Nelsonís gets tax abatement

Posted 4/11/01

Nelsonís gets tax abatement

By MaryHelen Swanson

On a 4-1 vote last Wednesday, Nelsonís Market of North Branch received approval for an eight-year tax abatement, or tax deferral, from Chisago County in the amount of $128,000.

That will amount to $17,000 a year for the eight-year period and that will cover the cost of half of the Cow Town Museum that is to be a part of Nelsonís new grocery store being planned for construction this summer.

Voting against the abatement was 4th District Commissioner Ben Montzka who said he does not approve abatements for retail businesses, preferring to support only manufacturing businesses.

Montzka said he did not know Randy Nelson personally, but of his familyís reputation, still he said he could not support the abatement for a museum ěno matter who owns it.î

As noted previously, the new store is expected to be 50,000 square feet and include a video store and the dairy museum with displays presented by the Midwest Dairy Association.

The store is being built west of Community National Bank on the west side of the freeway. The expanded store will also provide many new jobs, both full time and part time for the community, all at above-minimum wage scale.

Plans are to close the current grocery store but open it later as a smaller-scaled store.
Nelson is also requesting an abatement from the city of North Branch in the amount of $300,000 to help cover costs of infrastructure improvements. The city council has not made a decision on this request yet.

In other business, the county board:
ď Approved the application for a grant renewal in the amount of $41,000 to cover the wages of the Victimís Advocate coordinator and part-time secretary for the program.

ď Acknowledged the receipt of a petition asking for a rescinding of a conditional use permit for the Loeffler chicken ranch.

ď Heard a presentation by North Branch Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Stepaniak on the upcoming referendum. Stepaniak informed the commissioners of the 43 percent increase in number of students last fall which prompted the necessity of a referendum. He told them if the referendum fails, the school board would have to make some tough decisions. An audience member asked about the year around school possibility. Stepaniak explained it would not help with the space issues facing the district.

ď Heard a presentation by WSB and Associates, Inc. on a proposal to establish a 20-year transportation plan for the county the cost being $140,000-$180,000. County Engineer Mic Dahlberg reminded the commissioners that only a few pages in the countyís comprehensive plan address transportation planning. The commissioners took no action to approve proceeding with the plan. Commissioner Tom Delaney noted that there are already ěvolumesî of plans and studies that have been made and no one ever sees them or uses them. He also asked where the money would come from. Commissioner Mike Robinson said the people he represents are not interested in a 20-year plan but want action ětomorrow.î He said bad county roads makes frustrated people, although he was not blaming Dahlberg for the conditions of the roads, noting it was from years and years of neglect. Commissioner Delaney said he didnít think anyone on earth was smart enough to plan 20 years ahead.

* Learned that Environmental Services Director Marion Heemsbergen is going to recommend the county hire a staff planner. ěWe need somebody to do it,î he said, following action on the recent county planning commission meeting.