County works on saving cell phone expense

Crow Wing County expects to save $500 a month on cellular phone bills.

The Crow Wing County Board updated its cellular phone usage policy Tuesday. The county will save money and will receive better cellular services.

The county uses cellular phone services from Cellular One and will save money by changing its plan from an analog to a digital plan. Initial equipment costs will be $2,401, which will offset savings for the first five months.

The county currently has one account and uses 5,100 minutes. Now, each department will have its own separate account and staff will be responsible for their own minutes.

The county also will save money because Cellular One offers a seasonal plan for departments that only use the phones during the construction season and not during the winter months.

In September, the county's cellular phone bill was about $1,724. The county has 40 phones.

In other county business, the commissioners:

Approved the purchase of the 2002 capital outlay items. The county is working on ordering all of its equipment at one time to save money.

Adopted a resolution to authorize Central Minnesota Housing Partnership to submit an application for administrative authority to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to participate in the HOME Rental Rehabilitation Program.

Approved a tentative agreement with the Organization of Non-Contract Employees for 2002-03.

Approved the purchase of an imported malinois or German shepherd dog between 18 to 26 months old for the sheriff's department for $4,500. The dog will be purchased through Performance Kennels Inc. The dog will be tested in the areas of apprehension and scent work, ball and search drive and its sociability around adults and small children. The dog is guaranteed to be psychologically and physically suitable for basic patrol dog school and public demonstrations.

Currently the sheriff's department has two dogs.

Approved a final plat consisting of 18 lots for year round use in the Rueskens Additions to Hole-In-The-Day-Woods. Charles and Carolyn Ruesken requested the plat. The Rueskens also received approval to have seven other lots change from a rural residential to residential district.

Agreed that an Environment Assessment Worksheet be prepared on the proposed plat of Fox Ridge Estates, a development by Taylor Investments. The 61-acre property has 24 lots and is located in the Unorganized Territory on the east shore of North Long Lake.

This property has 1,000 feet of sensitive wetlands and aquatic habitat that lot owners would have to cross. Boat traffic in the shallow water in the area is also a concern because it could destroy aquatic plants that provide spawning, cover, nursery and feeding sites for fish, amphibians, waterfowl and other water birds that are dependent on near shore habitat.

Approved a joint committee between Brainerd and the county for the airport runway expansion project.

Agreed to extend a contract to Dec. 31 with Best Inc. for food services at the jail and detention center.

Agreed to continue to have intern Luke Hamilton in the sheriff's department as part of an education scholarship from the state. Hamilton served as an intern last year and is currently in the law enforcement program.

Waived 30 days for the tax increment financing district in Crosslake. The TIF is to be used to reduce costs incurred by the city for the installation of a sewer system.

Heard the 2001 year end wetland conservation report from Keith Pohl of the Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District. The district had 782 information requests compared to 666 in 2000. There were 398 site visits and six replacement applications.

The district's violations decreased last year from 15 violations in 2000 to four.

Agreed to pay $6,365 to fund the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to expedite the processing of the county's solid waste permit applications to allow leachate recirculation at the county's landfill site.