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   WALKER— Board Chair Rick Haaland recognized two staff members for one year of service and an Award of Excellence during the regular meeting held Tuesday, Oct. 7. County Agency Social Worker Alexis Foley and Accounting Technician Cole Mastley were both recognized for completing one year of service with Cass County. Dawn Berg, Environmental Service Administrative Technician was nominated for an Award of Excellence by Environmental Service Director Jeff Woodford for outstanding service to the County and its citizens by going above and beyond her normal duties. Berg has been with Cass County for 27 years and is known for her professionalism, compassion, and strong relationships with both contractors and colleagues. Berg has been praised for her ability to handle difficult situations with calm and understanding. As she prepares for retirement, co-workers say her extensive knowledge of county operations and commitment to quality work will be greatly missed. Beyond her job duties, Berg is recognized for fostering a positive workplace by checking in on co-workers, celebrating birthdays and always being the first to lend a hand.

Pictured L to R: Chairman Haaland and ESD Administrative Technician Dawn Berg receiving an Award of Excellence for outstanding service to the County and its citizens by going above and beyond her normal duties. Photo Submitted.

   Highway Engineer Darrick Anderson shared with the board an update regarding the gravel pits and the crushing contracts  in Fairview and Wabedo Townships. The board was informed during the crushing operations in the Wabedo pit the vein of material changed and the contractor ran out of material. There was a request to crush 35,000 tons of material which included a request of 12,000 tons from Kego and Wabedo Townships. With the crushing operation ending early the county was only able to crush 27,000 tons, therefore, Anderson informed the board he was going to inform the townships the county would not be able to sell them the requested material as the pit has dried up. Anderson did state they would continue to search the pit and see if there is another vein of possible product, but currently the county needs to preserve their stockpile for county related projects.

   Township board members from Wabedo and Kego were in attendance to express their objection to not receiving gravel. Paul Harwig, Wabedo Supervisor, voiced his objection and asked when the county planned on letting the townships know of this decision as he had not received any communication on this decision. Anderson stated he was planning on reaching out after the meeting to inform them as he wanted to inform the board first of the situation. Anderson also shared that in 2024 Wabedo Township requested 3,000 cubic yards, in which their contractor actually crushed 7,650 cubic yards. Marty Harder, Kego Supervisor, also expressed her concern with not receiving gravel and asked if Anderson would possibly attend a township meeting to discuss the situation and a possible solution.

   Anderson also updated the board on the Hackensack shop stating the plans are almost complete and budget estimates are approximately 30% higher than the previous estimates for the project. Therefore, the department is considering doing some work itself and possibly revising the design to reduce costs. Other Highway business included the approval of an in-floor hoist for the Walker shop in the amount of $12,726.98; award of the contract for the replacement/construction of six reinforced concrete box culvert bridges to Houle Excavating, LLC in the amount of $2,051,180; approval of an agreement with MnDOT for a bridge replacement on County State Aid Highway 53; approval of an agreement with MnDOT for improvements of the intersection of Trunk Highway 6 and County State Aid Highway 7 and approval of a temporary special use permit with the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service regarding the proposed alignment of Trunk Highway 6 and County State Aid Highway 7.

   In other business, the county board:

   • Heard an update regarding the Aw-Gwah-Ching workforce housing project that will consist of approximately 14-15 one-acre lots.

   • Adopted a resolution to sponsor the Walker ambulance primary service area special taxing district for MCIT membership. 

   • Approved adding Teladoc Behavioral Health to the value added Teladoc services offered by UMR. The board also heard an update on open enrollment dates and additional benefit related information.

   • Heard from a concerned citizen regarding the removal of a wetland easement on the west shore of Barefoot Bay on East Gull Lake.

   • Heard an update from Michelle Boness-Hahn, 4-H Youth Development Educator, regarding area youth enrolled in 4-H, programs offered, current clubs and the possibility of an additional one forming in the area and partnerships with area schools.

   • Received an update on the audit for 2024 from Chief Financial Officer Becky Toso, stating there were no written audit findings for the year and there was one year-end adjustment to receivables resulting in a net change to the HHVS fund balance from $1.39M to $1.63M.

   • Approved a 2025 budget amendment and transfer of $74,595 from Fund 71 to Fund 01.

   • Approved removing five parcels from the over-the-counter list in order to re-evaluate their value and make available for purchase during the January 2026 land sale.

   • Established the on-line tax forfeit land sale through Public Surplus (publicsurplus.com) to begin Jan. 12, 2026 and concluding 30 days afterward. Any parcels not selling during the above auction will then be reduced to a minimum bid and offered for another 30 days. 

   The next meetings are as follows: commissioners board meeting 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the Land Department Meeting room in Backus, AMC District 2 meeting 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the Beltrami County Board room, 701 Minnesota Ave NW, Ste. 102, Bemidji and commissioner’s board meeting 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the board room in the courthouse annex in Walker.

 

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