By MaryHelen Swanson

Chisago County is putting its money where its mouth is. At least, thatís how county treasurer Lee Olson said it last week at the county board meeting.

The commissioners approved a $1 million loan to the Chisago County HRA-EDA to help purchase 93 acres in North Branch.

The land is the final piece in the ESSBY Business Park plan for the city of North Branch.

The city and the HRA-EDA have worked out a deal where the land will be purchased by the HRA-EDA and passed on to the city as it is sold and developed by industrial businesses.

North Branch will pay off the $2.2 million total land cost as developers buy the land.

The $1 million loan from the county to the EDA-HRA will save the EDA-HRA about $10,000 a year over a 20-year period, Chris Eng, director of the countyís EDA-HRA, noted.

And the county will receive about $10,000 a year.

The county money, noted Olson, is money that would be invested anyway.

The transaction was also approved by County Administrator John Moosey.

Treasurer Olson said providing the loan to the EDA-HRA is a way for the county to do something for development without spending any money.

Before the vote, which was unanimous, Commissioner Rick Olseen asked what if the county needed access to those funds.

Olson noted that the EDA-HRA has the ability to go out and get a bank loan if the county needed the money back.

Olson also believes the money will be paid back to the county before the end of the 20 years.

Chris Eng, director of the countyís EDA-HRA, confirmed what Olson said about finding the funds if the county needed it back.

Commissioner Lynn Schultz said the county needed to take some risks to get the industrial development the county needs. This piece of land in North Branch, all agreed, is a prime piece of industrial property along I-35.

Commissioner Ben Montzka was concerned about the fairness to other cities in the county.

Eng pointed to the purchase of 75 acres in Rush City and said the EDA-HRA is also looking at other cities in the county. He said his agency is willing to work out an agreement like this one with North Branch with other cities, too.

The commissioners also moved to support North Branchís application for a $1.5 million federal grant to be used for looping utilities up Flink Avenue t the ESSBY park.

North Branch Mayor Gloria Karsky, who attended the county board meeting, said she was excited about the ESSBY project.

Later, during the public comment part of the meeting, she thanked Eng for his invaluable work in trying to bring industrial and commercial businesses to the county. She thanked the county for choosing North Branch for the Health and Human Services building, for supporting the federal grant and for assistance in purchasing the 93 acres to complete the ESSBY project.

I hope we can pay you off as soon as possible, she said.

She said she agreed with Commissioner Schultz about the need to take risks sometimes.

Also, during public comment:

ï Larry Nelson, candidate for mayor in Harris, asked about an anonymous call that lead to the county telling him his campaign signs were going to be taken down the next day. The anonymous caller turned out to be Commissioner Olseen, who admitted he had called with the intent to have the highway department make a public notice of the proper placement of the signs. Olseen said he had received such information. Nelson said he did not get any information about where to place the signs along the county roads.

Board chairman Mike Robinson promised Nelson he would tell the highway engineer to wait until Monday to remove signs to give Nelson and his workers time to move the signs over the weekend.

ï County resident Tony Peterfeso asked that personal attacks stop. He claimed attacks on him were made during a previous commissionerís meeting and another personal attack on someone else was made just prior to that same meeting.

Budget sessions are scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16, 1 p.m. on all of the following: Wednesday, Oct. 25, Wednesday, Nov. 8 and Wednesday, Nov. 29.