HF 698

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to St. Louis county; providing for a vote on 
  1.3             its possible division into two counties. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [PARTITION.] 
  1.6      Subdivision 1.  [ELECTION REQUIRED.] The people of St. 
  1.7   Louis county shall determine whether the county shall be divided 
  1.8   into two counties.  The question shall be submitted and decided 
  1.9   in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, sections 370.05 to 
  1.10  370.24, except as provided in this act.  The proposed division 
  1.11  shall be approved if a majority of the voters of the present St. 
  1.12  Louis county who vote on the proposal approve it.  The proposal 
  1.13  shall be submitted at the 1998 state general election. 
  1.14     Subd. 2.  [TERRITORY OF EACH.] (a) If the proposal is 
  1.15  approved, the territory of the present county will be divided as 
  1.16  provided in this paragraph: 
  1.17     (1) that part of the present St. Louis county north of a 
  1.18  line extended to the east and west county lines from the 
  1.19  boundary between Kelsey and Payne townships, except Cedar Valley 
  1.20  and Pequaywan townships, and, except as provided in clause (2), 
  1.21  will be included in Iron Range county and its county seat will 
  1.22  be the city of Buhl; 
  1.23     (2) the towns of Toivola, Kelsey, and Cotton shall, at 
  1.24  their annual town meeting in 1998, vote on the question of which 
  2.1   county they wish to be a part of, if the vote to split the 
  2.2   present county is approved.  If the vote to split the county is 
  2.3   approved as provided by this act, each of the three towns must 
  2.4   be placed in that part of the split St. Louis county that was 
  2.5   favored by that town as provided in this clause; and 
  2.6      (3) that part of the present St. Louis county not included 
  2.7   in clause (1) plus any part added as provided in clause (2) will 
  2.8   comprise St. Louis county, and its county seat will be the city 
  2.9   of Duluth. 
  2.10     (b) Iron Range county will be governed by five county 
  2.11  commissioners.  The commissioners shall be elected as provided 
  2.12  in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 375, for vacancies in the office, 
  2.13  and all shall serve at large until after the next federal census 
  2.14  is available at which time redistricting shall be carried out as 
  2.15  provided in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 375. 
  2.16     (c) The new St. Louis county will be governed by a board of 
  2.17  five county commissioners also as provided in paragraph (b). 
  2.18     Subd. 3.  [TRANSITION.] Transition to the successor 
  2.19  counties shall be governed by Minnesota Statutes, chapter 370, 
  2.20  and this act.  Employees of St. Louis county who by law, 
  2.21  ordinance, or regulation are entitled to continued employment by 
  2.22  the existing St. Louis county shall be employed by the successor 
  2.23  counties with the same status, as far as possible, and without 
  2.24  impairment of retirement and pension rights.  The successor 
  2.25  counties shall, as necessary, provide by agreement for the 
  2.26  administration of retirement and pension matters relating to 
  2.27  employees of the existing St. Louis county.  Each employee may 
  2.28  choose which successor county the employee prefers as an 
  2.29  employer but, if necessary for proper administration of the 
  2.30  successor counties, the state commissioner of employee relations 
  2.31  may temporarily or permanently assign employees to employment to 
  2.32  the other successor county. 
  2.33     Subd. 4.  [ASSETS AND LIABILITIES.] Each successor county 
  2.34  is liable for the indebtedness of the existing county in 
  2.35  proportion to its population, except that the new St. Louis 
  2.36  county is solely responsible for all bonded debt incurred by the 
  3.1   present St. Louis county for the five years immediately before 
  3.2   the partition is effective.  Each successor county shall own the 
  3.3   county real property in its territory.  Each successor county 
  3.4   shall own a part of the predecessor county's personal property 
  3.5   of relative value in proportion to its population.  The state 
  3.6   commissioner of administration shall divide the personal 
  3.7   property in accordance with this subdivision. 
  3.8      Subd. 5.  [LEVY.] In 1998 payable in 1999 and each year 
  3.9   thereafter till the principal and interest have been paid in 
  3.10  full, the new St. Louis county shall levy an amount sufficient 
  3.11  to timely pay all bonded debt incurred within the last five 
  3.12  years that is assumed as provided in this act by the new St. 
  3.13  Louis county.