by April Scheinoha
Reporter

Many of the fees had remained unchanged over the past few years, so the Pennington County Board raised some of its jail fees at its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 22.

The largest increase will be for high risk offender boarding, which will increase from $75 per bed per day to $125 per bed per day. Inmate boarding fees for other counties will increase from $55 per bed per day to $65 per bed per day.

Many local counties are housing inmates here due to restrictions placed on them by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Lake of the Woods County can only hold inmates for up to 72 hours, and Marshall County can only hold male inmates for up to 90 days.

Pennington County holds all female Marshall County inmates since the latter jail can only house female inmates for a short period of time. Pennington County also houses some inmates from Beltrami Clearwater and Kittson counties.

Beltrami County continues to grapple with plans to build a new jail. “It takes a while to build a jail as we know,” said Sheriff Ray Kuznia, who noted Pennington County built its new jail at the right time in terms of the cost. The county also built it a little larger to accommodate future needs. Drug offenses have made it worse for counties, said Kuznia, who noted more inmates are serving time at county jails instead of state prisons. He added this was especially true for first-time offenders who would have been sentenced to prison in the past. Housing out-of-county inmates enables the jail to offset some of its expenses.

Besides out-of-county inmate booking fees, the cost of ER visits and dental visits will also increase for inmates. It will be a $35 co-pay or the full cost for sentenced/convicted inmates. Previously, those amounts were $25 and free, respectively, for ER visits and dental visits.

Fees will also increase for inmates with Huber privileges. Pennington County inmates will be charged $35 per day. Right now, they’re being charged $25 per day. Out-of-county inmates with Huber privileges will be charged $65 per day as opposed to the current rate of $50 per day.

The cost of meals for inmates with Huber privileges will also increase to $10. Currently, they are charged $5.

Other fees will increase, including the fee for urinalysis, which will increase to $15 and the full cost for lab confirmation. Right now, individuals don’t have to pay the full cost for lab confirmation.

The fee for the fingerprinting of public applicants will also increase. They will be charged $20 as opposed to the current rate of $15.

The new fees take effect Jan. 1 with the exception of inmate boarding fees for Lake of the Woods County, which has a contract with Pennington County that expires June 21, 2023.

County Board accepted the 2021 county audit. Hoffman, Philipp & Martell PLLC completed the audit. Colleen Hoffman, Crystelle Philipp and Marit Martell presented the audit to County Board.

Philipp said the county had received an unmodified opinion, which is the best it can receive. Hoffman noted the county had a net position of about $75 million as of Dec. 31, 2021. It has a budget of about $22 million per year.

The county continues to carry some debt. Philipp noted that the county had four bonds and seven capital lease purchases at the end of 2021.

In 2001, the county obtained a General Obligation State Aid Note for debt related to highway construction and improvement projects. Originally issued for $2 million, the final installment for the bond was paid in 2021.

In 2013, the county sold General Obligation Drainage Ditch Bonds related to Ditch 14 and water management. The bonds were sold for $1,035,000, so the county owed a balance of $675,000 as of Dec. 31, 2021. The county will continue to pay for the bonds through February 2033.

In 2016, Pennington County obtained General Obligation Jail Bonds and General Obligation Capital Improvement Plan Bonds. The former bonds, which were purchased for the construction of the Justice Center, amounted to $11,015,000. As of Dec. 31, 2021, the balance due was $9,440,000. The county will continue to pay for the bonds through February 2037.

The latter bonds, which were purchased for courthouse improvements, amounted to $5,215,000. As of Dec. 31, 2021, the balance due was $4,655,000. The county will continue to pay for those bonds through February 2037.

The 2021 county audit also included capital lease purchases for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 John Deere motor graders. One grader was purchased each of those years with the exception of 2020, when two were purchased.

The initial debt for each motor grader ranged from $206,609 to $308,820. No balances were due for the 2015 and 2016 motor graders at the end of 2021. The debt remaining for the other motor graders ranged from $18,117 to $183,354. The county will continue paying for the 2017 and 2018 John Deere motor graders through July 2023 and July 2024, respectively. The county will continue paying for the 2020 John Deere motor graders through March 2026 and for the 2021 John Deere motor grader through May 2026.

Commissioners approved an agreement with other local government units to implement the Clearwater River Watershed One Watershed, One Plan. The 10-year plan prioritizes both protection and restoration projects. The plan projects that the watershed may be eligible for a total of $974,000 in grants over the course of two years.

The Clearwater River Watershed encompasses 1,385 square miles in Beltrami, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Pennington, Polk and Red Lake counties. It contains the Clearwater River and its tributaries. The river joins the Red Lake River at Red Lake Falls, eventually draining to the Red River of the North.

Pennington County’s portion is 4% of the entire watershed.

County Board approved an agreement with 95 West to complete aerial mapping of the county this summer. The firm will be paid $33,150. This is part of a collaborative effort with the City of Thief River Falls, which is contracting with 95 West for similar services in the city.

Commissioners approved a grant agreement with the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources. As part of the agreement, the county has received an $18,600 grant for septic treatment systems and a $33,418 grant for septic treatment system upgrades for low-income residents.

The next County Board meeting is scheduled Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. at the Justice Center. Note that the meeting has been changed to 5 p.m.