County reaches labor agreement with highway workers

Crow Wing County reached an agreement with the highway department with no increase for 2010 or 2011.

There are 30 people in the unit, officially the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local Number 49 AFL-CIO. The highway workers are not taking a 1.5 percent cost of living increase for 2010 or a 2 percent increase for 2011.

Tami Laska, human resources director, said the county will save about $90,000 without the cost of living increases, which were in the budget. The ratified settlement is effective from Jan. 1, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2011.

In other business, the board:

Learned the detox center gained some breathing room as the state extended the lease on the detox center at the Brainerd Regional Human Services Center off Highway 18 from September to January or February. The extension gives the detox service provider additional time to potentially find an alternate location.

"It was very good news," said Commissioner Rachel Reabe Nystrom.

"It's an important service we are trying to keep in the community," Administrator Tim Houle said.

Set a public hearing date of Aug. 10 regarding an Upper South Long Lake Improvement District. The proposal for the district is to improve the lake water quality through lake management and aquatic vegetation control. The cost will be $16,800 per year with an assessment to property owners of $75 per year.

The county received the petition with 163 signatures on June 22. The county reported there are 220 property owners. The auditor's office verified 158 signatures as valid, meeting the legal requirement of 51 percent.

Approved travel for Scott Heide, sheriff's office supervisor, and Chris Pence, environmental services supervisor, to Charlotte, N.C. with a $345 class fee and estimated expenses of $500 for lodging, $200 for meals and $300 for airfare for 911 addressing training in August with funding from dedicated 911 grant funds.

Approved a state Homeland Security Program grant of $215,000, of which $40,000 is for subscriber radios, for the move to the statewide shared public safety radio system.

Approved spending $22,287 to remove and install carpeting in basement hallway at the historic courthouse. The project includes the lunch room and Meeting Rooms 1 and 2 and lower level corridor in the Land Services Building, which is attached by a tunnel to the historic courthouse. A building fund has $25,000 in the budget for the project.

Set a public hearing at 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at Nokay Lake Town Hall to talk about revoking old County Road 102 to the township.

Approved a cost-sharing agreement with Long Lake Township for County Road 143, South Long Lake Bay Road and Gilbert Lane along with a revocation agreement for County Road 143 meaning the road would revert back to the township. The township signed the agreement.

A public hearing is planned. The revocation could be removed without affecting the cost sharing. The project came in about 21 percent below the engineer's estimate of $316,286.18.

Established Carolyn Lane as a town road in Unorganized Territory.

Awarded a contract for bridge replacement on county roads 24, 149, 130. The low bid of $507,819 was about 36 percent below the engineer's estimate of $796,647.

Voted to change cleaning services. The county received five bids for cleaning services for its buildings. Awarding low bidder North Country Janitorial & Supply Inc. at a rate of $9,915 per month plus tax, from Oct. 1, 2010 through Sept. 30, 2013, was expected to reduce the county's cleaning budget by $4,338 per month.

Based on the savings, the commissioners voted to add buildings to be cleaned to include the museum and Land Services Building lower and basement level at a monthly rate of $615.

The county gave a 60-day notice, as per the contract, to its current provider Marsden Building Maintenance.

Changed the personnel policy to allow an individual who may be laid off from one department to interview for another department and, if selected, to retain benefits such as vacation time they had prior to the layoff.

RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.