By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County Board has approved the sale of $6.85 million in general obligation bonds to finance capital improvements and to refinance existing debt.
The new debt for capital projects is $1.34 million, said Paul Miller, county manager, at the Dunn County Board’s June 16 meeting.
The remainder of the general obligation bonds will refinance outstanding debt from 2013 and 2018, he said.
According to the resolution, the new debt will pay the costs of 2021 capital projects, including equipment replacement, acquiring public safety equipment and for facility improvements.
The savings in interest on the debt from 2013 will be $86,000, and the savings on the 2018 debt will be $42,000, Miller said.
Tim Lienau, county board supervisor from Menomonie, asked if the $1.34 million was part of the capital improvements plan to borrow $3 million per year for the next five years.
The $1.34 million is not part of the capital improvements plan but is part of the 2021 budget, Miller said.
The resolution authorizes the county to move forward with issuing the general obligation bonds for sale, but if the interest rates change, then the county is not required to issue the bonds, said Gary Stene, county board supervisor from Colfax.
“Yes,” said Keith Strey, Dunn County’s chief financial officer.
The resolution gives authorization, but if something changes when the bonds go on sale about one month from now, then Dunn County does not have to go ahead, he said.
The Dunn County Board unanimously approved the resolution authorizing the sale of $6.85 million in general obligation bonds on a roll call vote.
Other business
In other business, the Dunn County Board:
• Approved on a second reading an ordinance prohibiting the use and possession of drug paraphernalia. The ordinance gives the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department and the Dunn County District Attorney’s office leeway to charge a county ordinance violation, similar to a traffic citation, instead of a violation of state law.
• Approved on a second reading an ordinance prohibiting “sexting” by minors. Sexting is the electronic data transmission of a photograph or video of any person transmitted or distributed by another which depicts nudity. The ordinance allows the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department and the Dunn County District Attorney’s office to charge anyone under the age of 18 with a county ordinance violation for sexting rather than a violation of state law regarding the possession of child pornography.
• Approved a budget adjustment of $142,006 to account for grants received by the Department of Human Services, the Public Health Department and the Criminal Justice Collaborating Council.
• Approved a budget adjustment of $393,546 for paying a recruitment and retention bonus for essential employees who have shown extraordinary effort during the pandemic. The money is a one-time payment based on the number of hours worked between March 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021. As part of the federal CARES Act, the Provider Relief Funds were automatically distributed and must be returned if not fully used for COVID expenses. Dunn County received general and targeted funds totaling $1,147,759.98. The nearly $400,000 in bonuses was paid out to employees at the Public Health Department and at The Neighbors of Dunn County.
• Approved a resolution authorizing county departments to proceed with making necessary expenditures related to operational adjustments related to the COVID-19 pandemic using fiscal year 2021 budgeted funding as well as additional outside funding received. The resolution also authorizes the county manager and the chief financial officer to make necessary administrative adjustments and present a budget adjustment resolution to the county board by the end of 2021 to document budget changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Accepted for a first reading an ordinance repealing and recreating Chapter 10 of the county code of ordinances pertaining to agricultural performance standards and manure storage and management. The existing ordinance was adopted in 2000, said Chase Cummings, Dunn County conservationist. The proposed ordinance includes agricultural performance standards that are in line with state code, he said. The proposed ordinance also gives Dunn County Land Conservation the ability to expedite enforcement instead of waiting for the state Department of Natural Resources, Cummings said.
• Approved a rezone in Section 20 in the Town of Tainter from agricultural to residential for a parcel adjacent to other residential lots. The landowner plans to create several residential lots, and the rezone is consistent with existing land use, said Tom Quinn, county board supervisor from Downing and chair of the Planning, Resources and Development Committee. The Tainter Town Board has approved the rezone, and the PR&D committee is recommending the rezone, he said.
• Received a reminder that the next Dunn County Board meeting will be July 28, which is one week later than the county board’s regular meeting date.
