By Aaron Vehling

Chisago County is one step closer to getting its roads repaired. The county board approved the sale of $7 million in bonds Wednesday night (June 1) to lowest-bidder Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc. of Minneapolis.

Also at the meeting, Dave Whitney, Jeremy Kalin and Tom OíMara, three members of the Chisago Taxpayers for Responsible Land Use, presented a proposal for making the Transfer of Development Credits (TDC) program countywide.

A TDC program effectively transfers a development opportunity from one area (the ìsendingî area) to another area (the ìreceivingî area), which promotes preservation of open space and allows for denser clustering in other areas.

ìThe TDC program has been part of the comprehensive plan for years,î said OíMara, but few credits have been traded.

TDCs are already part of the existing comprehensive plan, but OíMara said the TDC exchange should be allowed throughout the county and not just in the Chisago-Lakes school district.

ìIn this way,î the group wrote in a pamphlet distributed to the county commissioners, ìthe number of sellers and buyers will be balanced and there will be an equal opportunity for the creation of open space in all parts of the county.î

Another problem the group pointed out in its presentation is that the ìsendingî areas are larger than the ìreceivingî areas under the current TDC program. The group argues in its pamphlet that with a large area of supply and a small area of demand, the imbalance will lower prices for credits in the same way prices per bushel fall when there is a bumper crop.

The third problem the group noted was that the current TDC program is ìforever.î It recommended the county create a limited time option so those who might reconsider development can do so after 20 or 25 years.

The final problem is that because few development credits have been sold, no one knows how much they are worth. The group suggests the creation of a marketplace for TDC credits so buyers and sellers can find one another and conduct business in more of a ìfree marketî atmosphere.

Kalinís part of the presentation to the commissioners centered on the creation of a TDC bank, which he said would help remedy problems with buying and selling credits. He called for the board to set up a committee to develop this bank, which technically is asked for in the existing comprehensive plan.

ìIt seems to me this proposal is a good one,î said Commissioner Ben Montzka. ìThere is no reason to sit on our hands.î
Commissioners Bob Gustafson, Mike Robinson and Lynn Schultz were apprehensive about going right ahead with the creation of a committee.

ìTo pick a committee, we need to put serious thought into this,î Gustafson said. ìWe donít want to upstage the planning commission, but I think it can work in concert.î

Olseen said the county should already be looking into a TDC bank because ìthis is already part of the existing comp plan.î He said he was just concerned that it may slow up work on the new comprehensive plan.

County Administrator John Moosey said in a phone interview that he liked the idea.

ìItís a good idea. The countyís going to grow but we also want to be good stewards of the land,î he said.

The board voted 4-1 to approve staff members to look into establishing a TDC bank. Robinson voted no.

Also at the meeting:
ï Jacob Landsteiner, a Boy Scout in the Chisago Lakes School District, made a proposal to the commissioners regarding an Eagle Scout project he is working on for the Chisago Lakes library. He plans to do landscaping work around the base of the flag pole. He also plans to install a light which would shine on the flag and would arrange a flag-dedication ceremony. He has earned $172 toward the $856 project by asking local businesses for donations. He will earn an additional $50 by turning in used print cartridges. Landsteiner asked the council for the remaining $634. They obliged unanimously.

ïThe commissioners approved 4-1, with Montzka opposing, extending the Chisago County/Ecumen lease agreement until July 31.

ï The board voted 4-1, with Montzka opposed, to approve Ecumenís downsizing of licensed beds from 85 to 68.

Green Acres administrator Steve Mork sent the commissioners a letter regarding a request for the change. Schultz asked why they were requesting to downsize the beds now when such a move is not technically required until November 2007.

Moosey said it allowed Ecumen to do some planning and also allowed the company to prepare for the new facility. Ecumen is also downsizing early to benefit from financial incentives to downsize the operation.

Montzka, who has expressed displeasure with the agreement in the past, told the board that he was not happy with the situation. He added that he was not trying to ìgrabî the nursing home for Wyoming.

ìWe should not go down a process to make our nursing home less valuable to another business suitor,î he said. ìWe approve every change they make, but we donít get concessions.î

Gustafson said he tried to get the county to sell Green Acres 10 years ago.

Olseen defended the deal.

ìItís still our facility,î he said. ìEcumen is working hard to make this thing happen. I donít have a problem with the downsizing, which is more of a right-sizing.î

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