Board committee to schedule special meeting after public hearing on proposed Callahan/Mud Lake district

Residents and staff flagged legal and process concerns after a public hearing on a petition to form a lake district filed Oct. 11.

Public commenter Linda Zilmer, an Edgewater property owner and Birchwood resident, urged the county to return proposals to a public process and to require concrete plans, cost estimates and outside backing before allocating Resource Development Fund dollars. She warned dam projects can cost “several millions of dollars” and said affected property owners were limited to three-minute remarks at the hearing, while a first representative who raised legal issues was later given extra time.

Staff told the board the land/water/forest resources committee will try to schedule a special meeting before next month’s board meeting to gather follow-up information and to make the public-hearing record useful to the county. The committee must issue a report on the hearing to the County Board within three months; the board must act within six months of the hearing. Staff also noted shared costs for the Birch Lake dam repairs with Washburn County (described in the transcript as a 50/50 share) and said the Resource Development Fund purpose includes addressing infrastructure needs.

Board members and staff emphasized the need for due diligence and clear cost and plan information before any allocation of Resource Development Fund dollars. Staff also said they are learning more about lake-district formation and would identify the items needed to make a special meeting productive.