12-02-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

Commission Minutes—December 2, 2013 4236 MOTION, passed Mr. Bennett moved and Mrs. Scherling seconded to authorize the chairman to sign a contract with Vanguard Appraisals, Inc. for the reassessment of properties in Reed Township. On roll call vote, the motion carried unanimously. 8. ELECTION PRECINCT BOUNDARIES FOR 2014, Approved DeAnn Buckhouse, Election Coordinator, was present. State law requires each county to designate precinct boundaries before December 31St. She said boundaries will remain the same as established in 2012 with the exception of Legislative District 45. Mrs. Buckhouse said the proposed changes in District 45 are a result of congestion at the FargoDome during the last election, and a number of factors were considered including available facilities, population, and travel distance. The boundary changes are as follows: residents north of County Road 20 will vote at the polling location in Harwood except for the development between the Red River and County Road 31, which is in Fargo and will continue to vote at the FargoDome; residents south of County Road 20 and west of Interstate 29 will vote at a new precinct in Reiles Acres at the community center. She said the district party chairs from both parties have reviewed the proposal and are supportive of the recommendation. Mr. Peterson asked about the number of voters affected by the changes. Mrs. Buckhouse said a cumulative figure of around 2,000 voters will be moved to the new precinct. MOTION, passed Mrs. Scherling moved and Mr. Bennett seconded to approve precinct boundaries for Legislative Districts 11, 13, 20, 21, 22, 27, 44, 44, 45 and 46 as outlined by the County Auditor. On roll call vote, the motion carried unanimously. 9. ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY ON COUNTY HIGHWAY 16 Keith Berndt, County Administrator, said 273 acres of land near the intersection of Cass County Highway 16 and Interstate 29 is for sale and will be auctioned on December 10, 2013. The property is in the staging area of the FM Diversion project, and a large portion of the land will be needed for the Wild Rice River control structure to re-route the river and build a levee system. He estimates the purchase would cost between $2.5 and $3 million. Mr. Berndt asked if the commission would like to obtain a representative to attend the auction and bid on the land. He has discussed the issue with Mark Brodshaug, Chairman of the Cass County Joint Water Resource District (CCJWRD), and the CCJWRD is open to discussing the request, but would like some direction from the county commission. Mr. Pawluk suggested the Flood Diversion Land Management Committee be involved in order to develop a policy to establish a fund and procedures to authorize land purchases for the project. He said if the land is needed for the project, imminent domain could be used to acquire it. Birch Burdick, State's Attorney, said the diversion board has been acting as one agent for all participating entities when making decisions, and questioned if the county purchased property how it would fit with the process used up to this point.