Stevens County board approves fee schedule, grants commitment and multiple highway contracts; routine warrants and personnel actions passed

Stevens County commissioners approved a suite of routine and discretionary actions during the meeting, including a new auditor-treasurer fee schedule for standalone elections, formal acceptance of a hazard mitigation grant commitment and several highway contracts and purchases.

Key votes at the meeting included approval of an auditor-treasurer fee schedule that sets labor and equipment rates for standalone municipal elections. Auditor-Treasurer Sofia proposed $45 per hour for staff, $70 per hour for the auditor, $100 per electronic poll pad, $150 per assisted-voting "omniballot" machine and $300 per DS200 tabulator, with programming and ballot supplies charged at cost. Commissioners voted to adopt the schedule.

The board also approved a letter of commitment and a resolution required for a hazard-mitigation plan update and matching funds; county staff said the county's in-kind match would be sufficient and designated the sheriff, the county administrator and the county emergency manager as authorized signatories for the subgrant agreement. A motion to approve the resolution and letter passed unanimously.

Highway and public-works items approved included: final payment to Wagner Companies on CP 0.24-02 (retainage release), and awarding a paving contract (P 075608033) to the low bidder, Mark Grama of Fergus Falls, at $2,087,219.15. Commissioners also approved purchasing a replacement 4,000-gallon prefab water tank kit for the county's water truck (low quote from Superior Tank Fabrication, $29,431.23) to be installed by county shop staff.

Routine business included approval of the minutes and the auditor and commissioner warrants; the board also approved human services warrants totaling $95,115.16.

Personnel actions: the board accepted the resignation of Caitlin Silver, child-protection social worker, effective April 25, and voted to backfill the position. Commissioners also approved a number of departmental reports and the planning commission's recommendation to approve a conditional-use permit for John and Holly Riley to construct a single-family dwelling in the shoreland zoning district; the planning commission recommended approval 6–0 and the board moved to accept that recommendation.

Votes and motions were recorded as procedural approvals during the meeting; no detailed roll-call tallies of named votes were recorded in the public transcript for most items.

A fuller list of motions and outcomes is below.