by Ted Stone
staff writer

In a 4-1 vote June 23 Lake of the Woods County Commissioners voted to go ahead with a plan to convert the county’s television towers to digital service. The plan, in an arrangement with Roseau County, would allow the county to increase the number of television stations available for viewing to nine.
Commissioners decided to go ahead with the plan now in order to take advantage of a federal reimbursement program with a Sept. 1 application deadline. If the application is approved the county would be able to recoup more than 75 percent of the price of the conversion. Total costs will be more than $150,000, but $120,000 would be returned to the county under provisions of the reimbursement package. No work on the project will begin until the reimbursement plan is approved.  
District 5 Commissioner Ed Arnesen and District 3 Commissioner Ken Moorman both said they have spoken with constituents in favor of the conversion from analog to digital. Arnesen introduced the motion to go ahead with the project and it was seconded by District 2 Commissioner Tom Hanson. District 1 Commissioner Todd Beckel cast the lone vote against the measure.
In other business, commissioners voted to terminate the collection of an aggregate materials tax. One resident spoke against the tax at a short public hearing on the matter, and Board Chair Patty Beckel said that revenue for the county from the tax had been less than expected. If the county did not rescind the measure, she said, the state would force a tax increase that would nearly double the current 15 percent rate.
Commissioners also made a provisional zoning change for a gravel pit and property development in Wheeler Township, after a request by realtor Mike Reed at an earlier board meeting. The zoning change was made from Natural Environment to General Use District for one year, at which time the commissioners agreed to look at the matter again to see if the change was still appropriate.
County Social Services Director Nancy Wendler spoke to the board about several budgetary cutbacks made by Governor Tim Pawlenty that would affect her department, including mental health grants and the elimination of assistance for Minnesota Health Care. For the most part, Lake of the Woods County escaped the governor’s cost-cutting measures because counties with fewer than 5,000 people were exempted from his local government revenue reductions. County Auditor John Hoscheid pointed out that, while the auditing process for the fiscal year was still in progress, it appeared to be “a very positive year for the county.”  
The board also voted to send as many as eight county employees to a Cohort Regional Leadership Training program sponsored by the Association of Minnesota Counties. Just before the lunch hour the board met for a short closed session to discuss land acquisition negotiations. At the end of the day, it reconstituted itself to hear the views of residents in a 6 p.m. public hearing concerning County Ditch 1.