County Board Briefs –– 7-14-20
Donation of $10,000 Accepted from Friends of Anoka County Library
The Friends of Anoka County Library, a group that raises funds and awareness of library services, programs and materials, donated $10,000 to the Anoka County Library to support library programs like summer reading, book club in a bag, learning spaces and other hands-on literacy programs for the library. For more information on this item, click HERE.
Facilities Relocated to Accommodate for Road Project
A portion of Great River Energy’s and Connexus Energy’s facilities along Foley Boulevard, between East River Road and Coon Rapids Boulevard in the City of Coon Rapids, will be relocated to accommodate for a reconstruction project in the area. This board-approved action is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2021 and be completed in the fall of 2022. For more information on this item, click HERE.
Contract Approved for Purchase of New Cameras at Jail
The board approved a contract with Stanley Convergent Security Solutions for the replacement of 191 cameras at the Anoka County Jail. The new contract will serve all camera needs for this critical system. For more information on this item, click HERE.
Anoka County Receives Highest Mark on Annual Audit
Two officials from the Office of the State Auditor reviewed the 2019 Management and Compliance Report for Anoka County; the county received an unmodified opinion, which is the highest rating obtainable for the annual financial audit. For more information on this item, click HERE.
Permits Issued for Deer Hunting at Bunker Hills Regional Park
The board approved the issuance of archery hunting permits for the 2020 deer management program at Bunker Hills Regional Park. This program can encompass more than one county park each fall, but an aerial survey this year concluded Bunker Hills was the only park that needed its deer population managed. The survey found a density of 47 deer per square mile. Hunts at the park will take place in October, November and December. For more information on this item, click HERE.
Connexus Energy Donates $6,000 for Camp-in-a-Box Program
The board accepted a $6,000 donation from Connexus Energy to support the Camp-in-a-Box program, which is part of the free Virtual Day Camp programming at Wargo Nature Center. The boxes will include such items as a t-shirt, water bottle, supplies specific to the individual camp and basic supplies like crayons and paper. This generous donation will fund and provide boxes for 140 campers.
Update Provided on Chomonix Golf Course
Commissioner Gamache, parks committee chair, and Parks Director Jeff Perry provided an update on Chomonix, noting that the numbers for April, May and June were encouraging, and that the course is currently at a profit margin for the year of about $28,000. To watch the video on this item, click HERE.
CARES Act Funds for Elections Accepted
The board accepted CARES Act funds, which is federal block grant money to help with the impacts of COVID-19, to use for the 2020 federal election cycle. Elections staff is working with the county’s Finance department to determine the best approach for allocating these funds. For more information on this item, click HERE. To watch the video on this item, click HERE.
Purchase of Voting Equipment Authorized
Due to the anticipated influx in absentee ballots during the 2020 elections, the board approved the purchase of a second central count machine. For more information on this item, click HERE.
Special Procedures Approved for State Primary and General Elections
The board adopted a resolution authorizing special procedures for the 2020 state primary and general elections. Some of these changes include and extension for processing ballots beginning 14 days prior to Election day (instead of 7), authorizing employees of health care facilities to administer absentee voting to their residents, and authorizing an additional day to count absentee ballots, if necessary. For more information on this item, click HERE.
To watch the full board meeting, click HERE.
