by Ted Stone
staff writer

Commissioners got off to a fast start at the July 14 Lake of the Woods County Board meeting, moving swiftly through the consent agenda, Social Service Department claims, and a series of other routine items, all within the first half hour.
The board passed a motion appointing Tom Hanson and Todd Beckel (with Ken Moorman as an alternate) to a joint committee on legislative matters of mutual interest to the City of Baudette, the county and Lake of the Woods School District. It approved an application for a gambling permit and agreed to modifications to the Joint Powers Agreement governing the Northwest Minnesota Regional Radio Board. It even completed a couple of minor items scheduled for later in the day before recessing for a short break a few minutes before 10 a.m.
But when commissioners came back, the momentum was soon lost when about 30 residents with concerns about the future of the Department of Social Service’s Community Support Program crowded the board room. Over and over members of the board assured the group that, while the program was being examined to see if cost-cutting efficiencies could be made, nothing had been decided. “We’ve created a very beneficial service and now we’re looking at options,” said Board Chair Patty Beckel. “We want your input.”
District 3 Commissioner Ken Moorman said the program, which provides mental health support services, was one of the most important things the county did. “Nothing has been decided,” District 1 Commissioner Todd Beckel said several times.
The assurances, however, didn’t seem to placate residents who said they were concerned about the request for proposals the county had issued to see if a private service provider could operate the program more efficiently. The board agenda had scheduled 30 minutes for the discussion, but people spoke of the merits of the support program, sometimes emotionally, for over an hour.
One woman said the program had helped her deal with childhood abuse problems and also helped her escape an abusive adult relationship. Another said that, without the program, she would have either been in an institution, jail or dead. One man said that before joining the program he had been receiving government assistance, but he now had a job, was paying taxes and “contributing.” It was after 11 a.m. before the discussion ended, with commissioners once again assuring the group that they recognized the value of the program and had made no decision to change it.
Bruce Hasbargen, the director of public works, followed the community support program discussion, talking to the board about priorities for work on Ditch 1 that were to be reviewed by the Department of Natural Resources, the timing for possible road construction at an Oak Harbor development and setting up meetings with the Red Lake Tribal Council. Hasbargen also discussed unauthorized ditch work undertaken by Pieper Farms northeast of Williams. The county had to repair and complete an unauthorized ditch earlier in the month, even though a letter had been sent to Scott Pieper in May warning of possible fines, amounting to “$500 per occurrence, per site, per mile, per day” if any work was undertaken without a permit on a county right-of-way. In addition to the accumulating fine, commissioners indicated that the cost of fixing and completing the ditch should be charged to Pieper Farms.
Jenny Moorman followed Hasbargen, making a presentation to the board requesting money to help pay for the enrichment program at Lake of the Woods Schools. Commissioners said they would consider the matter in August.  
After a half-hour lunch break the board returned to listen to a request to expand a boat launch on Lake of the Woods by Les Nelson of Thief River Falls and another request by Gary Miller of Cottage Grove to repair a failing riprap project to stabilize a shoreline. Later, Jason Breuer, director of the Lake of the Woods Ambulance Service, asked for county help for the purchase of a new ambulance and Wyatt Johnson asked the county to sign a letter of support to Giziibii Resource Conservation and Development Association for help in securing funds to develop a “Business and Talent Marketing Plan.” Sheriff Dallas Block also spoke to the board about a couple of routine financial matters and the board discussed who would attend an Association of Minnesota Counties Leadership Summit planned for August in Grand Rapids.  
About 3 p.m. the board went into closed session to discuss union negotiations. Later, in open session, it voted to give a cost-of-living salary increase of .45 per hour, effective July 12, 2009, to all schedule A and permanent part-time employees, as well as an equivalent increase to appointed and elected department heads (with the exception of the commissioners). Seasonal and non-permanent part-time workers would not be included.  The board also directed the boundary commission to include all affected property in a survey at Clementson now that all of the property owners involved have agreed to participate in the undertaking.
Soon after 4 p.m., only a little behind schedule, the meeting adjourned.