Koochiching County commissioners approve hiring, back DNR land purchase and move highway funds for new shop

The Koochiching County Board of Commissioners on May 27, 2025, approved a set of routine financial motions and a series of policy- and operations-related items, including filling a full-time transfer-station operator position, a county resolution supporting a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land acquisition using Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) funds, and a transfer of municipal construction funds into the county's regular state-aid construction account to avoid a future deduction.

Why it matters: Hiring and budget moves will affect county operations (solid waste and highways) and a land-transaction resolution enables state funding to complete a multi-county conservation sale that changes ownership of former Potlatch timber lands in the county.

Transfer-station hire and personnel changes

The board approved filling a full-time transfer-station operator position and backfilling resulting internal vacancies. Administrator Cole said the position had previously been funded through the state and that local funding is nearly a wash for the county. Commissioners said leaving the job vacant would have strained remaining staff and reduced recycling and sorting capacity. The motion to fill the position passed without recorded objection.

The board also amended an earlier personnel motion to correct an effective date for the retirement replacement in the environmental services department, extending the effective date to July 11, 2025 to allow additional training time. The board accepted a resignation from a part-time 9-1-1 inspections and dispatcher employee, effective June 1, 2025.

Donations, warrants and routine approvals

The board accepted a $100 cash donation to the sheriff's DARE/coffee fund from Stephen Jester under Minnesota statute 465.03 and approved two warrant voids (one for $3.83.19 and one for $35,194.55) described in the packet as a duplicate payment and a vendor billing error. The board approved agenda and minutes for the May 13, 2025 meeting and approved courthouse, highway, and public-health claims as presented.

Property repurchase

The board approved a tax-collector property repurchase by a former owner for Lot 14, Block 77 in the plat of International Falls, a repurchase process the county said was allowed under state statute when a former owner pays outstanding taxes and fees. The motion passed on voice vote; the packet did not list payment totals in the meeting record.

Vehicle procurement and equipment purchases

Motor pool staff asked for permission to pursue purchase quotes for a 2026 all-wheel-drive Chevrolet Equinox to replace a failing Chrysler 200. The board authorized staff to seek state-bid pricing and local quotes and approved moving forward. The county also approved purchase of a large-format scanner/plotter (recommended vendor Loeffler, quote $12,144.49) from budgeted funds.

DNR land acquisition and RIM funding

Ben Watson and county staff described a multi-year project involving former Potlatch timber lands the county acquired in 2020 with conservation-fund support. The deeds for roughly 560 acres were recorded recently in the county's name, and the remaining roughly 6,160 acres are proposed for the Minnesota DNR to acquire and manage. County staff said a major portion of the original acquisition was funded by what the presentation described as the 'SARSAN Outdoor Heritage Council' and that the DNR intends to apply RIM (Reinvest in Minnesota) funds toward its portion of the purchase. The board adopted a resolution supporting the DNR's use of RIM funds for the acquisition; the staff presentation said the RIM program requires county-board support for such uses.

Timber auction report

As an informational item, staff reported results from the county's May 7 timber auction in Big Falls. The county reported selling just over 31,000 cords of timber for a total sale value of $972,000 and selling about 275,000 pieces of decorative Christmas-tree tips; combined gross sale value reported was just over $1 million. Staff noted prices for spruce tips were lower than the prior year (about $0.50 each versus $0.65'$0.70 previously) and that the auction averaged $38.16 per cord for aspen, up from the January auction but slightly lower than May 2024.

Highway department funding and Mispah maintenance shop

Highway staff asked the board to adopt a resolution authorizing transfer of excess municipal-construction funds into the county's regular construction account to remain within State Aid caps. Staff said the municipal-construction cap was $1,477,000 and that current municipal-account balances plus incoming maintenance funds would push the county over that cap unless funds were rolled into the regular construction account. The board approved transferring funds under State Aid authority to avoid deductions next year.

The board also approved a resolution to use county state-aid highway construction funds for the replacement of the Mispah maintenance shop, noting the county maintains 254.25 miles of county-state-aid highways and 67.03 miles of county roads and that the state-aid share of the project could cover roughly 79% of construction. Highway staff said site layout and concrete work were expected to begin soon and that sewer and well work had not yet been bid; staff indicated they were leaning toward paying sanitary and water infrastructure from maintenance funds rather than construction funds.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve agenda: approved (voice vote). - Approval of minutes, claims and warrants: approved (voice votes). - Accept $100 donation to sheriff's DARE/coffee fund (Stat. 465.03): approved. - Approve warrant voids (one for $3.83.19; one for $35,194.55): approved. - Approve filling full-time transfer-station operator and backfilling: approved (motion by Commissioner Roach; second recorded in packet). - Amend effective date for retirement replacement to July 11, 2025: approved (motion recorded). - Accept resignation of Riley Jacobson, part-time 9-1-1 inspector/dispatcher (effective June 1): approved. - Authorize motor pool to seek quotes for a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox: approved. - Approve Loeffler quote for large-format scanner ($12,144.49): approved. - Approve tax-collector property repurchase for Lot 14, Block 77, plat of International Falls: approved. - Adopt resolution supporting DNR acquisition using RIM funds: approved. - Transfer municipal construction funds to regular construction fund under State Aid rules: approved. - Adopt resolution to use state-aid construction funds for replacement of Mispah maintenance shop: approved.

Context and next steps

Staff will proceed with recruiting and, where appropriate, internal transfers to fill the transfer-station position; highway staff will transfer municipal funds and proceed with construction planning and bidding for the Mispah shop (site concrete work was expected to begin in the following week, and sewer/well bids were still being prepared). The DNR and regional partners will continue closing the conservation acquisition; county support for RIM funding was part of that closing process. The meeting adjourned with no public comments recorded.

(Report based on public proceedings of the Koochiching County Board of Commissioners, May 27, 2025.)