percent salary increase for commissioners was approved 3-2 with Peterson and Tom Proulx voting “no.” The county attorney and sheriff’s salaries were raised by the same percentage as were all department heads not represented by a union.

Regular commissions and committees were raised $10 to $60 per meeting with the exception of the Board of Adjustment, which is at $65. Mileage was set at 58 cents, following federal guidelines. Commissioner per diems and reimbursement for meals remain the same as last year.

In other news:

• Ben Anderson of Straightline Surveying was appointed as the new County Surveyor to replace longtime office holder Bill Hayden.

• County economic development director Mary Finnegan received board approval for a $70,000 loan to a couple from Wright to open a bulk candy store behind Kwik Trip on U.S. Highway 210 off Interstate 35. Finnegan said the store is based on a current business model now in operation in a suburb of Minneapolis. The owners are Jon and Ashley Parrott, who have invested about $100,000 for the project and have borrowed more than $800,000.

• A six-month building lease extension was granted for the ACT Team, which helps people with mental illness. Plans had been set for a move into the old Cloquet city hall that was purchased by the county. County coordinator Dennis Genereau said the remodeling cost of the facility for county use exceeded the amount the county could spend without calling for bids. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the six-month lease extension.