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Council believes it’s too late to consider
By MaryHelen Swanson
The mayor of North Branch said she was approached by some people who want to know why her city wasn’t considered for the new Chisago County jail.
Monday night, Gloria Karsky brought this up at the council meeting.
She said she’d love to see the jail here, it’s a good location, she added.
The mayor was ready to hear answers to the question on the jail, and she wanted the full council to hear them also.
On hand for the discussion was Sheriff Todd Rivard, County Commissioner Lynn Schultz, County Administrator John Moosey, and County Commissioner Rick Greene.
Commissioner Schultz started by talking about where the county was when she came on board.
At that time, she said, she was wondering about the use of the Green Acres nursing home site. She said it may not have been the easiest route or the most cost effective, but she thought it might be a good site.
Schultz then turned the discussion over to the Sheriff, “the guy that can answer your questions”
he said as he approached the podium.
He also went back to the time he became sheriff saying he knew a jail would be a big project coming up.
Like Schultz, Sheriff Rivard said he thought at the time that the Green Acres site would save the county a lot of money and be centrally located.
But state statute says the jail and courts have to be located in the county seat, which is at Center City.
Earlier on he asked then legislators Pete Nelson and Sean Nienow if they could get legislation passed to move the county seat, which would be required if the government center moved to North Branch.
But it would be tough to do and set precedent in the state.
Rivard said at the time he felt there was political pressure on Nelson from the southern part of the county.
As time progressed, Rivard continued, the Green Acre site went away, so he approached the county board about purchasing land in Center City or close enough to it that it could be annexed.
The sheriff sent letters to 14 land owners and received two responses.
The county then purchased 59 acres close enough to Center City that could be annexed.
That’s the story.
He then went on. If North Branch has something, he said, he’d be willing to listen. But he noted that the county is at the design development stage right now and plans to break ground next spring.
Mayor Karsky asked if there was anything the city can do, what’s the bottom line if there is a possibility, she asked of the sheriff.
I don’t know, was his reply.
He said the cost of delay given to the county board stood at $800,000 - $1 million if they wait a year. Could North Branch come up with something fast?
The council needs to talk, Mayor Karsky said, repeating that there are advantages to having a jail in North Branch.
Councilor Amy Oehlers, back from her temporary leave of absence, asked if it was just a jail or the courts also.
Rivard reminded her that the statute pertains to all county offices, including auditor, treasurer, etc. The courts included.
Councilor Theresa Furman asked again about moving the county seat.
Sheriff Rivard said it would require a petition and a vote by the people of the county.
The mayor asked Moosey if there are plans to move the county seat.
Moosey noted that there are parking problems at the current government center but if the sheriff’s department is moved to the jail site, it would free up space in the government center for extra courtrooms.
He also noted that the 59 acres purchased by the county can be used for the next 75 years for a government complex including, down the line, the courts. And there is an opportunity to sell land for commercial use, providing an opportunity to recoup costs of the jail project.
The project cost currently is at $33.5 million, he said, if significant cost savings could occur by locating it in North Branch, the board would be very interested, Moosey said.
From management standpoint, Moosey went on, it makes sense to keep all the county services together, from the cities’ standpoint, he said, especially Rush City and North Branch, “it’s not a joyous occasion when those folks have to go to Center City,” he said.
Moosey told the mayor he had talked with the city regarding the Green Acres property, the ESSBY property was considered, also.
Much of it comes down to cost.
The county paid $18,000 per acre plus $1.5 million for utilities at the current chosen site, ESSBY property was purchased at $40,000 per acre, plus the WAC and SAC charges and there was a minimum of 25 acres required.
Moosey said the county couldn’t ask the city to gift it to the county when they owned so much on the ESSBY land.
Commissioner Schultz said there are also the costs of transportation of prisoner to consider.
Sheriff Rivard concurred.
Mayor Karsky asked the council if they were interested in considering any sites.
City Administrator Bridgitte Konrad noted the concern over the city’s debt on the ESSBY land. Additionally, she noted that the city is working with a developer for residential development of a portion of the ESSBY land which may not work if located near a jail.
Other land available might be the Williams property near the fire hall. but Konrad also noted that it is designated for recreational purposes and bordered on three sides by residential development.
She said the city could consider a land purchase, but then reminded all of the cost of delay and the need to get legislation to move the county seat.
Konrad also said the city would have to use taxpayers’ money to purchase the land.
Councilor Larry Erickson concluded that the city is too late, they would only slow the project now.
Councilor Kathy Blomquist said the city would have trouble even pursuing this, noting again that first the law would have to be changed.
Oehlers said North Branch is a good site, and it might be worthwhile to look further.
Mayor Karsky’s opinion was that North Branch is the best site, and she would like to have had time to consider options. But right now, she said, the city doesn’t have land to offer.
The jail discussion came to an end.
Following the jail came a lot of potty talk - porta potty, that is.
And it was talk that Councilor Blomquist soon became disgusted with as it dragged on and on. She said it should have been a consent agenda item, not worthy of lengthy discussion.
The issue was an additional porta potty for an upcoming baseball association tournament.
The North Branch Baseball Association has asked to place one and have it pumped at their expense, they just wanted permission to do so.
The association finally got the potty approval.
The association also got the transient merchant license they needed to sell concessions at the tournament.
And then there was the question of whether the association needed to comply with the new regulations of the special events ordinance the city just adopted.
It would have required them to have insurance and pay for additional sanitation.
But since the application for the tournament came in February, the council finally decided to go with the “status quo” or the rules that were in place when they made the application in February.
They city also agreed to pay for extra pumping from the porta potty pumping fund.
It was also decided that two other events scheduled earlier this year will not have to comply with the new special events ordinance but will be notified that in the future, they will have to be in compliance.
Don Simons, from the baseball association, who had brought the potty issue forward, left the room saying the extra 15 minutes of light at the ball fields approved last month is working well.
In other business Monday night, the council:
• Moved to ask MnDOT for a speed study on 420th Street at the request of a citizen.
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