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County agrees to buy Havel property for landfill buffer, to use landfill enterprise funds
Summary
Crow Wing County approved a $150,000 purchase of the Havel property to create a buffer for the landfill; staff said the payment is the owner's asking price and will be paid from landfill enterprise (tipping-fee) funds, not levy tax dollars.
The Crow Wing County board approved the purchase of the Havel property to create a buffer around the county landfill, accepting the owner's asking price of $150,000. Commissioners questioned the price relative to taxable valuations, noting a 2026 taxable value listed at about $71,000, but staff said the county views the parcel as uniquely valuable as a landfill buffer and that the transaction is not arm's-length.
Jessica Shea (landfill/finance staff) told the board the purchase will be paid from the landfill enterprise fund — tipping fees collected from landfill users — and that a previously planned $120,000 boiler replacement project will be deferred so the landfill funds can cover the purchase. "It will all be out of the landfill enterprise fund," she said. Commissioners raised concerns about whether paying above assessed values would set a local market precedent; county staff said those purchases reflect county-specific value and are not good market indicators for general appraisal.
The motion to adopt the consent item that included the Havel purchase passed. The board did not change levy tax rates to fund the purchase; staff emphasized the money comes from user fees tied to landfill operations rather than levy dollars.
