About Your taxesPolk County Director of AssessmentServices (assessor) Robert Wagnerexplains in simple terms on Pages 5-7of this newsletter how the valuation ofproperties is established as a part ofthe process of determining the amountof your property tax. Introduced on Page 8 are theAssessment Services staff members…the people who might come knockingon your door or otherwise be makingan onsite visit to view your property asa part of the appraisal process.

Sheriff to have E. Polk satellite The Polk County Sheriff’s Office willhave a new base of operations for its workon the “east end” of the county startinglater this summer when space in the coun-ty-owned Stenberg Building in Fosston isdeveloped into a satellite office.“Deputies who cover the east end of thecounty will work from there,” Sheriff BarbErdman notes. “This will fulfill a greatneed, providing additional office and stor-age space. We will have interview roomsand work areas with the updated technolo-

gy necessary for deputies to complete casereports and forward them electronicallyinto our main office, to the CountyAttorney’s Office and to the courts. “There will be garage space including a‘sally port,’ which will allow for secureaccess to the office and provide a safeenvironment when testing is done forDUI’s as well as our day-to-day opera-tions. We’ll have a conference room andthere will be a locker room for deputies.

Space in Stenberg Building to be developed for Sheriff’s Department office

State Funding:Polk County applied in 2013 for a

Capital Assistance Program Grant (CAPGrant) from the State of Minnesota forfunding of a regional solid waste expan-sion project to provide for the addition,replacement or expansion of various com-ponents of the regional solid waste pro-grams. The CAP Grant application was made on

behalf of the counties of Beltrami,Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Normanand Polk. The application made for the 2014

Bonding Bill was unsuccessful. However, aseparate bill that was introduced by Sen.Stumpf (D-Plummer) in the Senate and byRep. Kiel (R-Crookston) in the House in2015 was successful. The 2015 Bonding Bill was considered

small, and our applying counties wereasked if the project could be split into 2phases – Phase I awarded in 2015 with aPhase II to be awarded in 2016. The coun-ties agreed and received $8 million in CAP

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Solid Wasteexpansionproject enterssecond round

See SOLID WASTE, Page 2

See SATELLITE OFFICE, Page 3

ECRWSSPOSTAL CUSTOMER

EAST GRAND FORKS, MN 56721

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDGRAND FORKS, ND

PERMIT NO. 11

POLK COUNTY NEWSLETTER SPRING 2016

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funding in the Bonding Bill approved inthe 2015 Special Session. Following the 2015 Special Session, the

counties were placed on the LegislativeCapital Investment Committee’s 2016Bonding Project Tour. Both the House andSenate Capital Investment Committees —along with representatives of the gover-nor’s office — scheduled tours of theResource Recovery Facility (RRF) inFosston during the summer/fall of 2015. The RRF is the central component of the

regional solid waste management system,and upon which all other portions of theCAP Project are intended to compliment.A high turnout for these tours was experi-enced and the consensus of those whohelped with the tours on behalf of thecounties was that there was a sense ofinterest and support for the project.The Project:The CAP Grant sought to make major

upgrades to the regional solid waste sys-tem utilized by the counties. This includedthe following: • Expansion of the tip floor and upgrade

of processing equipment at the RRF, • New transfer stations in Bemidji

(Beltrami Co.), Park Rapids (Hubbard Co.)and Crookston (Polk Co.), • New organic compost facility at the

Polk County Landfill, and,• Other smaller facility modifications if

funding allows. Each component of the project has a

unique state cost-share ratio, some projectsare 3:1 others 1:1 and some 1:3 (ratio =state funds to local funds).Phase I was appropriated at $8 million in

state funds. Phase I of the project calledfor the tip floor and equipment upgrade atthe RRF, construction of the BeltramiTransfer Station in Bemidji, and the bulkof the design/engineering of all Phase Iand II CAP Projects. The balance of the CAP Projects are

now designated as Phase II. This undertak-ing proved a bit tricky — and providedsome controversy. Status of Phase I:Despite Phase I funding being awarded

by the 2015 Legislature, the counties stillhad to follow the process of securing andgaining release of those funds from theMinnesota Pollution Control Agency(MPCA) and Minnesota Management &Budget (MMB). Although the process seems rather rou-

tine and a formality, it has proved to beanything but routine.With re-worked application in-hand, rep-

resentatives of the counties traveled toMPCA headquarters in St. Paul for a

unique meeting with the principals atMPCA who would be dealing with allaspects of our project. The intent was tostreamline the process, get all parties talk-ing and on the same agenda/timeline andmove the project along quickly and effi-ciently. The meeting went well and anaggressive, but realistic, timeline wasdecided upon in which construction wouldoccur in 2016. The agreed upon timeline for our CAP

Grant application approval (Jan. 1, 2016)was significant because design/engineeringwork cannot start until approvals is grant-ed. The EAW release is also criticalbecause we need to construct a new solidwaste cell at the landfill this summer andthe EAW needs to be completed before ourlandfill permit can be reissued. The com-post portion of the CAP Project is alsodependent upon the landfill permit.Unfortunately, the CAP Grant applica-

tion was hung up in the MPCA well intoFebruary 2016 and similar delays at theMMB for getting funds released arose intoMarch 2016. One of the reasons for the delay at

MPCA was the emergence of opposition tothe Beltrami County component of the pro-ject by a large waste management corpora-tion. This opposition took the form of med-

dling in the application process and repeat-ed attempts to lobby legislators, governor’sstaff and agency staff to adversely impactboth the Phase I funding appropriated andPhase II funds sought in 2016. Despite Beltrami County’s attempts to

reassure that corporation that it wouldhonor existing contracts and would hold aspecial meeting to consider their proposalsand reach a compromise, efforts to derailthe project are ongoing by that waste man-agement corporation.The MPCA/MMB approval has finally

been received. The contract called for aneffective date of March 16th after whichthe counties may begin incurring eligibleexpenses. However, because the counties entered

into early March with no final design/engi-neering activities having been completed,the likelihood of a 2016 construction pro-

ject at the RRF is in jeopardy. This willlikely result in added costs above andbeyond the funding appropriated by thestate — which will be therefore borne bythe counties. Likewise, the EAW was released by the

MPCA on March 7th. Polk has been reas-sured that the EAW delay will not impactthe permit for new cell construction at thelandfill and we can still hit a June 2016construction date. Status of Phase II:Phase II funds are anticipated to be

appropriated as part of the final 2016Bonding Bill. Although the project wasnot included in the Preliminary 2016Governors’ Bonding Budget, it is hopedthat it will be included in the Governors’Supplemental Bonding Budget and like-wise included in both the House andSenate versions of the 2016 Bonding Bill. Aside from the one lone voice of opposi-

tion, the project generally is viewed posi-tively by those informed of the details,goals and intentions of it. The countiestherefore are expecting that Phase II fund-ing will be received in 2016 and arepreparing as such. In conclusion, a ‘Thank You’ needs to be

expressed to our area legislators, many ofwhom have been very supportive of theCAP Project and have been a source ofinformation/reference to those with ques-tions or concerns. We also continue torequest their continued support for thePhase II portion of the Project. Our billauthors deserve special recognition fortheir efforts. They were primarily responsi-ble for the appropriation of Phase I fund-ing and will be critical in securing thePhase II funds. On behalf of our six-county partnership

group, we would like to thank both Rep.Deb Kiel and Sen. LeRoy Stumpf for theirwork and the leadership put into this pro-ject. We also thank their staff memberswho have worked behind the scenes on ourbehalf. We thank you and urge your con-tinued efforts on our behalf securing thefinal Phase II funding for the project. —Jon Steiner, administrator Polk CountyEnvironmental Services

Solid Waste expansion projectContinued from Page 1

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“Basically,” Erdman says, “it will behousing the deputies who are assigned todo patrol and to conduct the investigationsthat are done in East Polk County. “Having secure garage space will be suchan advantage for our operations as it willeliminate the need for those resources to berelayed to the east end of our county; theywill be available to us as a situationunfolds, making us better prepared andmore efficient.”The contract deputies serving the City of

Fosston will continue to maintain an officein the Fosston City Hall but, for the mostpart, Erdman says, all of the rest of lawenforcement will work primarily from theStenberg Building, including, as needed,by the State Patrol and Department ofNatural Resources. The county used funds that had beenaccumulated over several years from thesale of recycled materials to purchase theproperty at reduced price of $192,000 inthe fall of 2011. The 17,800-square-footbuilding had housed the Stenberg Welding

& Fabricating business.Located on property adjacent to the PolkCounty Waste to Energy Incinerator, thesite was acquired to provide a permanentbase for the county’s recycling program,which had been operating from a leasedbuilding across the street from the inciner-ator. With only a part of the building neededfor the recycling program, some of theunused space is being made available foruse by the sheriff’s department.

Continued from Page 1

Satellite office

In a change from the normal reorganizationdone by the County Board, CommissionerCraig Buness was chosen at the first meetingin January to serve as the chair for the firsthalf of 2016. Commissioner Nick Nicholas isthe vice chair for that same period. The change is that in July, they will

exchange positions with Nicholas becomingthe chair and Buness the vice chair. The chairand vice chair positions are normally chosenfor the full year on a set rotation basis. Further reorganization of county govern-

ment will also occur in July whenCommissioner Don Diedrich is to becomechair of the Polk County Social ServiceBoard succeeding Commissioner Buness. The Social Service Board meets monthly as

a separate body. It is made up of the fivecounty commissioners and at-large membersPaula Waters, Crookston, and CathyGutterud, Fosston.Without the emergence of some new and

unexpected issues, much of the CountyBoard’s focus during the year will be on con-ducting regular business while completingthe relocation of three county offices alongwith the final phase of remodeling at the LawEnforcement Center.Both the County Attorney and Public

Defender offices have already moved fromthe first floor to space on the second floor ofthe Justice Center. These moves, which nowlocate all court activities on the Second floorof the building, were made to create space onthe ground floor of the building for PolkCounty Public Health. Public Health is scheduled to move to those

quarters in late April marking for the firsttime in many years that it has been housed ina county-owned building. The departmenthas operated from leased space — at a cost of$50,000 a year — at 721 So. Minnesota St.since October 2003. Before that, it had been

temporarily located in space in the oldCentral High School for a couple of years.And previous to that, it was in rented spaceon University Avenue after having been inthe basement of the now removed AnnexBuilding. Constructed as the Sunnyrest Tuberculosis

Sanitarium in the 1920s, the Annex Building,as it became known, had served as the homeof the Glenmore Chemical DependencyAgency, as a minimum-security detentionfacility for the county, and as a storage facil-ity before being taken out of service in early2015. It was taken down in December. At the Law Enforcement Center, the pro-

ject currently in planning involves expansionof the server room and increasing the coolingcapability of that room. The objecctive is tocreate needed additional space along with anenvironment that is needed for the most reli-

able operation of county’s electronic infor-mation system. The possibility of futuregrowth long-term is also a consideration. Other work in the county is to include the

creation of a satellite office for the Sheriff’sDepartment in the county-owned StenbergBuilding in Fosston. Also on the table is the expansion of the

waste to energy incinerator in Fosston. Anattempt to secure the second phase of grantfunding to pay for about one-half of the $15million project is being made in theLegislature. The first half of the funding request was

approved in the 2015 session. Tip fees col-lected from existing county partners in theincinerating operation along with incomecollected from the sale of recycled items thatare removed from the waste stream are tocover the balance of the cost of the project.

County Attorney Office staff members, fromleft, Norma Johnson, Lindsey Goering,Jaime Fuchs, Pam Cournia and DebbieBerhow are now working from new quartersin the Polk County Justice Center. The

office recently moved from the ground floorlevel of the building to the second floor asa part of a relocation of offices that will cre-ate space for the Public Health Departmentto move into the building this summer.

Change made inreorganizationof County Board

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Budget set, labor agreements settled,construction projects moving ahead....

By Chuck Whiting, Polk County Administrator

In December the County Board approved the2016 budget, kicking off a busy winter that hasseen quite a bit of progress in just the fewmonths of the new year. The overall budget increased to just over $63

million which included $3 million from a bondsale to address county building improvementsand repairs. The tax levy increased just under 3.5% to

$20,654,891, or about one third of the totalcounty budget. As of this writing, five of theseven labor contracts had been settled with theother two tentatively settled. Each contained3% wage increases for 2016, 2017 and 2018. Building improvements got underway even

before the budget was approved since bondproceeds were secured in November. Mostnoticeable is the move of the County Attorneysoffices to the second floor of the Justice Center.The Public Defenders offices also moved to theopposite end of the second floor, all to makeway for the Public Health department to moveinto the first floor. This should be completed by the end of April

and will have a separate access for PublicHealth on the south side of the building. This

move saves the county lease payments it hasbeen paying for the past decade.Other bond-funded projects included the

demolition of the old Annex building, HVACupgrades in both the Justice Center andGovernment Center, and remodeling of the oldrecycling building in Fosston. This last spaceis being converted into office space for theSheriff’s Department which provides lawenforcement for the City of Fosston, and is inaddition to their office in Fosston City Hall.The largest projects are yet to come with state

bond funds coming for the expansion of thecounty incinerator facility in Fosston and a newtransfer station building in Crookston. Theseprojects will receive considerable funds fromthe State of Minnesota, with the differencefunded by Polk County solid waste bonds. Thebonded debt is paid with solid waste fees col-lected from Polk, Clearwater, Bemidji,Mahnomen and Norman counties, and do nothit the property levy. Hubbard County willbegin its delivery soon as well. Expect to seethese projects start later this year.All in all a busy year and one that should set-

tle down by this time next year.

As they say, it’s been in allthe papers... 2016 is an elec-tion year and with all thenotoriety of the presidentialrace, three of the five PolkCounty commissioner seatsare also up for election thisfall. Commissioner District 1,

currently held by CraigBuness, consists of the southpart of Crookston, the City ofFertile and the townships ofFairfax, Kertonville, Tilden,Grove Park, Russia, Onstad,Godfrey, Woodside, Reis,Liberty, Garfield and Garden. Commissioner District 3,

currently held by NickNicholas, consists of thenorthern part of Crookstonand the townships of Parnell,Crookston and Gentilly. Commissioner District 5,

currently held by DonDiedrich, consists of thetownships of Higdem,Sandsville, Farley, Brislet,Helgeland, Esther, Northland,Tabor, Angus, Brandt, GrandForks, Sullivan, Keystone,Euclid and Belgium, in addi-tion to the northern part ofEast Grand Forks.(See commissioner districtmap on Page 12)Commissioner terms are for

four years meaning with theNov. 8 election, these threeterms would start Jan. 1, 2017and end Dec. 31, 2020. Candidate filing opens

Tuesday, May 17, and closesat 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 31. Ifmore than three candidatesfile for any of the seats, a pri-mary election would be con-ducted to narrow the field tothe top two for the Novemberelection.Candidates must be at least

18 years of age, a UnitedStates citizen and reside in thedistrict for which they arerunning. Anyone interested infiling can contact Director ofProperty Records/ElectionsMichelle Cote at 218-470-8352 for more information.— Chuck Whiting, PolkCounty administrator

2016 is anelection yearin county, too

Area law enforcement unitshave always been there to assisteach other but now there is a for-mal joint powers agreement tocover how they might worktogether.The agreement involves the

Polk County Sheriff’sDepartment and the policedepartments in Crookston andEast Grand Forks in Minnesotaalong with the Grand ForksCounty Sheriff’s Department,the Grand Forks PoliceDepartment and the Universityof North Dakota PoliceDepartment in North Dakota.Outlined are the conditions

under how, through the estab-lishment of a joint Grand ForksRegional Special OperationsGroup (SOG), the participatingagencies can exchange or pro-vide personnel and equipmentfor the purpose of conducting orassisting law enforcement and

emergency response efforts. Conditions under which the

agencies work together are toinclude threats to public healthand safety including criminalactivity and natural or manmadeemergencies or disasters.The agreement addresses how,

since the individual parties donot individually have all of theresources needed to cope withevery possible incident, crime,emergency or disaster by them-selves, the creation of an SGOcan provide operational readi-ness where police powers can beexercised and resources can beshared. The SOG is to have six spe-

cialized teams including theSpecial Weapons & TacticsTeam (SWAT), CrisisNegotiations Team (CNT),Bomb Team, TacticalEmergency Medical Services(TEMS) Team, Water Operations

Team, and the UnmannedAircraft Systems (UAS) Team.The participating agencies are

to each have one voting memberon an executive board that willadminister the SOG. The AltruHealth System, while not a for-mal member of the SOG body,may also be allowed to partici-pate in the SOG activities andhave a voting member on theexecutive board.The 13 different fire depart-

ments throughout Polk Countyalso have a mutual aid agreementoutlining how they will sharepersonnel and equipment as away to increase their efficiencyand effectiveness. In addition,the East Grand Forks and GrandForks fire departments assisteach other with firefighters andequipment as needed. EastGrand Forks also works withGrand Forks Air Force Base on asimilar arrangement.

Law enforcement units adopt joint powers pact to guide working together

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Assessor Robert Wagner outlines the process of valuing property...

Appraisal system in plain language

The process of determining the valua-tion of building properties for tax pur-poses begins with the collection of thephysical information about the proper-ty… the “facts.” At this point the process amounts tojust getting the facts; there is no opinioninvolved. These facts include the size ofthe building, the grade of the construc-tion, the age, etc. That is where theappraisal process begins. The facts are entered into the County’sCAMA system, the Computer-AidedMass Appraisal system. Once all of thefactual information is entered, this costsystem that will generate a cost figurefor construction of the building. Thiscost should be equal to the currentreplacement cost of construction. Ageand depreciation factors then adjust thatnumber to what it should be in today’smarket.The sales studies that we do providefor another adjustment in the final valu-

ations of properties for that particulartaxing district.

Land valuationsThe process for determining the valua-tion of land is different.The facts for land include the size ofthe tract, the soil type for agriculturalland and its location. Location doesn’thave a cost factor that is built in. Thelocation factor comes strictly from com-parable sales.By state statute, we need to re-visit toview and to re-appraise each propertyonce every five years. This is the mini-mum standard. We actually, probably dothis a little more often than that. Thefive-year timetable is the bare minimum.What the State of Minnesota wantsdone by having a reappraisal of one-fifthof the properties each year is for there tobe a physical “re-looking” at them… anon-site reviewing of the property. Thisamounts to knocking on the doors ofhomes. We also do the same with farm-land. We drive out to the land and lookat it to see if there are any changes. For farmland use, we look at anyrecords that we can see such as aerialviews with the soil type parcel overlay.If we have access to Farm Service Agency (FSA) records or if ownershave provided us with FSA records, wewill look at them, too.The actual farmland valuation comesdown to comparable sales. When welook at the comparable sales study, welook at the entire county. The sale valueis compared to the value that we haveon the parcel as the assessed value. Thisis what is called the sales ratio. By state statute, the assessed value isto be at 100 percent of the market value.In reality, you can’t hit the 100 percenton everything, so the state allows a win-dow of from 90 to 105 percent of salesratio on the median sale in that range.The median is actually the middle sale.It is not the average. It is the middlesale. If there have been five sales, themedian sale is the No. 3 sale… the onein the middle.The median sale eliminates the outly-ing sales… the high ones and the reallow ones so that you get a truer readingof what is actually going on in the mar-ket. If that median sale for the entirecounty falls outside of the 90 to 105 per-cent range, then we must get the valua-tion into that range. If the valuationbased on the county median sale is too

high, we must lower the value. If we aretoo low, that means raising the valua-tions.Typically, we don’t set valuations on acountywide basis but that is the start. After looking at farmland on a county-wide basis, we break Polk County downinto East and West. There are two dis-tinct markets for farmland across thecounty. We analyze each one of thoseareas the same way that we do the entirecounty to see how far off we fall fromthat 90 to 105 percent range. When we determine if we need toadjust something in one of those twomarkets, we further break it down intoEast, West and Central Polk County,approximately in thirds. Re-look at thestatistics again to see if there is any dif-ference, are any more specific areascompared to the three areas that weshould be concentrating on.When we get it narrowed down tothose three areas and if there is the needto do some adjustment, we start lookingat the individual townships. Is there a grouping of sales in onearea? Are there one or two sales hereand one or two sales there? We look atthe general soils map at the same time.Is it the same general types of soil thatare selling? We don’t get too parcel specific at thistime. We are not working on a CropEquivalency Rating (CER) system or onCrop Production Index (CPI). CERswere a big thing a few years back. Now,the CPI is probably the basis that ismost used if you are going to look at theindividual soils. We’re mostly looking atit using the general soils map as we con-sider the sales and plot out where weneed to increase or decrease valuations. Even if a township doesn’t have anysales, we look at the area around it anddetermine what the real estate marketis… has it gone up or has it gone down?An individual township can get anincrease or a decrease in farmland val-ues just based on that comparison. We look at a lot of different things. Wedo all of our sales ratio studies in-house.The State of Minnesota, which also doesratio studies, is a little more sophisticat-ed in how they do them. The stateincludes some time trend studies, etc.,so that they come up slightly differentthan we do. As an example, when looking at things

How it is doneOn the next three pages, Polk

County Director of AssessmentsServices (assessor) Robert Wagneroutlines how properties areappraised to determine valuationsin the process of determining property taxes.

The appraisal determination isthe first step in determining theamount of tax that is assessed toeach parcel as a way to fund theoperations of local governmentunits —counties, cities, townships,school districts, watershed districts, etc.

Introduced on Page 8 are theAssessment Services staff members — those who might comeknocking on your door as a part ofonsite visits that are made toview/inspect homes, businesses,farmsteads, and cropland andrecreational lands in the appraisalprocess.

Additional information about theproperty tax subject is available onthe

website. Specificissues can be addressed withcounty assessment services staffby calling 218-281-4186.

Continued next page

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Appraisal system in plain languagefor the 2016 assessment, our ratios lookreally good. We don’t have to changeland values by that comparison butwhen we look at the state’s ratio withthe time trend added in, we’re looking atroughly a 5 percent average decrease inag values within the county.Conversely, if values were going up,the time trend actually hits a little hard-er. We’re a little more aggressive in rais-ing the values because of the time trendthat the state does in an upscale market,but on the way down — currently weare kind of in a leveling off to a downmarket period in ag land value — itaccelerates a drop in value for tax pur-poses. A review of ag land properties is doneon every parcel every year. The actualphysical viewing is once every fiveyears. The calculations that are basedupon the market are done on a yearlybasis. That’s the case with all real estate,whether it is commercial, residential,farmland or whatever. The physicalviewing is only done every five years.The valuation of every parcel isreviewed every year.

SalesOnly sales that are determined to be“good” arms-length transactions areused in the sales study. A willing buyerand a willing seller, both of whom areseeking to maximize their gain from thetransfer amounts to an arms-lengthtransaction.The State of Minnesota has publisheda list of Guidelines for accepting “good”or rejecting “not good” sales. Salesbetween relatives are typically not agood sale in determining valuations. Thecloser the relative, the more “not good”that the sale is. When the sale isbetween cousins, or uncles and such, itbecomes more debatable one way or theother. I would honestly say that in PolkCounty, most of our sales between rela-tive are fairly representative of the gen-eral market. Nobody is getting a deal,nobody is getting taken. There areinstances where at least part of a sale isa gift. Typically, we don’t have many ofthose in Polk County.Personal representative estate sales aretypically not good sales. We find thatmost of them around here are auctionsales. Auction sales are typically goodsales but if it is a personal representativedeed, more than likely it will be thrownout by the state. We do argue at times tokeep some of these sales in. We cull

some of them out at the local level, too.The state goes over every single salethat occurs. They can make changes andtrump us.Unusual financing terms are one of thethings that might get a sale thrown out. Less than 10 percent down on a con-tract for deed is not considered a goodsale. Excessive personal property can beanother thing that can get a sale thrownout. We had an ag sale come through inwhich we couldn’t figure out why it wasso terribly high. After multiple calls to the peopleinvolved, we found out that the cost offall-applied fertilizer had been includedin the sale price but that was not statedon the certificate of real estate value. That was an unusually high sale whenit shouldn’t have been. Once we gotsome figures from the buyer and selleron the cost of the fertilizer and subtract-ed that out, the sale fell into pretty muchthe normal range. We have to look forthings like that in a sale.Other not good sales may includebank sales, government sales, sales toavoid foreclosure, sales of partial inter-est, split parcel sales, sales with lease-back, or sales containing parcels inmore than one county.You can have two parcels of land indifferent areas of the county that havethe same soil type but have different val-ues. The factors involved then includelocation of the sales that have occurredin that area. For example: Typically for the west-ern part of the county, if you have landthat is capable of producing sugarbeets,is close to the factory, and is on goodroads, you might see a premium paid forthat land versus something that is a littlefarther out.If you are a bean farmer and you areclose to the bean plant, you might paymore for that land. Those are the typesof factors that come into play. You getthat information from the sales. It isnothing that we have in a book or any-thing like that.

Commercial propertiesA bar-restaurant sale is typically oneof those sales that is not a good sale.That’s usually because there is blue skyinvolved with clientele and there usuallyis a lot of personal property that isincluded in the sale. With every sale that occurs, we makean attempt to verify the sale, whether itis ag, commercial or residential. By ver-

ify, it means that appraisers will call thebuyer or the seller; sometimes it is theattorney who did the sale. We ask ques-tions about the sale to verify it, to deter-mine that there wasn’t something thatdidn’t show up on the certificate of realestate value and that the property soldwas only the real estate and did notinclude personal property.A certificate of real estate value mustbe filed for any sale for more than$1,000 that occurs in the state ofMinnesota. If we don’t have a certificateof real estate value at the time that thedeed comes in, the deed cannot be filed.The certificate of real estate value isrequired for a deed to be filed. The state has now gone 100 percent toElectronic Certificate of Real estateValue (ECRV) filing. Many times wewill not have a paper copy of the ECRVwhen the deed is filed but an electroniccopy will be on our computer system.Any sale that is over $1,000 in valuerequires an ECRV. The ECRV is thebasis for establishing value. The publiccan search ECRVs on the MinnesotaDepartment of Revenue website.

Residential propertiesResidential properties also fall underthe once every five years that we shouldbe knocking on their doors. We make anattempt to get into the homes. That isnot saying that we get into all of thehomes. In this day and age, most every-one works during the day, so you don’tcatch a lot of people at home. When we don’t catch someone athome and we feel that there is a need toget an interior look at the property, wewill leave a door hanger stating the datethat we were there, the parcel address,and a short explanation of why weeither want to talk with the propertyowner or get a visual inspection of theproperty. While at the property, the appraiserwill check and note the exterior mea-surements, style of the house, number ofstories, decks, patios, and any otherexterior detail of the property that mightaffect its value.A property owner can deny entrance.A number of years ago, they could notbut Gov. Jesse Ventura had the lawchanged so that now a property ownercan deny interior access to a property. However, the catch is that when interi-or access is denied and you disagreewith the valuation, the board of appeal

Continued next page

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Appraisal system in plain languagecannot change that value until there hasbeen an interior inspection.If someone denies access, we have touse “typicals” for that style of a house. If the appraiser drives down the streetand sees a similar house and has been inthat house, the appraiser will use typi-cals for that style of house. Typically, itmight have a bathroom and a half, ahalf-finished basement… just the typicalthings that you see. From the outside of the house, you canpretty much tell if it has a fireplace. Youcan tell what kind of heat it has… gas oroil. There are a lot of clues from the out-side. In an area where houses are verysimilar, similar size, similar style, simi-lar age, there is not a lot of difference inthem. If we have to assume what is in thathouse, though, we are likely to assumethat it is a little bit better than typicalbecause we just don’t know. The homeowner has recourse throughthe Boards of Appeal, the County Boardand Tax Court. But if the property ownerwants to exercise any of the methods ofappeal, the appraiser must be givenaccess to see the interior of the house. If the valuation is appealed and theproperty owner has had a privateappraiser see the interior of the house,that private appraiser can value thehouse based on the specifics. If we havenever been into the interior, we are at adisadvantage. We don’t know what isthere. We are estimating and we are usu-ally estimating on the high end of nor-mal.

Appraiser qualificationsI have a staff of six appraisers.Typically, they are assigned to work inspecific districts within the county. Weare in a staff-building mode right now,though, so we are having multipleappraisers working in multiple districtsin order to get everything done for theyear.A couple of years back, Minnesotachanged the law on the licensing ofappraisers. Prior to the change, all tax-ing districts in the state had a set mini-mum level of licensure for an appraiserto appraise the property in that taxingdistrict. Since the change in law, allappraisers must now obtain anAccredited Minnesota Assessor level oflicensure within five years from date ofhire in order to appraise any propertywithin a taxing district. What this has done is to force a lot of

appraisers to get up to that higher levelof licensure. In Polk County, I haverequired all of my staff to get up to thathigher level of licensure for a number ofyears… ever since I started in this officein December 1996. Township assessors,who work in some of the more ruraltownships in Polk County where is littleor no commercial property, are now alsorequired to reach that level of licensure. There are several different levels ofappraiser licensure. The entry level isthe Certified Minnesota Assessor licen-sure, (CMA), which requires a minimumof five weeks of classroom education inaddition to having one full year of expe-rience. This experience amounts to atraining period within the office. When the first level of licensure isachieved, this is about the first time thatwe send appraisers out on their own.The appraisal process requires an opin-ion. Previous to that, their only work hasbeen with the collection of facts anddetails in the office. The next level of licensure is theCertified Minnesota Appraiser who is“Income-Qualified” (CMA-IQ). Thisrequires several weeks of classes inincome valuation. This allows them towork with the more complex commer-cial apartment type properties whereincome becomes a part of the valuation. The next step up is the CertifiedMinnesota Appraiser Specialist licen-sure, which adds a type of “formappraisal.” This is similar to a feeappraisal in which an appraisal is doneon a single property and a report is writ-ten. They are graded on the report,which is quite a detailed and all encom-passing.After that level is the AccreditedMinnesota Assessor licensure, whichrequires three years of experience fromthe date of hire. It requires a number ofthe more advanced classes that get intothe administration of assessment andinclude assessment law. As you go up in license level, it natu-rally becomes more complex. Theselicensure levels are now the state’s mini-mum requirement for what must beobtained in the first five years. The one remaining license level —Senior Accredited Minnesota AssessorLicense — is the one that all countyassessors or assessors for cities of thefirst class must have. This requires fiveyears of experience and quite a bit moreclass in appraisal and specifics.Some of the classes are starting to beavailable on the Internet. The majority

of the classes that we have to take arestill either in St. Paul or in St. Cloud.These classes involve some very heavyconcentration and require being awayfrom the office for a week along withthe cost of travel and housing. The Association of MinnesotaAssessors (MAAO) is working on hav-ing more classes be available online sothat they are easier to complete and aremore accessible. These classes are veryimportant and are very hands-on, whichmakes them difficult to be offered onlinevia the Internet.

Appraisal purposeThe basis of determining property val-uation is not to raise the revenue thatlocal governments require. The valuationbasis, coupled with the statutory classifi-cation percentages for the different typesof properties, is used to determine whatpart of the tax dollar that is levied byeach branch of government that will beassessed against your parcel… what iseach parcel’s fair share. This is why it is important to have val-uations be fair and equitable within yourtownship, county, and school district. The State Department of Revenueoversees the entire state in an effort tomake valuations fair and equitablebetween the counties. We have a numberof taxing districts — school districtsbeing the largest ones — that crosscounty lines. That is one of the reasonsfor the state to monitor all counties… sothat districts that cross county lines areappraised on an equitable basis. Thewhole idea is to be fair. Some times when you look at the valu-ation determined for your property, youmight think that the value is okay. Myhouse, my property is worth that much.But when you get your tax statement, itbecomes a different story. Nobody likes to pay taxes. And cer-tainly, nobody likes to pay more thantheir fair share. But if the valuation on a property iscorrect and you run it through the statestatute system for taxation, then you willbe paying your fair share. Sometimes itis hard for people to separate the valua-tion from the amount of tax because thevalue is the basis, but the value onlyserves to determine what portion of thatwhole levy your property will pay. —Robert Wagner, Polk County Directorof Assessment Services

— 8 —

The Appraisal TeamHeather BruleyI live in Crookston with my hus-

band, Josh, and our 3 children,Keaton (14), Abigail (5) and Hadleigh(4). I was born in Crookston andgrew up in the Gentilly area. My par-

ents are Allanand the lateDiane Tru-deau. I gradu-ated from Cro-okston HighSchool andhave a degreefrom NorthlandCommunity &T e c h n i c a lCollege in Ra-

diological Technology. I am also licensed as a Property &

Casualty Insurance Producer inMinnesota and North Dakota. I start-ed working in the Assessor’s OfficeJanuary 2015. Since then, I haveachieved my Certified MinnesotaAssessors License and am currentlyworking toward my IncomeCertification. I am a member of the Minnesota

Association of Assessing Officers(MAAO) and am the TaxpayerService Center representative on thePolk County Safety Committee. I amalso active in the PTO at my daugh-ter’s school. I look forward to contin-uing my education in this field, aswell as working for the citizens ofPolk County.

Mark LandsverkI grew up and still live in rural

Fosston. I graduated from Universityof North Dakota in 1987 with a B.Sdegree in Geography & History. Aftercollege, I farmed with my brothernear Fosston for nearly 20 years.While farming, I served on the

F o s s t o nElevator Board. I joined the

A s s e s s o r ’ sOffice as ap-praiser in 2006,working mainlywith rural prop-erties and agri-cultural land. Iachieved mySenior Ac-

credited Minnesota Assessor licensedesignation in 2013 and becameChief Deputy Assessor in 2014. Irepresent Region 8 on theAgricultural Committee of the MAAO.My wife, Jill, and I have three childrennamed Christian, Olivia and Amelia.

Amber Swenson-HillI'm originally from Crookston and

have lived in this area for most of mylife. It has been a great journeystudying civil engineering at UND,finding my passion in real estate,meeting my now husband, KyleSwenson, and recently celebratingthe birth of our first baby girl.

Over the years I've been taught somuch about the business from my

family by work-ing with themat The RealEstate Place inC r o o k s t o n .Four years ago(August 2012),I came to workfor the countyand, as fatewould have it,ended up in

the Assessor’s Office. It really is a jobI enjoy. Through joining MAAO, I’m work-

ing toward my AMA license, and writ-ing for Equal Eyes, MAAO’s award-winning publication. I've learned somuch. The field of assessment pre-sents new challenges every day andI look forward to expanding myknowledge even further by learningfrom the staff.

Wesly A. OianI have been in the real estate field

since the mid 1980s and have been aproperty appraiser since 1987. I started in the appraisal field in

Maricopa County, Arizona. After 10years there as an appraiser first inthe Commercial Department, then in

the LitigationDepa r tmen t ,and then backin the Com-mercial De-partment in as u p e r v i s o r yposition, wemoved toMankato, Minn. After assist-

ing in the volunteer Disaster Re-assessment effort after the 1997 RedRiver Valley flood, I accepted a posi-tion with the Polk County Assessor’sOffice in August of 1998. I have hadthe privilege of assisting with twoother unfortunate disaster reassess-ment events, the 1999 St. PeterTornado and the 2002 Roseau flood. I have received certificates of com-

mendation and letters of gratitudefrom two governors, the commission-er of the Minnesota Dept. ofRevenue, and from the president ofMAAO. I am a 15-year member ofMAAO and am experienced in allfields of property appraisal from landand residential to complex commer-cial/ industrial and income producingproperty. My wife, Lori, and I have two

daughters that are grown and havefamilies of their own — Carolyn andDave Jensen of Maple Grove, Minn.,and Lacy and Joey Fayette of EastGrand Forks. We have been blessedwith three wonderful, healthy andambitious grandsons, Oliver (6),Benjamin (4) and Carter (3.

Sam MelbyeI was born and raised in

Crookston. After graduating fromhigh school, I went to the Universityof Wisconsin–Oshkosh to pursue adegree in communications. FromOshkosh, I moved to Moorhead tobegin my professional life. After a fewyears there, I moved back toCrookston and commuted to ThiefRiver Falls for work at the Digi-KeyCorporation. I completed my B.S. in

Communications at the University ofPhoenix whileworking atD i g i - K e y .Around thistime, I met mywife, Marley.We have madeour home herein Crookston. After com-

pleting mydegree, I was

hired by Polk County to work in theTaxpayer Service Center. I transi-tioned to the Assessor’s Office sideof the TPSC in June 2012 as a staffappraiser. With Polk County, I have attained a

Certified Minnesota Assessor licenseand am currently working on my nextlicense level, which I hope to obtainthis fall. I have been active with the MAAO

Information Systems Committee andam responsible for updating the job-posting website and notifying themembership of all job opportunities. Iam also the information technologyliaison for the Taxpayer ServiceCenter and was fortunate to workwith many talented people inredesigning the Polk County website.

Kristine MoodyI was born and raised in East

Grand Forks and graduated fromSenior High School. I graduated fromthe University of North Dakota in May2009 and worked in the medical fieldfor four years before returning toschool to earn a master of sciencedegree in Business from theUniversity of Mary in December2015.

I started inthe PolkCounty Asses-sor’s Office inOctober 2015and am cur-rently workingon my first stepof licensure. I consider

myself a jack ofrandom trades

having studied opera at the BelCanto Studio of voice for sevenyears, having been in multiple con-cert choirs through UND, NorthDakota State University, and theMaster Chorale. In my free time, I am

an amateur painter/artist/writer. I lovetravel and have been fortunate tohave visited 10 different countries inEurope — France, Italy, Germany,Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland,Greece, Capri, Malta and CzechRepublic. I am a recent amateurroofer and attic insulation technician(though still in training and not veryproficient). I was married to Richard Moody of

Salem, Va., on April 12, 2012, atSligo, Ireland. We have two dogs,two birds and one cat and reside inEast Grand Forks.

Robert L WagnerI am a born and raised Polk County

native. While growing up at Fisher, Ihad the good fortune of working withelectrical, plumbing and carpentertradesmen as well as working on thefamily farm. I attended the University of North

Dakota for two years on a mathmajor/economics minor track. Whileat UND, I worked at the Red Peppercooking, cleaning, serving and occa-

sional manag-ing when theowners wereaway. I graduated

from the Un-iversity of Min-nesota Duluthwith a B.S. inBusiness Ed-ucation. Duringmy time at

UMD, I worked in the AdmissionsOffice under the Vice Provost ofStudent Affairs on an internship. Iwas trained on and operated the lat-est business technology at that time,the CPT (computer programmedtypewriter). After graduation from UMD, I con-

tinued to work on the family farm until1983. Following that, I sold realestate in Minnesota and NorthDakota. I signed on with Polk Countyas an appraiser in the Assessor’sOffice in January 1987 after taking anappraisal class from then PolkCounty Assessor Dale Halos. Upon Dale’s retirement, I became

the Polk County assessor inDecember 1996. I hold the IncomeQualified Senior AccreditedMinnesota Assessor license fromMAAO along with a Certified GeneralReal Property Appraisal licensethrough the Minnesota Department ofCommerce. My wife, Jane, and I live in East

Grand Forks and are now ‘emptynesters’ after raising three sons ofwhom we are very proud, John,Thomas and Max.

— 9 —

The buying and selling of property inPolk County has become easier and moreaccurate as a result of the recent estab-lishment of “corner points” that are nowin place no more than three miles apart. The creation of three-mile apart cornerpoints marks the completion of a “re-monumentation” effort that has beenongoing over the past 12 years. The first phase of the work createdaccurate section corner points that weresix miles apart. Completed under contractover five years (2004-2008), this workestablished corner points at the northeastcorner of each township. Work on the second phase of re-monu-mentation, which was begun in 2009 andestablished the three-mile-apart cornerpoints, was completed late last year. “Now, no matter where you are in thecounty,” County Engineer RichardSanders notes, “a documented, certifiedsection corner is within three miles.” The Widseth Smith Nolting engineer-ing firm, the county’s designated landsurveyor, did the “three-mile apart” pro-ject on a contract basis over six years.The total $498,000 cost of the projectincluded some extra work that wasencountered in the Fertile and East Grand

Forks areas. The County Recorder's ComplianceFund has paid for the first four years ofthe project — $480,000 — with the bal-ance of the near half-million-dollar pro-ject also to be paid for from the fund.Polk County Director of PropertyRecords Michele Cote, who serves as thecounty recorder, supervises the fundwhich accumulates by collecting $11from each $46 recording fee. The fund was originated to ensure thatthe recorder is compliant with the statestatutes that require the recording andreturn of documents within a specifiedtime period. For calendar year 2011 andthereafter, the maximum time allowed forcompletion of the recording process fordocuments that are presented in record-able form is 10 business days. When therecorder is not compliant with the statutethe Compliance Fund is utilized to ensurecompliancy.“As a part of planning and zoningrequirements, when a licensed surveyordoes a survey on a parcel of property,”Sanders notes, “the survey is developedfrom the two nearest existing section cor-ner points. In the surveying process, anadditional corner is usually established

and recorded, so as private surveyors dowork, or as we have WSN do remonu-mentation for our county roadwork, morecorners will get certified. “By state statute, remonumentation isrequired whenever construction work isdone on county roads. This information isblended into one county map showing allof the corners. The map is available forall who might need it,” Sanders says.The three-mile corner posts provide abenefit to anyone in the county who ispurchasing or selling property… so thatthey know exactly what they are purchas-ing or selling. The three-mile corner postinformation will help to settle boundarydiscrepancies and disputes.The remonumentation also helps thePolk County GIS Department (geograph-ic information system) know the exactlocation of property lines in relation tooverlays of other information. “Thistightens up our GIS map,” Sanders says,“by making it more accurate in where theparcel boundaries really are in relation towhere they might be thought to be on theground. And it makes it easier for ourHighway Department to document theproperty owners when we might have topurchase right-of-way.”

Remonumentation effort is complete

Corner points now no more than 3 miles apart

Assigned state agencies — theDepartment of NaturalResources (DNR) and the Boardof Water & Soil Resource(BSWR) — continue to interpret,develop and format their respec-tive obligatory duties as outlinedby Minnesota statute (oftenreferred to as buffer legislation)as passed by State Legislature inMay 2015 and communicateprogress to local soil and waterconservation districts (SWCDs). Though various questions/ sce-

narios remain to be addressedand recent news coverage exhib-ited Gov. Dayton’s clarifyingdirection to the DNR regardingexclusion of non-public drainagesystems on preliminary buffermaps, there have been no amend-ments to Minnesota statute. DNR maps that indicate public

(protected) waters with currentshoreland classifications andpublic drainage systems areanticipated to be available for

local review in spring 2016 andfinalized versions released byJuly 2016. Required buffers onpublic waters (50 feet) must be inplace by Nov. 1, 2017; buffers onpublic drainage systems (16.5feet) must be in place by Nov. 1,2018. If a landowner is out of com-

pliance with the requirement, thecounty or watershed district willprovide a correction letter (noti-fication provided to BWSR withpotential assessment of fines)and work with the landowner ona reasonable timetable for com-pletion. SWCDs are not assignedany authority or role regardingenforcement of Gov. Dayton’sBuffer Initiative. Local waterresources riparian protectionrequirements will be developedby July 1, 2017 and will not beincluded on DNR maps.West Polk SWCD staff are

available to assist with anyinquires relative to buffer legisla-

tion and identify multiple fund-ing options with direction.Federal agencies — the FarmService Agency (FSA) andNatural Resources ConservationService (NRCS) — administermultiple compliance programsthat provide cost share andpotential annual paymentsthrough the ConservationReserve Program (CRP) andEnvironmental QualityIncentives Program (EQIP) forimplementation and maintenanceof buffer/filter strips, althoughavailability of programs may ter-minate after buffer establishmentdeadlines. It is our certain intention to

assist you with technical guid-ance and field inquiries as infor-mation becomes available. Aself-initiative approach to com-pliance (without any state or fed-eral program assistance or com-pensation) allows a landowner todetermine the seed mix of peren-

nial vegetation for establishmentof buffer obligation. Utilizingthis approach ensures thatlandowners maintain the abilityto use established buffer areasfor haying, grazing, hunting orother activities, providing thatthe buffer vegetation is main-tained. Landowners may restrictpublic access, including the rightto post their property to preventhunting or other trespassing.Please view www.westpolksw-

cd.com buffers page and utilizedirect links to BWSR, DNR andMinnesota Farm Bureau webpages for current available infor-mation regarding buffers or visitour field office (co-located withNRCS) at 528 Strander Ave. inCrookston. — AaronHabermehl, district technicianWetland Conservation Actadministrator LGU, West PolkSoil & Water ConservationDistrict

Buffer zone legislation effects still in development

— 10 —

In his new position as theassistant administrator of thePolk County EnvironmentalServices Department, JoshHolte has taken on additionalsupervisory duties that allowJon Steiner, the administrator,to focus more extensively onthe ongoing project that is toexpand and further develop thedisposal solid waste in north-western Minnesota counties. Polk County has applied forstate bond funding for a $15million regional solid wasteexpansion project that involvesthe counties of Beltrami,Clearwater, Hubbard,Mahnomen, Norman and Polk.The project would leverage$12.5 million in local fundingto be matched by $17.5 millionin state bond funds issued via agrant. The project includes newtransfer stations in Bemidji(Beltrami County), ParkRapids (Hubbard County) andCrookston (Polk County).Other major portions of theproject include the construc-tion of a new compost facilityat the Landfill Complex near

Gentilly, the expansion of thetip floor and addition of newprocessing equipment at theResource Recovery Facility(incinerator) in Fosston, andadditional equipment and mod-ifications related to those facil-ities.“Josh has demonstrated thathe is willing and able to takeon additional responsibilitiesand wants to advance hiscareer,” Steiner states. “He’ssmart, personable, utilizesgood judgement and canremain calm and focused evenin difficult situations. Theseare essential traits for the posi-tion, and finding and retainingpeople who have those traits isdifficult. We are very fortunateto have Josh.”After first joining PolkCounty in the summer of 2008as an environmental field tech-nician, Holte left in March2011 to become the zoning,solid waste and emergencymanagement administrator forNorman County. He returnedto Polk County in 2013 as thecounty’s planning and zoningadministrator.

A native of Grygla where hegraduated from high school in2004, Holte earned a B.S.degree in geography (regionalplanning and land use) with aminor in environmental studiesat Bemidji State University in2008. During his time in col-lege, he did internships withthe Beltrami County HighwayDepartment and Cass CountyEnvironmental Services. Holte and his wife, Amanda,a stay-at-home mom, live inCrookston. They have threeyoung children, a son, Levi,and daughters, Natalie andEllie.

Joshe Holte

Don’t forget thebuildingpermit

Polk County EnvironmentalServices reminds propertyowners that building/land usepermits are required for allconstruction projects in thecounty. If you are planningbuilding/land use projects,please contact Polk CountyPlanning & Zoning prior toconstruction to determine set-back and ordinance require-ments that may apply. People sometimes forget toapply for a building permit ordon’t think they need a permitfor a deck, small shed, etc.However, permits are requiredfor almost any constructionproject. Any land alterationsor landscaping activity in theshoreland or floodplain zoningdistricts may also require apermit.More information on build-ing/land use regulations canbe found on the Polk CountyWebsite atwww.co.polk.mn.us under theEnvironmental Services andPlanning & ZoningDepartment page.Land use/zoning permitsthat aren’t obtained prior toconstruction are treated as“after the fact” permits subjectto three times the cost of thepermit plus an additional $150penalty fee. The costs can addup quick especially if setbacksaren’t met or a variance orconditional use permit isrequired. In certain situationspenalty fees may be over$1,000. So, make sure to apply foryour land use/building permitsearly and plan ahead to avoidunnecessary delays or penaltyfees. Our office is more thanhappy to answer questions andassist you through the permit-ting process. For more infor-mation contact Polk CountyPlanning & Zoning at (218)281-5700. — Josh Holte,Polk County assistantEnvironmental Servicesadministrator

For the last three years, PolkCounty Environmental Ser-vices has been offering septicloan funding to low-incomefamilies within the county toupgrade failing septic systems.Money has been made avail-able through the Clean WaterLegacy Act and distributed tocounties across the state.Polk County has set up arevolving loan fund with a 25%cost-share grant available toproperty owners who have fail-ing septic systems. By operat-ing this program as a loan, weensure that even if fundingfrom the state runs out, we willbe able to continue to helpupgrade failing systems longinto the future.Since the program waslaunched in 2013, we haveupgraded 13 septic systems in

the county. Last year, the coun-ty decided to put a little moreincentive into the program byoffering a 25% cost-sharegrant. This means that the countywill contribute 25% of the sep-tic system replacement costwith the remaining 75% rolledinto a .0001% loan that is paidback over a 10-year term as aspecial assessment. This makesit a very affordable and conve-nient program for many prop-erty owners. Currently, the program hasenough funding flowing backthrough special assessments tofund two to three additionalsystems per year.Funding is subject to low-income guidelines and is basedon household size. The county

has allocated funding again forthe upcoming year and applica-tions will be accepted throughJune 1st and awarded based onincome status, condition ofexisting system, and proximityto priority surface waters. After the June 1st deadline,the program will continue on afirst-come first-serve basis forthe remainder of 2016. More information regardingthis great program can befound on the Polk CountyWebsite at www.co.polk.mn.usunder the EnvironmentalServices and Planning &Zoning Department page or bycalling Polk County Planning& Zoning at (218) 281-5700.— Josh Holte, Polk Countyaassistant EnvironmentalServices administrator

Loans to upgrade septic systemsavailable for low-income families

Supervisory role is expanded

Holte given new duties

— 11 —

Sorenson joins Red Lake WatershedTerry Sorenson, Mentor, is the

new East Polk County represen-tative on the Board of Managersof the Red Lake WatershedDistrict. Appointed by the County

Board in January to a three-yearterm, Sorenson succeeds AlbertMandt, who died last fall. “I’m finding that serving on

the board of managers is veryinteresting,” Sorenson says. “Iworked with watersheds on theirprojects when I was with theMinnesota Department ofTransportation (Mn-DOT), so Ihave some background in whatthey do but there is still a lot tolearn. I’m really amazed ateverything that watersheds doand at the expanse of the RedLake Watershed District. It’s abig watershed.” A native of Gonvick, Sorenson

graduated from high school

there in 1969. After several yearsin retail sales, he started a 34-year career with Mn-DOT at Adain 1974. While living there, heserved on the Ada City Council(1986-1994) and on the commu-nity’s hospital board, public util-ities commission and street

department, and also was on theboard of Grace LutheranChurch. Promoted to the position of

operations supervisor for Mn-DOT at Crookston in 1990, heserved in that job until retiring in2007.Sorenson and his wife, Faye

(Mattson), who were married atGully in 1970, have lived inMentor for the past 18 years.They have two children, Shellyand Tory, four grandchildren anda great-grandchild. Sorenson is atrustee of Faith Lutheran Churchin Mentor.The West Polk County repre-

sentative on the board of man-agers is Gene Tiedemann,Euclid. Tiedemann is vice chairof the board. Dale Nelson, ThiefRiver Falls, the PenningtonCounty representative, serves asthe chair.

Terry Sorenson

Webster takes new information roleIn the newly created position of

systems administrator, LeviWebster has assumed supervisoryresponsibility in Polk County’sInformation Systems Departmentover systems side support staff,end user work orders and supportrequests. Prior to his work for Polk

County, Webster, who joined theI.S. Department on Jan. 4, hadbeen the systems administrator atthe University of Minnesota-Crookston (UMC) where duringthe past four years he had moni-tored 1,300 laptops, desktop PCsand servers. His work experience also

includes almost six years as a sup-port specialist at RDO EquipmentCo. in Fargo.As systems administrator,

Webster has technical responsibil-ity over storage, databases, databackups and archiving, email,Intranet and county websites,servers and all desktop andmobile end user equipment.The new position was created

by Polk County InformationSystems Director SebastianSullivan as part of the restructur-ing of the original InformationTechnology Department createdin early 2000. “We needed to keep pace with

rapidly evolving technology, Polk

County’s diverse and increasingnumber of systems as well as thecomplexity of support chal-lenges,” Sullivan notes. “The fre-quency and depth of the advancedwork our department has beenasked to deal with, compared tothree or four years ago, required asplit of the original administratorrole into two separate positionswith clearly defined skills andresponsibilities. “This splitting up of technical

roles will effectively enable bothadministrators to keep with theincreasing demands placed upontheir time, mental focus and main-tain the quality of work and paceexpected by the county depart-ments that we serve. The techni-

cal demands were just too muchfor any one person to handled ona sustained basis.”The other half of information

systems department administra-tion is that of “network” adminis-trator. That position is currentlyopen. A recruiting effort is cur-rently underway to find the rightperson to assume that role. “The network administrator,”

Sullivan says, “is responsible forimplementing, maintaining andsupporting connectivity betweenCounty and outside systems. Theinformation systems side thatWebster now supervises isresponsible for servers, PCs,Laptops, mobile devices, tele-phones, email, Intranet, databas-es, storage, data backups andarchiving. With the new position, there is a

split between support for the actu-al systems themselves and the net-work connecting them togetherand to outside organizations.”A native of the Kennedy area,

Webster graduated from KittsonCentral High School in Hallock in2004 and from UMC with a B.S.degree in information technologymanagement in 2008. He and hiswife, Stephanie and their six-month-old son, Jackson, live inCrookston.

Levi Webster

Nancy Shafer

Shafer in stateCommunicationsBoard positionNancy Shafer, director of thePolk County Dispatch Center,is serving as an alternate mem-ber as a representative from thenorthwest region of Minnesotaon the Statewide EmergencyCommunications Board(SECB) this year. She willbecome a full board member in2017.Shafer was appointed toserve in the alternate and fullboard member positions as apart of the March meeting ofNorthwest RegionalEmergency CommunicationsBoard (NRECB). Membershipon the SECB rotates annuallythrough the six regional com-munications districts inMinnesota.The NRECB district includes14 counties (Becker, Beltrami,Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard,Kittson, Lake of the Woods,Mahnomen, Marshall,Norman, Pennington, Polk,Red Lake, and Roseau), thecity of Moorhead and theWhite Earth Tribe.The other Greater Minnesotacommunications districts thatare involved in the rotationprocess are those from theCentral, South Central,Southeast, Southwest andNortheast regions. BeckerCounty Commissioner JohnOkeson is chair of the NRCEBwith Hubbard CountyCommissioner Cal Johannsenas vice chair. CommissionerCraig Buness represents PolkCounty.

— 12 —

Spring seems to have takenover winter in northwesternMinnesota, which allows usall to start dreaming aboutsummer. The Polk CountyHighway Department willhave another busy construc-tion season this year. We are hoping that North

Dakota will find the fundingneeded for their half of theNielsville Bridge, so we canget it designed and start con-struction later this fall. Other projects that we plan

on constructing include:• Grade-widening of CSAH34 from CSAH 36 to thesouth limits of Erskine. Thisjob has taken a while to get tothe construction phasebecause of environmentalpermitting and the right ofway concerns. If those issuesare taken care of in the nextweek or two, constructioncould begin in mid-June andbe completed by mid-October.We will be overlaying the

following roads with bitumi-nous this summer with com-pletion by mid-September:• CSAH 20 from CSAH 21

to the Polk/Marshall Countyline.• CSAH 68 from CSAH 23

to the Polk/Marshall Countyline.• CR 214 from CSAH 45 to

TH 2 in Crookston.During the last 4 years, we

have been stabilizing ourgravel roads with a chemicalcalled BASE1. This year wewill be stabilizing another 17miles of those roadways. Thiswill be done on CSAH 65,CSAH 67 and CR 212.In addition to the contract-

ed projects, the county main-tenance crew will be per-forming the usual mainte-nance duties associated withupkeep of the county roadsystem. — RichardSanders, Polk Countyengineer

NielsvilleBridge fundssought, roadprojects set

Reis

King

Eden

Gully

Tabor

Knute

Euclid

Fisher

Fanny

Angus

Lowell

Nesbit

Queen

Lessor

RussiaVineland

Brandt

Parnell

Fairfax

Liberty

Roome

Winger

Badger

Sletten

Onstad

Hubbard Garden

Chester

ScandiaGarfield

Sullivan

Godfrey

Belgium

Johnson

Andover

Farley

Rosebud

Gentilly

Brislet

Hill River

Crookston

Columbia

Keystone

Grove Park - Tilden

Woodside

Huntsville

Northland

Hammond

Bygland

Brandsvold

Kertsonville

Higdem

Esther

HelgelandSandsville

Tynsid

Grand Forks

Rhinehart

Crookston

East Grand Forks

Fertile

Mentor

Fosston

Beltrami

Trail

Climax

Erskine

McIntosh

Fisher

Winger

Gully

LengbyNeilsville

³These data are provided on an "AS-IS"basis, without warranty of any type, expressed or implied, including but not limited to any warranty as to their performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.

2016 Polk County Commissioner Districts

Commissioner DistrictsDistrict 1, Craig Buness

District 2, Warren Strandell

District 3, Nick Nicholas

Dictrict 4, Joan Lee

District 5, Don Diedrich

8:00 a.m. on 1st Tuesday of the month

10:00 a.m. on the 3rd Tuesday8:00 a.m. on the 4th Tuesday

All meetings are opento the public

County CommissionersDist. 1 — Craig Buness, chairDist. 2 — Warren StrandellDist. 3 — Nick Nicholas, v. chairDist. 4 — Joan K. LeeDist. 5 — Don Diedrich

County Board Meeting Times

Polk CountyPlanning

CommissionChair: Mike Powers, East

Grand Forks (representing EastGrand Forks mayor)Vice Chair: Robert Franks,

rural Warren (representingCommissioner Dist. 5)Donovan Wright, rural Mentor

(representing CommissionerDist. 1)Len Vonasek, rural East

Grand Forks (representingCommissioner Dist. 2)Courtney Pulkrabek,

Crookston (representingCommissioner Dist. 3)Paul Jore, rural McIntosh

(representing CommissionerDist. 4)Wayne Melbye, Crookston

(representing Crookston mayor)Arlet Phillips, rural East Grand

Forks (representing PolkCounty townships)Dennis Yell, rural Mentor (rep-

resenting Maple LakeImprovement District)Rolland Gagner, rural Erskine

(representing Union Lake SarahImprovement District)

Board of AdjustmentChair: Mike PowersVice Chair: Robert FranksRolland GagnerDonovan WrightCourtney PulkrabekAlternate: Arlet PhillipsAlternate: Paul Jore

Load limits preserve the roadsThe load limits that went into

effect on March 8 in PolkCounty — along with the rest ofthe North Central Region ofMinnesota — will go off in eightweeks or sooner, if theMinnesota Department ofTransportation determines thatfactors such as temperature,frost in the ground, water in theroads, etc. won’t be detrimental.“During spring load restric-

tions water is trapped betweenthe frost and the roadway mak-ing it the weakest that it can pos-sibly be,” according to PolkCounty Engineer RichardSanders. “Load limit restrictions are put

in place to prevent damage fromhappening in the differentregions of the state… theSoutheast, Metro, Central, NorthCentral and North. We’re in theNorth Central Region.”Each spring, two Highway

Department crews are assignedto erect the load restriction signson the 1,000 miles of countyroads. No signs are erected onroads that have a 10-ton rating.Roads rated for 7-ton or 9-toncapacities are signed appropri-ately. Gravel roads are statutori-ly posted for 5-ton limits, sothey don’t need signage.The University of Minnesota

Local Technical AssistanceProgram (LTAP) offers truckweight training every year tohelp individuals determine legalloads for their particular truck.This training will be held at thePolk County Human ServiceCenter in East Grand Forks onMarch 30. For more information, go to

http://www.mnltap.umn.edu/training/topic/customized/truck-weight/index.html. The roadrestrictions map is on the countywebsite: www.co.polk.mn.us.

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Hire Employee Department-Position40 Years

3/10/76 Robert Bjerk Highway Dept. - Engineering Tech IIIC

12/27/76 Laureen Anderson Veterans Service - Admin. Asst. II

35 Years

8/17/81 Valerie Bjerk Administrators’s Office - Admin. Ass’t. II

25 Years

3/01/91 Richard Sanders Highway Dept. - County Engineer

4/19/91 Michelle Erdmann Environmental Svcs. - Sec. Bookkeeper

7/29/91 Bruce Lindgren Highway Dept. - Mech. Inventory Spec.

20 Years

1/08/96 Jon Volker Highway Dept. - Engineering Tech IIIB

4/01/96 Todd Rue Incinerator - Ass’t. Facility Manager

4/03/96 Rosa Guiterrez Social Services - Eligibility Worker

6/10/96 Marna Kelly Social Services - Soc. Worker Child Prot.

8/26/96 Steven Nelson Faciliities Management - Custodian

9/09/96 JoAnne Martin Incinerator - Sort Line Operator

9/23/96 Stephanie Olson Public Health - Dietician

10/12/96 Rick Kappedal Incinerator - Baler Forklift Operator

11/26/96 Bruce Hanson Incinerator - Waste Combustion Opr.

15 Years

1/22/01 Phillip Juve Sheriff’s Dept. - Sergeant

3/12/01 Anita Klinge Taxpayer Service Ctr. - Admin. Ass’t. I

4/18/01 Susan Gorder Social Services - Social Worker

5/21/01 Jody Beauchane Highway Dept. - Ditch Engineer/Ag

Inspector/Emergency Manager

9/03/01 Holly Duciaume Sheriff’s Dept. - Dispatcher

508/01 Kathryn Plante-Ziermeier Social Services - Social Worker

10 Years

3/01/06 Cheryl Pitts Social Services - Eigibility Worker

5/08/06 Darren Paulson Incinerator - Maintenance Supervisor

5/22/06 Lynette Boese Public Health - Registered Nurse II

7/05/06 Amy Solie Social Services - Case Aide

8/21/06 Nicole Venem Social Services - Lead Eligibiity Worker

10/02/06 Jay Wallace Highway Dept. - Maintenance/Signman

10/02/06 Mark Landsverk Assessor Off. - Appraiser Tax Officer

10/02/06 Richard Kuzel Highway Dept. - Maintenance

10/24/06 Howard Nettum Highway Dept. - Maintenance

11/03/06 Kirsten Fagerlund Public Health - Registered Nurse III

12/01/06 Tamara Conn Public Health - Dietician

12/11/06 Sarah Keller-Reese Public Health - Public Health Director

5 Years

1/01/11 David Volker Highway Dept. - Mechanic

4/18/11 Sam Melbye Assessor Off. - Appraiser Tax Officer III

6/22/11 Joel Kortan Incinerator - Yard Operator

7/01/11 Nathan Smith Highway Dept. - GIS Specialist

8/01/11 David Davidson Highway Dept. - Physical Plant Tech.

12/01/11 Elaine King Finance Dept. - Clerk Typist Cashier IV

12/12/11 Kayla Schumacher Taxpayer Svc. Ctr. - Clerk Typist Cash. III

Polk County EmployeeAnniversaries in 2016

2015 was record-settingyear for jail populationTri-County Community Correc-

tions (TCCC) established a newhigh water mark for inmate popu-lation at the Northwest RegionalCorrections Center in 2015 withan average daily population of 176inmates. November saw the highest popu-

lation with an average daily popu-lation of 187 inmates, which is93% of the facility’s licensed oper-ational capacity of 200 as estab-lished by the MinnesotaDepartment of Corrections. Therecord setting numbers were dri-ven by higher than anticipated bythe housing of prisoners fromother jurisdictions. Approximately43% of the inmates housed at theNorthwest Regional CorrectionsCenter in 2015 were being housedfor other jurisdictions for a perdiem. This per diem income helpsto generate revenue and offsetoperating expenses.Added operational challengesThe increased numbers do not

come without significant opera-tional challenges and add signifi-cantly to the stress being experi-enced by staff and to the inmatepopulation, too. In a review ofviolation trends and officerreports, a direct correlation is seenbetween the increase in inmatepopulation and the increase in offi-cer calls for assistance, inmateviolence and disciplinary viola-tions in general. The most glaring example is the

increase in calls for assistance,which can range in severity froman inmate refusing to lock-down toan inmate assault in progress.From 2011 to 2013, when theaverage population was 128.6, thefacility averaged 28.6 calls forassistance over the course of theyear. From 2014 to 2015, duringwhich time the average populationballooned to 172 inmates per day,the facility averaged 65 calls forassistance per year. Big increaseThis was a 127% increase.

Identifying ways to mitigate theincreased stress and inmate viola-tions has moved up the priority listof the jail’s administrative andsupervisory staff.Federal Prison Rape Elimination

Act InspectionIn November 2015, TCCC con-

tracted with an auditor at theDepartment of Justice for purpos-

es of evaluating the jail’s compli-ance with federal Prison RapeElimination Act standards.President George W. Bush signedthe Prison Rape Elimination Act(PREA) into law in 2003. ThePrison Rape Elimination Act pro-hibits and seeks to eliminate sexu-al assaults and sexual misconductin correctional institutions andcommunity corrections settings.This audit report found that theNorthwest Regional CorrectionsCenter was in compliance with thePREA standards. A copy of theaudit can be obtained by contact-ing TCCC.Probation UpdateIn addition to the increased

workload seen in the jail, theProbation Department, which pro-vides supervision of adults andjuveniles within Norman, Polk andRed Lake Counties, has also seenan increase in workload. While the total cases under

supervision have decreased slight-ly in recent years, the complexityof cases being seen has increaseddisproportionately. The prevalenceof mental illness and substanceabuse amongst the populationbeing served, along with a lack ofresources available for manyoffenders, creates many challengesfor the probation agents as theyattempt to help offenders addressrisk factors that contributed to theoffender’s contact with the crimi-nal justice system. The lack of resources — both

within and outside the organiza-tion — to address criminogenicrisk factors has resulted in a steadyincrease in violations being filedwith the court. A work group con-sisting of judges, county attorneys,public defenders, law enforcementofficers and agency representa-tives has begun meeting to evalu-ate current violation practices.As movement toward specialty

courts and specialized caseloadsfor probation supervision is gain-ing traction across the country.The Probation Department haslong implemented these practicesand has agents specializing in thesupervision of DUI offenders,working in the IntensiveSupervision Program, and thosewho are working with mentalhealth cases and with sex offend-ers . — Andrew Larson, TCCCexecutive director

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Sand Hill Watershed District Administrator Dan Wilkens(left) was presented the 2015 Outstanding WatershedDistrict Employee of the Year award by Minnesota Board ofWater & Soil Resources Executive Director John Jaschkeas a part of the annual Minnesota Association of WatershedDistrict convention held in December.

Wilkens is named BWSRWatershed Employee of yearSand Hill River Watershed

District Administrator DanWilkens was named the 2015Minnesota Board of Water andSoil Resources (BWSR)Outstanding Watershed DistrictEmployee of the Year as part of theannual Minnesota Association ofWatershed District conventionheld in December. A leader in Red River Basin

flood control and statewidedrainage issues, Wilkens wasinstrumental in the creation of theSand Hill River Watershed Districtin 1975 and served as a manageruntil 1999 when he became thedistrict’s administrator. Wilkens has served on a number

of task forces and committees,including the Red River WaterManagement Board, the Red RiverBasin Commission, the FloodDamage Reduction Work Group,the International Red River Board,and the statewide stakeholderDrainage Work Group, of which

he’s been a member since it startedin 2006. He has led efforts withinthe watershed district to support amajor project to help stabilize andimprove the Sand Hill River. An advocate for better flood

control, agricultural drainage, andwater quality improvements,Wilkens’ outreach efforts extend tothe Sand Hill River Watch pro-gram that involves school studentsin water quality monitoring andwater management education. The district covers a 475-square-mile drainage area mostof which is located in southernPolk County. Smaller areas arelocated in Norman andMahnomen counties.Wilkens, who grew up in the

Fertile area, graduated from theNorthwest School of Agriculturein Crookston before earning a B.S.degree in agricultural engineeringand economics from theUniversity of Minnesota.

Christian reappointed to Sand Hill WDStuart Christian, rural Erskine,

was reappointed in September to anew three-year term on the boardof managers of the Sand HillWatershed District. Christian, who was first appoint-

ed to the board of managers in1999, serves as the district’s chair.

Other members of the district’sboard of managers are: ScottBalstad, rural Fosston, (vicechair); Bill Brekke, Nielsville,(secretary); Roger Hanson,Beltrami, and Phillip Swenson.Fertile.

Prior to the formation of theP o l k -No rman -MahnomenCommunity Health Board(PNM CHB) in 2013, PolkCounty Public Health programsin the previous 20 plus years hadbeen strengthened by theMinnesota Department ofHealth’s Family PlanningSpecial Projects (FPSP) grantprogram. PNM CHB continues as a

FPSP grantee and the organiza-tion has made great strides andachieved goals which align withthe national Healthy People 2020family planning goals. PCPHand NMPH have had multiplepublic and private partnershipsthat have led to transformationalchanges in promoting andimproving the health of resi-dents. In July 2015, after two years of

strategic planning, Polk CountyPublic Health hired a nurse prac-titioner, who is passionate aboutpublic health’s clinical and com-munity services and serves as themedical provider at public healthclinic locations (and monthly inone university) across the threecounties.HIV and Hepatitis C are life-

long, chronic illnesses without acure. Left undiagnosed anduntreated, these illnesses lead tohigher healthcare costs and mor-tality. This causes significantconcern considering that in2014, 14% of new HIV diag-noses were in greater Minnesota.

Additionally, statistics provethat low income persons at riskfor STI’s are at a higher risk forHIV and Hepatitis C. The Community Health Board

was recently awarded aCommunity Clinic Grant.Locally, the screening programwill increase access to free HIVand Hepatitis C testing and iden-tify early cases, which willreduce the spread of disease,extend life expectancy, andreduce costs of care — allaligned with several HealthyPeople 2020 Goals. For more information, contact

Melissa Hayes, FNP-C at 218-521-7773. — Sarah Reese, PolkCounty Public Health director

Family planning grant willincrease access to testing

How to implement a supportedworkplace wellness program If your organization is likemost, unhealthy employeesoutnumber the healthy ones,costing you in productivityand profits. You can attend the PolkNorman MahnomenCommunity Health ServicesWorkplace WellnessCollaborative to learn how toimplement a comprehensiveand supported workplace well-ness program.This workshop is designedfor anyone wanting to start or

enhance an already existingworkplace wellness programwith policy, systems and envi-ronmental components.This interactive training willteach you how to design andimplement a successful andsustainable wellness programfor your workplace using theBlue Cross Blue Shield ofMinnesota’s HealthyWorksites Tool.For more information, con-tact Bethany Brandvold at218-521-7771.

The Polk-Norman-Mahnomen CommunityHealth Board (PNM CHB)comprised of Polk CountyPublic Health (PCPH) andNorman-Mahnomen PublicHealth (NMPH) is a multi-county community healthservices (CHS) entityresponsible by MinnesotaStatute 145A for protectingand promoting the healthof Polk, Norman andMahnomen county resi-dents.

How public health services are provided

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Polk County AIS Taskforce beginning second season…Polk County formed an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Taskforce to help in the fight against aquatic invasive species within the County. The taskforce consists of members from all around the County and represents several different entities.

The taskforce spent 2015 working on several projects focusing on education and public awareness. Billboards, public access signs, and a few

promotional items have been developed to help spread the message about the threat that AIS poses in Polk County and around the state. This year the taskforce is hoping to accomplish several more projects to help in the fight against AIS.

The taskforce is looking to hire a seasonal AIS employee to help conduct watercraft inspections, monitoring projects and other AIS outreach and educational activities.

Invasive species are species that are not native to Minnesota and cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Minnesota waters are threatened by aquatic invasive species. It is illegal to transport anyaquatic species like Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels, spiny waterflea or other prohibited invasive species. Within Polk County, Eurasian watermilfoil is alreadypresent on Union Lake, and zebra mussels have recently been discovered in the Red River.

With the spring fishing and boating season right around the corner it is critical that every boater take the steps necessary to limit the spread of AIS. So remember to clean, drain, and dry your boat every time to help protect our lakes and rivers. For more information visit www.co.polk.mn.us/ais.— Josh Holte, Polk County Assistant Environmental Services Administrator

The most recent edition of the Polk County Plat Book is avail-able at the County Taxpayer Service Center Office in theGovernment Center in Crookston. The price is $30.An additonal charge of $5.95 is made for mail orders.Information about ordering is available by calling the office at218-281-3464.Published in 2015, the 188-page spiral-bound book book fea-tures property ownership data. It has aerial view GIS maps alongwith map pages that show ownership of all land parcels of 5 acres

or more along with ditches, roads, etc. A landowner index isincluded for cross referencing. Premium wall maps are also avail-able.The book has maps of the school districts, ambulance districtsand commissioner districts as well as those of 4-H club locations,cemeteries and lakes. An explanation of the public land surveysystem is also included.

Plat book features updated property ownership, GIS maps