Cass County residents can pay online

WALKER -- People using Cass County services not only will be able to use e-credit card services, they'll also be able to make electronic check payments.

Auditor-Treasurer Sharon Anderson said the new service, SameDayPay.com, will cost customers only $3 per transaction, compared with a percent of the transaction for e-credit card services. It will cost the county nothing.

Few people have used the e-credit card service, Anderson said, because of the high percentage cost for paying property taxes. The e-check service will be minimal by comparison, so she expects many more people to take advantage of e-checking.

She reported 2003 interest income on the county general fund was only $109,875.66 after two months, compared with the proposed $125,000. Some investments pay on maturity, so Anderson said she expects the anticipated income to be more on target by April.

By delaying a decision on which firm to hire to audit the county telephone service, the original contractor, Shald, cut service costs, Anderson said. When this contract expires next year, the board expects to seek bids.

The board authorized Anderson to spend up to $4,500 to complete land parcel mapping of the city of Walker, the last city in the county to be completed.

U.S. Forest Service plans to develop a Rice Lake Resource Management Project south and southwest of Remer, Anderson informed the board. Part of the project involves plugging a constructed drainage ditch and rerouting water flowage back into the Willow River.

Much of the land is low lying. It encompasses 23,500 acres, 11,500 of which the U.S. Forest Service owns.

Anderson said the ditch was created as Judicial Ditch No. 1. Because it crosses counties lines, it will require Cass and Aitkin County Board representatives to jointly vote to abandon or partially abandon the ditch before the forest services can reroute water into the river.

Commissioners Dick Downham and Jim Dowson were selected to represent the Cass board in a March 27 meeting with forest service representatives in Walker to begin this process.

The board approved an updated contract with Deep Portage Conservation Foundation to enable the foundation to continue to operate programs on the property and within facilities the county owns east of Hackensack.

The board referred to Maple Township for comment the estimated $48,127.50 cost estimate to improve the intersection of 72nd Street with CSAH 1.