08-18-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

Commission Minutes—August 18, 2014 4359 e. Contract approval - Flood lot lease for 2014; - U.S. Department of Justice—Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) award for crime prevention and criminal justice system improvements. f. Approve a payment in the amount of $4,835.77 to FEMA to close out the 2009 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) 2 Project. 6. ANHYDROUS AMMONIA FACILITY LICENSE, Approved for Arthur Companies Keith Berndt, County Administrator, said information was received from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture regarding an application for a proposed anhydrous ammonia facility license submitted by Arthur Companies. The Cass County Commission is required by state law to approve the facility location. Steven Perry, Manager of Arthur Companies, was present to discuss the new facility, which will be located in Tower Township to the west of Buffalo City. He said ammonia facilities will be closed in Buffalo and Tower City, and the tanks will be removed in both cities as a result of this project. He said their company wants to operate its business in the safest possible manner. He said the Tower Township board has been notified of the new facility and has no objections to the location. He said the site meets all of the state regulations. Mr. Berndt said the county planner reviewed the site plan and does not have any issues with the request. There was discussion about the safety procedures used when handling anhydrous ammonia. Mr. Perry said annual training is provided to staff, and a test is given which employees must pass in order to disperse the product. MOTION, passed Mr. Bennett moved and Mr. Peterson seconded to approve the location for an anhydrous ammonia facility license submitted by Arthur Companies. On roll call vote, the motion carried unanimously. 7. BUDGET REVIEW, Preliminary budget approved at 71.82 mills/public hearing set County Auditor Michael Montplaisir provided a letter dated today regarding the 2015 preliminary budget. He said after budget meetings last week, it was apparent the county would not be able to reach the "zero number of mills increase" outlined by the state legislature; therefore, 2.57 mills was added back into the General Fund since it is the fund with the largest deficit spending. Since the county did not meet the "zero number of mills increase" goal, a notice required under state law must be published in the official county newspaper, and notices will need to be mailed to approximately 6,000 taxpayers who previously received a notice of increased assessment. Also, the public hearing for the budget will need to begin no earlier than 6:00 PM. He said once the preliminary budget is approved, the board may still make additional changes but cannot raise the mill levy. Mr. Montplaisir said the preliminary budget was prepared using an 8% increase for health insurance rates. He received renewal rates from Blue Cross Blue Shield today, which are slightly different but he did not make any adjustments because the difference was not significant. Cass County has a self-funded insurance plan and is in a good position to consider options to reduce health insurance costs. He recommends the county further study the health plan design as well as investing dollars into a wellness program.