County continues to plan for growth

BACKUS - The Cass County Board and Planning Commission met Monday in a special work session on where the county stands in planning toward reaching the Brainerd Lakes Area Chamber plan on area growth.

While the state demographer predicts Cass and Crow Wing counties will grow by 66 percent by 2030, Administrator Robert Yochum said the demographer's office underestimated the growth the two counties experienced the last decade.

The area recently was designated a "micropolitan" surrounding Brainerd/Baxter and was ranked 28th of the 100 fastest-growing non-metropolitan communities in the U.S.

Yochum said the fastest growth area in Cass runs south from Hackensack, which falls in the Brainerd service area.

It makes sense, Yochum said, for the two counties to use staff time during the current lull in new construction and development to work toward a coordinated plan to address future growth.

The chamber plan suggested the two counties coordinate public land use maps. Environmental Services Director John Sumption said Cass County has prepared maps of both counties to show public lands. Maps on the Cass Web site show overlapping land uses and trails planning. This system can be shared with Crow Wing if it doesn't already have that, Sumption said.

On planning a regional transportation system for the micropolitan, Cass County Engineer David Enblom said MnDOT is looking for federal planning money through U.S. Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jim Oberstar. It is possible the Brainerd area micropolitan could get funding as a model planning area.

Cost for such a study has been estimated at $200,000 to $300,000, Enblom said.

Commissioner Jim Demgen said the real test will be whether funds will follow to implement a regional transportation plan if a plan is completed.

Enblom said it will be important now to identify which roads serve as feeder links for the 40 percent of Cass County workers reportedly employed in the Brainerd area. Even if those roads aren't improved now, it could be important now to obtain additional right of way along those routes so the roads can be expanded in the future to carry higher traffic loads.

Yochum said Cass and Crow Wing staff members have started sharing information about each county's comprehensive plans and changes proposed for those plans. He said he expects this communication to expand.

On solid waste and wastewater treatment, County Planner Paul Fairbanks said Cass does not want to go back into the landfill business, but would be willing to look at disposing of solid waste at Crow Wing's landfill if it is cost effective. Fifteen years ago, Crow Wing wanted Cass to pay three times the in-county rate, so Cass sent its garbage to Elk River and Gwinner, N.D., instead.

Maybe today's Crow Wing County Board has a different price perspective on serving the neighboring county, Demgen said.

Commissioner Bob Kangas asked the Cass staff to consider an operation proposed at Perham, which would burn garbage to create electricity to heat homes there.

The board and staff asked whether the two counties should look toward eventually expanding the Brainerd/Baxter wastewater treatment system into southern Cass County, whether Cass should consider permitting the spread of pumping fluids from private sewer systems on county land and how to encourage more small cooperative community sewer systems.

Yochum said Cass and Crow Wing should develop a governance model for managing these smaller cooperative sewer systems so the counties also would have on paper a standard they expect to have managers meet.

While the chamber plan stated law enforcement agencies should have compatible communications systems, Yochum said there should be an inventorying of all existing emergency service responders' systems in the neighboring counties as a start toward ensuring full cross communications.

On parks and trails, Cass has no current interest in developing parks, but has started coordinating with U.S. Forest Service and DNR to create a year-around destination trails system inside the county and to connect with trails and parks in neighboring counties. The county already is focusing on a regional trails concept, Yochum said.

Cass' proposed land use ordinance changes for 2008 call for adding a conservation development, cluster-style housing development model, which the Brainerd chamber plan endorses. However, Cass' current draft does not include commercial and multi-family combinations with single-family housing that the chamber plan supports, according to Sumption.

The chamber plan calls for better access for businesses to economic development programs available to support their expansion and new business creation within the micropolita area. Cass County does have a link to Cass EDC on the county Web site and supports that program financially each year.

Adopting the International Building Code will be a goal in the Cass Comprehensive Plan now under revision. How to finance inspection costs will be the primary consideration before implementing it, the board and planning commissioners agreed.

Commissioner Jeff Peterson said all licensed contractors currently use the International Building Code, whether or not their work will be inspected.

Commissioner Bob Kangas said adopting the code will be only as good as the inspection process. Once people get used to it, it will be OK, Demgen said.

On the impact of storm water runoff, Cass has drafted but not adopted a proposed storm-water ordinance. The county offers workshops for contractors and landscapers. Those who complete the workshop get business referrals from the county. Demonstration projects need to be established for developers, contractors and property owners to view, Sumption said.

Cass already has a water management plan within the comprehensive plan and is in the process of notifying neighboring jurisdictions of changes proposed in the revised plan.

On no net loss of public lands, Cass has based this policy on dollar values, but also is considering adding a basis of acreage. All public-private land exchanges currently result in no net loss of taxable private property value.

Cass already has a Forest Redevelopment Department dedicated fund averaging $300,000 to use for public land acquisition and forest development projects and plans to create more demonstration projects for maintenance as well as development, Yochum said.

While the Chamber report cited the future need for more paid fire departments rather than relying on volunteers as the counties' populations age, Yochum said that should apply to all emergency response services and may be a more immediate need.

He cited the recent shift from volunteer to a private, full-time employee ambulance service in the Longville district and that Walker will receive proposals this month from at least two private ambulance providers with full-time staffs to potentially replace the volunteer service in that city and surrounding area.

Cass already has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council through regular independent audits as maintaining sustainable forestry on its public lands and expects to continue meeting that chamber plan goal. Cass also has a small woodlot program to help private landowners of 20 acres or less use sustainable forest practices on their property.

Cass commissioners and planners would like to add another category to the Chamber's plan, calling for increased use of alternative energy and for each county to add an ordinance section covering potential requests for placing windmill towers within the two counties.