Kuha joins list of retiring officials

WALKER - The Baby Boom retirement effect has hit Cass County government in a big way the last two years.

Cass County Assessor Steve Kuha became the latest of several department heads when he announced Tuesday he plans to retire after 27 years, effective April 30.

Other department heads to retire recently included Health, Human and Veterans Services Director Dorothy Opheim, Building and Grounds Supervisor Tom Emery, Land Commissioner Norm Moody and Environmental Services Director John Sumption.

In his report to the county board Tuesday, Kuha said the number of home sales in the county continued to decline in 2009 to 564 or about one-third of the number sold in 2004. The number of homes sold in October through December 2009 rose slightly over 2008 sales.

The number of homes going into foreclosure (including contracts for deed canceled) continued an upward swing. There were 36 foreclosures in 2009, up from 30 in 2008 and 24 in 2007. Only eight of those involved had an adjustable rate mortgage.

Of the 36, 24 were homesteaded properties, nine were cabins, one was agricultural and two were commercial. The vast majority were valued under $400,000 and had mortgage amounts below $400,000. Two were valued at $1 million.

Health Human and Veterans Services Director Ane Rogers reported to the county board that agency spent only 87.74 percent of the 2009 budget, partially due to the fact out-of-home child placements ran 21 percent under budget.

Rogers told the county board information the county is receiving from the state indicates, depending upon the results of court and state legislative action, Cass County could face anywhere from $10,000 to $200,000 in added costs for people affected by Gov. Tim Pawlenty's cancellation of medical insurance coverage for persons receiving General Assistance Medical Care.

Cass currently has 150 GAMC clients.

Linda Nye, child support collections supervisor, informed the board the state is considering shifting that program from county operated to state or regionally operated. That program collects money the court sets from non-custodial parents to pay to custodial parents for their children's support.

If the Legislature makes such a change, Nye told the board it would reduce customer service, cause a loss of local county jobs, cause a loss of 66 percent federal reimbursement, which helps support county infrastructure and leaves the county with an unknown future financial contribution to the state without the benefit of federal reimbursement to the county.

The proposal calls for regions to be based the same as the court system, which would put Cass in a region based at Bemidji.

Mary Kowalski, Roosevelt and Lawrence Area Lakes Association president, obtained board approval for that association to receive $30,000 over the next two years to match a $44,000 state Board of Soil and Water Resources grant to conduct tests on private sewer systems surrounding Roosevelt, Lawrence, Leavitt and Smokey Hollow lakes.

Money for that project will come from the county's Fund 73, which already has helped pay for thousands of private sewer inspections on numerous lakes in the county. Fund 73 is a designated conservation fund resulting from the county's sale of former state leased lots. Only the interest on the fund can be spent.

The commissioners established a policy for the land department to use in processing timber trespasses onto county land, with a process for identifying whether a trespass was intentional or unintentional. The policy also sets a procedure for resolving cases.

They lowered the zoning fees charged to resorts for new construction from 25.8 cents per square foot to 20 cents. They tabled action on any changes to the commercial property fee structure.