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County GIS staff outline new tools: section‑corner IDs, imagery, NextGen 911 and online code
Summary
Mark Sloan and GIS staff briefed the board on department growth, rollout of section‑corner BLM ID searches and an online map, re‑monumentation work, new aerial and oblique imagery, NextGen 911 submissions, a sign inventory roll‑out, a new forms platform and in‑house recodification of the county code.
Mark Sloan, director of GIS and communications, told the board on Feb. 11 that the department has five full‑time staff and expanded services after recent staffing changes.
The department is rolling out a BLM identification number search and a mobile‑friendly map application to make recorded section corners easier to find for surveyors and the public. Mark said the county also funds a contracted re‑monumentation program at about $42,000 per year and has completed six townships to date; the work produces coordinates that are used to update the county parcel fabric.
High‑resolution aerial imagery captured in April 2024 is now available to staff and will appear in online maps soon; an oblique imagery capture is scheduled for spring 2025. Mark said Clay County delivered NextGen 911 data (roads, address points, emergency service zones) to the Minnesota enterprise system and that the county is accepted into the statewide dataset.
The department plans an in‑house sign‑inventory system for county and residential blue house number signs (about 4,800 signs countywide) and will implement it before sign season. Communications staff will roll out a new digital forms platform that supports payments and will publish the county code online after an in‑house recodification that Mark estimated saved about $20,000 versus outsourcing.
Mark highlighted the department’s role supporting other county functions — from the Soil & Water staff to county meeting streaming — and noted staff gave presentations outside the county, including a recent conference presentation on the re‑monumentation program.
Commissioners praised the department’s work on NextGen 911 and other regional collaborations. The board did not take formal action on the update; staff said projects would be scheduled and returned to the board as needed.
