---

County commissioners voted 5-0 to double the wheelage tax that is collected when you register a vehicle purchase or renew registration (tabs) in Minnesota.  The county’s wheelage tax has been set at $10 for years and state law allows for it to go to $20 maximum, which is what the County Board enacted last week.  The law also requires the amount be set by August and goes into effect the following January.

Not all Minnesota counties impose a wheelage tax.  Some have the tax set at $15, as well as $10 and $20.  Motorcycles are exempt from the tax.  The motor vehicle registrar office sees to it the wheelage is attributed to the correct county.

Chase Burnham, County Administrator, said revenues have annually been in the half-million dollar range at the $10 level and the revenue should theoretically double to about $1 million  with this increase.  The funds must be deposited in the Road & Bridge account, and Chisago County sealcoating has gotten the lion’s share of this income, the County Board was told.

Use of another specialized dedicated account— Lake Improvement District tax revenues— was also discussed. 

The piling for the weir structure at Lake Ellen is in need of further evaluation.  The system of lake lowering weirs and channels that serves the chain of lakes, is already on the work plan for this coming fall for known deficiencies.  LID Director Ben Elfelt said it is important to get this engineering evaluation done before that work starts.   Collins Engineers Inc., St Paul,  has been contracted to perform an enhanced steel thickness assessment for both the Lake Ellen and Lofton Avenue structures for approximately $10,000.

And, Environmental Services Director Kurt Schneider reported the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in North Branch is fully operational again and improvements are done.  The storage space was enhanced, the recycling yard was made more efficient and the re-use area/admin offices were improved.

In planning and zoning matters, Schneider presented a couple of local snowmobile-related requests that the planning commission recommended approval for.

The Hay Days club— SnoBarons— got their permit amended to allow for people to be on-site and for alcohol to be available Friday night—as of 6 p.m.  The Hay Days event previously was permitted for two days, Saturday and Sunday.  The club also acquired an  eight acre parcel at Oriole and Highway 95,  and asked for it to be added to the official footprint of the motorsports celebration property.  

Hay Days is held the weekend after Labor Day, every September just west of downtown Almelund.

County Auditor/Treasurer Bridgitte Konrad explained state law allows “temporary liquor licenses” to be issued a maximum of four days or for 12 days over a year.  The Board approved three days, AND the Sunrise Township Board must concur for it to be enacted.

SnoBugs, based in the Rush City area, also were approved to develop a commercial youth training and snowmobile club gatherings site in Nessel Township at Rush Point Drive and Evergreen Ave.  

An eight-lot subdivision out of a 55 acre site, was approved in Sunrise Township, at the northwest corner of CSAH 9 and Olson Road (across from the new township hall.

Rush City Schools and the sheriff’s office were approved for a School Resource Officer contract, providing 1,100 county SRO deputy hours .  The city covers 26.5 percent of the wage, the district has 26.5 percent and the county share is the 47 percent of the year remaining.

---