Goodhue County weighs MnDOT limited‑use permit, insurance requirements for snowmobile trails

Goodhue County commissioners on Tuesday reviewed a request tied to the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s limited‑use permit (LUP) process for a short snowmobile crossing in the City of Goodhue and discussed whether the county should sign an LUP that shifts liability to the sponsor.

The issue matters because the county acts as the sponsor for Grants‑in‑Aid snowmobile trails and must certify landowner permissions and benchmarks to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Commissioners were told that signing MnDOT’s LUP in its current form would expose Goodhue County to indemnity obligations that Minnesota County Intergovernmental Trust (MCIT) has said it would not cover; delayed DNR payments to local clubs also hinge on whether a sponsor signs the LUP.

Finance Director Lucas Staling summarized the Grants‑in‑Aid program role and local figures: the DNR awards roughly $84,000 to the county’s trail system this season, Goodhue County’s program includes about 320 trail miles, and the county receives $264 per trail mile. "The benchmark number 1 payment, it's 45% of the total award. So this is it's about $38,000 that'll get split amongst the 6 clubs," Staling said, describing an initial payment that is currently delayed pending resolution of the LUP question.

Minnesota Departmen…