by Janet Hansen
The Ransom County Commissioners, meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 3, reviewed a letter from Monty Haugen, Ransom County Weed Board Officer/Weed Board Member. Haugen had delivered the letter, handwritten on Thursday, Oct. 29, to Commissioner Wayne Jones and asked him to present it to the board at their upcoming meeting.
After stating that he felt a few of the board members did not understand the workings of the weed board and, he felt, had no grounds for their complaints, Haugen announced that he was resigning from the weed board as of October 31, 2009. He went on to state that he would be resigning from his position as weed officer at the same time and would be giving his resignation to the weed board secretary, since it was the weed board and not the board of commissioners which had hired him.
Jones reported that Haugen had also told him that the two weed board sprayers, Aaron Stenson and Laurie Stenson, were looking for jobs elsewhere.
After voicing his complaints about several of the commissioners and going so far as to recommend that they resign, Haugen stated, in his letter, that he had “worked hard for the weed board,  helping get grants,” and explained that the latest grant application, for help for farmers in spraying pastures, would now not be finished. He went on to state that he had enjoyed working with Keenan (Lund) and Laurie and Aaron Stenson.
The letter was read aloud by Commissioner Neil Olerud, vice-president of the council, who was chairing the meeting in the absence of Steve Dick, chairman. Following the reading of the letter George Bunn moved to accept Haugen’s resignation. The motion was seconded by Kevin Bishop and carried with Bunn, Bishop, Jones, and Olerud voting “Aye.”
Jones stated that he wished to publicly thank Haugen for his many years of service on the county weed board. “He (Haugen) did a lot of work for minimal pay,” Jones stated, “and I, for one, appreciate it.”
County shop lease agreement
The board discussed the proposed lease agreement for a building to be used as a county shop and came to the conclusion that a clarification was needed in the proposed agreement. Jones recommended that the board discuss the terms of the agreement with Ron Rotenberger, who had brought the proposal to the board. Jones further suggested that the board request that a clause providing the county with exclusive purchase rights for a specified period of time be added to the lease agreement.
Ransom County State’s Attorney Fallon Kelly stated that for legal reasons he had advised that the agreement include no lease to own agreement. However, he indicated that an “option to own” clause could be added with no legal issues if the board so desired.
Jones stated that such a clause had already been discussed with Rotenberger, who, according to his recollection, had suggested a five-year time period be allowed for the purchase option. Bunn stated that he thought the time discussed had been three to five years. Kelly stated that the longer the time period allowed the better for the county, since it gave them a longer window of time to come up with the funds needed to purchase the building. He indicated that just because the clause read five years did not mean that the purchase could not be made earlier than that.
Jones made a motion, in respect to entering into the lease agreement with the RTR Group, to request that a clause be added to the proposed agreement which would give the county the exclusive option to purchase the building within a certain period of time to be determined between the investment group and the board of commissioners. Also, he added, that a purchase price stating a specific dollar amount, as negotiated, also be included. Bunn seconded the motion which carried with Jones, Bunn, Bishop, and Olerud voting “Aye.” Chairman Steve Dick was absent and not voting.
An invitation from the RTR Group to the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Ransom County Highway Department Shop, scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, was acknowledged by the board. However, the board decided to decline the invitation, since, as the potential lessee, they stated that they felt they did not need to be a part of the groundbreaking ceremony.
RC Housing Authority report
Ming Elhard, Ransom County Housing Authority, reported to the board on the voucher program which provides housing assistance to those in need. Elhard, who has worked with the Housing Authority in LaMoure, McIntosh, and Ransom counties since 2001, explained that Ransom County has many more applicants for housing assistance than the other two counties and, therefore, benefits the most from the program. She explained that she works closely with the Ransom County Human Services department and finds them to be very helpful. “They are the best!” stated Elhard. “They go beyond their duties to help.” She went on to state that the county’s housing assistance program seems to be running very well. She currently has 58 people who are receiving assistance through her office.

This complimentary news brief  is brought to you by the writing staff of your Ransom County Gazette.  To receive the story in its entirety, please be sure to subscribe to the Ransom County Gazette today! Toll free 1-866-702-9032.