By MaryHelen Swanson

There will be new faces and old faces as the year 2007 begins, at the Government Center in Center City.

Following last November's General Election, there was a turnover in the county attorney's office and Janet Reiter was selected to head that department by the constituents of Chisago County. The name will be the same, but the fact different as another Rick, Rick Greene, takes over the Dist. 2 seat formerly occupied by Rick Olseen who is sitting in a bigger seat in St. Paul as senator.

Mike Robinson, Dist. 5 commissioner was re-elected to chair the county board and Lynn Schultz resumes the vice chair position, by election.

Robinson thanked his peers for putting him back in the chair's seat, and vowed to do something about taxes this year, trying to get them in the 4 percent range. He directed county administrator John Moosey and department heads to get started on working toward that goal.

Robinson also suggested a wage freeze for department heads until the budget is figured out. He said the board also has to solve the jail problem (looking into the new building) and deal with the constant struggle that happens among the commissioners on the board.

"Other than that," he said, "we'll see what happens this year."

Robert's Rules of Order were adopted, and the county rules of conduct were adopted for board meetings with Robinson pointing out that anyone wanting to videotape the meeting must stand at the back of the room.

The board unanimously approved keeping the meeting dates the same, first and third Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and the fourth Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Serious and lengthy discussion ensued in determining which local newspaper would be the county's official publication.

Bids came in from the ECM Post Review and a combined Chisago County Press/Cambridge Star.

While the Post Review was not the low bidder, the council on a 4-1 vote gave the designation to that paper with these reasons for not going with the low bid: personal bias (of the editorial content of the Chisago County Press), inaccurate reporting and because in the past when the Press was the official paper, minutes were not printed in a timely manner.

In all votes regarding the official paper designation, Commissioner Ben Montzka vehemently stressed his dissatisfaction and claimed it was a violation of the first amendment to eliminate a paper because of its editorial content.

County Administrator John Moosey in consultation with the county attorney's office, recommended the board accept the low bid.

He said the editorial content of a paper is not involved, but that the county was simply purchasing a service to advertise board meetings and proceedings. He said it was set out by state statutes.

This is a service, Moosey said, adding that the board has to separate feelings from business.

Moosey said the county has to designate a paper so the citizens know where to find county information.

Finally, Moosey said it was a matter of money during a tight-budget year.

Board clerk Deanna Lilienthal noted that she had conferred with the Minnesota Newspaper Association and learned how to compare bids in a way that was not available in past years. You have to take the low bid, she said, or have reasons for not accepting it.

The Press/Star combination was awarded the bid for the second publication of the county's financial statement.

Montzka continued to the end of the agenda item that the action was unconstitutional.

Committee lists

Chairman Robinson had put together a list of committee assignments, reducing the number of committees by six, and spreading the responsibilities around so there was a more even distribution of committees among commissioners.

He said he gave up some of the distance committees, after some citizen complaints that he was garnering too much mileage and per diems.

Two of the committees Robinson removed were put back in and the board unanimously approved the new list, with the addendum that the commissioner serving on the park board would not be a voting member of that group. (Check the legal section next week for list of committee assignments.)

In other business this week, the commissioners:

• Approved recycling agreements with SRC Incorporated, wyoming and Recycling for Wildlife, Harris; and approved 2007 tire and appliance recycling agreements with East Central Solid Waste Commission, Larry Hemmer Recycle, Rush City and Recycling for Wildlife, Harris.

• Approved a reciprocal agreement with Isanti County for Household Hazardous Waste Collection.

• Approved the 2007-2008 animal control agreement with ASCI.

• Adopted a resolution implementing a voluntary policy for time off without pay for county employees.

• Approved the hiring of an office support specialist in HHS to replace an employee who had been promoted, and an office support specialist/case aide for the same department for the same reasons.

• Held off appointment to the Board of Adjustment because there were no applicants (they are still being taken).

• Appointed James Klinke to the planning commission from Dist. 2 and Lin Strong and Tim O'Keefe to the PC as at-large members.

Last week, the commissioners:

• Learned from HHS director Mary Sheehan that the department is down 17 full-time equivalent positions (some support staff and social workers) and that a number of contracted workers are no longer with the department, but six of them have been hired back as county employees.

Sheehan talked about conversations with Hazelden regarding a master's program in addiction. She also told the commissioners that she thinks the department is straightening out and that some people are stepping up to the plate. But she also said she didn't want the commissioners to think that because the department is down 17 positions there was a lot of "fluff." She concluded that she is going to make sure services provided to the public don't suffer.

• Handled year-end items including per diems and salaries. They moved to keep their own salaries the same at $27,419, but increase the per diem amount from $45 to $50, and decided that the meetings counted as a per diem event, by law.

Those who volunteer for county committees also had their per diems raised to $50 per meeting.

• After significant discussion, approved the following salaries on a 3-2 vote: Treasurer Lee Olson $73,000, County Attorney Janet Reiter $90,000, Auditor Dennis Freed $89,000 and Sheriff Todd Rivard $100,000. Chief Deputy Bob Shoemaker's salary was set at $79,000.

• Finally, the commissioners discussed, at the suggestion of Montzka, the state auditor's recommendation about a contract with Commissioner Bob Gustafson regarding his involvement in a countywide recreation program. Montzka moved to suspend county dealings with the program until such a contract is formulated.

The motion died on a 2-2 vote, Gustafson abstained.

But Schultz asked what was going to be suspended. She was opposed to any suspension because planning for the coming summer program takes place in winter.

Gustafson noted that it had been two years since the program and the county had anything to do with each other. It was noted in the audit that there had been no payments to Gustafson for two years.

Gustafson suggested that the county advertise for someone to do what he does (schedule fields, organize teams, running of the countywide program, etc.) at no pay.

A motion passed to table action until the Jan. 17 board meeting.