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The county environmental services director told the county commissioners last week there’s a few kinks in the new digital building permits and zoning applications system, but efficiencies are being experienced even at this partial level of implementation.  Kurt Schneider said the electronic inspection appointments function has been turned off for now, because it isn’t functioning as he’d like.

The county started training on the Tyler Enterprise program in April and remotely applying for permits and other environmental services requests has commenced.

Schneider added that the statistics and records that will become easily accessible on the electronic files will be helpful for both county staff and contractors in tracking input and local permit activity.

Also—the household hazardous waste facility in North Branch has been a work zone for several weeks and projects to update storage and operations are going well, according to Schneider’s update.  Once the general contractor tasks are complete, county staff will help with reinstalling office spaces and Schneider anticipates all being housed in the reconfigured building by the end of June.  The facility is open during these site improvements.

In a somewhat-zoning related matter, about 20 residents from the North Center Lane neighborhood, Chisago Lake Township, were in the audience for the Board meeting.  A few shared complaints about issues they have had with a short term rental in their small dead-end street community.  They requested the county planning commission look at the STR ordinance for revisions.   

The commissioners assured them the matter will be explored. The issue can be placed on a future agenda, when fact-gathering is done.

County Engineer Joe Triplett informed the Board that seal coat and striping on county roads should be complete by middle of June.  This usually requires about six good weather days.

The county is due to receive $600,000 to redo County Road 65,  the road into Fish Lake Park.  This is a grant the county has been trying to win for several years from the DNR State Park Road Account.

Highway 8 federal funding that was allocated is gone.

Triplett said he has resubmitted for $5 million that was in the first round and $8 million for 2026.  He continues to work on progressing the project through the land acquisition phase and he is in contact with MNDOT.

A study that will lead to designing the next phase of Highway 8 improvements— from Chisago City to Taylors Falls— continues.  Triplett said this separate process should be ready to be presented to local task force and city officials in August. 

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