At its Tuesday's, Nov. 3 meeting the Todd County Board of Commissioners voted to waive half of the $600 after-thefact fees that could have been charged to the Leslie Township Board for doing shore land alterations without first applying for a permit. At the suggestion of Commissioner Kircher, the $300 fee will be contributed to Battle Point County Park on Lake Osakis. The park is in Leslie Township.

Garry Johanson, Planning and Zoning Director, had recommended waiving all the after-the-fact fees. The township had done the original work, near Lake Osakis, without obtaining a permit.

When area residents brought the shoreland work to the attention of former Planning and Zoning Administrator Andrew Dahlgren, Dahlgren told the township that they didn't need a permit. Because Dahlgren told the Leslie Township officials that they didn't need a permit for the already completed work, Johanson felt the township shouldn't have to pay after-thefact fees. At Tuesday's meeting four of the commissioners agreed with him.

Commissioner Randy Neumann disagreed. The township had done the work before they received advice from Dahlgren, he said. He asked the other commissioners to table the request to waive the fees.

"Many of my constituents feel strongly about this," he said. "They would like to comment on this decision."

When the other commissioners refused Neumann's request to table a decision he argued that the township should pay the

entire $600 fee.

"This is a bad precedent," he said. "Would an ordinary taxpayer have the fee

forgiven?"

Commissioner Gerry Ruda said that there was a precedent of the Planning and Zoning Commission forgiving after-thefact fees in some circumstances. But Neumann wouldn't give in.

When Commissioner Dave Kircher suggested the compromise of paying only half the fee and donating the money to Battle Point Park, the other commissioners quickly embraced his idea. Kircher, who has been a strong supporter of working with township boards, has also often stood up for constituents and taxpayers in planning and zoning disputes.

Medical examiner

Doctor Janis C. Amatuzio gave her annual report to the county board. Todd County, along with seven other counties, employs the services of Amatuzio, and her staff, as medical examiner. Amatuzio signs death certificates for all accidental deaths, homicides and suicides. Her office also is required to approve requests for cremation.

Amatuzio's report is always grisly and often tragic. She said that her office investigated 85 deaths in Todd County in 2008, and that 36 of those required death scene investigations. Fifteen of them required postmortem examinations.

Three of the deaths were from motor vehicle crashes and two of those were onevehicle accidents. Seven people died from non-vehicle related accidents. Two of those involved children. A five-week-old child was accidentally smothered while sleeping with its parents and another child died from codeine toxicity following a tonsillectomy.

Amatuzio said that there is a trend of more people dying from drug toxicity because people are being released from the hospital more quickly than in the past.

One person, a fifty-year old man, committed suicide in Todd County in 2008. That is a decrease from both 2007 and 2006. There were seven suicides in the county in 2007.

Amatuzio said men commit suicide more often than women do. She also said that her office has seen an increase in suicide during the recession.

2010 Budget

County Administrator Nathan Burkett presented the commissioners with his 2010 proposed budget. He told them that his budget was only a proposal and that his job was to present them with options.

"You are the final budget authority," he said.

The commissioners agreed to have a budget work session with Burkett at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12. The recently completed and revised Comprehensive Plan will also be discussed at that planning meeting. The commissioners also agreed to schedule a Tuesday, Dec.1, meeting to discuss the budget with the public. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Main Street Government Center.

Burkett's proposed budget was not discussed at Tuesday's meeting. It does, however, suggest changes in county government, so as to respond to what Burkett believes will be a long-term impact on the county's finances due to the recession. Local governments are not likely to emerge from the recession until 2012 or 2013, he said.

Among the changes Burkett suggests is to move the Todd County Planning and Zoning office into a space near the offices of the assessor, auditor-treasurer, and the recorder. Once that was accomplished all four department's employees could be cross-trained so as to provide a basic level of customer service for each department. As an alternative, Burkett suggests laying off staff and creating one large customer service department to do the work of all four of the departments.

Burkett's entire proposal will be on the Todd County website towards the end of the week, he said.

County engineer

The commissioners agreed to loan Assistant Todd County Engineer Ryan Odden to Wadena County until mid-March of next year. Wadena County will pay Todd County $45 per hour, plus mileage, for Odden's services. Odden will likely work only part time in Wadena County. Wadena County is looking to hire their own engineer.

Juvenile detention

The commissioners agreed to sign a 2010 contract with the West Central Regional Center in Moorhead for one-half of a bed. The cost is $39,000. It is not possible to house juvenile inmates in the Todd County Detention Center. Commissioners Kircher and Mark Blessing, who sit on the board of directors for the center, said there are no less expensive options available for juvenile detention services.

County attorney

The commissioners approved agreements between Todd County Attorney Chuck Rasmussen's office and the towns of Burtrum, Eagle Bend, Grey Eagle, Bertha and Clarissa. According to the agreements, Rasmussen will serve as criminal prosecutor for those towns for 2010.

Trails and ditches

The commissioners approved a request by the Todd Area Trails Association to relocate a snowmobile bridge crossing county ditch # 9. The bridge, which is located just south of Warner Road in Staples, will be moved onto Staples City property at the expense of the Trails Association. No alterations will be made to the ditch.