"I would like to thank the County with coming through with tax exemption."  That’s what mayor Larry Milton of Onamia said 8 months ago.  And you know what; today December 4^th they came through, not with tax exemption but tax abatement for Nexus.  In another farcical public hearing that means as much as winning the Nigerian lottery.  But they did it with more efficiency than the Onamia City Council; there at least you can speak for more than a minute!  I can’t believe that I am saying that the Onamia City Council meetings are far more democratic than the County Board meetings!  Wow!  Talk about our Constitutional rights being trashed.

 We asked for a continuance because:

 1. Our County Commissioner wasn’t there. We’ve never been represented.  The property was annexed, zoned and purchased by the City Council of Onamia, people that we can’t vote out.   In a democracy, representation is not only essential but a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.  But apparently that doesn’t matter in Mille Lacs County.

2. We disputed the numbers used in determining the amount of tax abatement. We wanted a clarification on the information given.  If an individual gives false information for public assistance they are prosecuted.  What about multi-million dollar corporation that receives most of its income from tax payers?  Nah! In Mille Lacs County they are just given more points.

3. The amount of the abatement ($253,470) does not seem to equal the benefits to the County.

 We opposed tax abatement for Nexus because it would enable them to build their 94 bed juvenile sex offender treatment center in the midst of our quiet residential neighborhood. Destroying the lives of long time taxpaying residents with the traffic, noise, lights, and runaways. Yes there are runaways, 4 so far this year, with 15 police incidents with the inmates and staff.   Nexus claims there are none, zero, zip!  Nexus said that if they didn’t get tax exemption they were leaving the county.  They’re still here.  Now they said if they didn’t get tax abatement they were leaving the county.  Does anyone believe that?  Apparently our County Commissioners did!  We hoped that if they didn’t get the tax abatement they would leave.  It was our last chance.

The county uses a point system for granting tax abatement.  More points more years for abatement. For instance in order for Nexus to create the 24 teaching jobs, the school district will lose 15 jobs, done, fired, boom!  Now that is a net gain of 9 jobs, not 24.   Now Nexus can hire them back and claim them as new hires.  I wouldn’t want to be the one to explain that to those unionized teachers and staff.  Maybe Commission Chairman Peterson could do it in less than a minute or Commissioner Courteau could tell them they could come and teach in his back yard!  They might get hired back or they might not, depending on if they meet Nexus’ requirements (be able to lift 50lbs and be able to restrain their students). The item about hurting the environment -  well, there is significant reason to worry about that.  Storm water on that large 163 car parking lot, and built up 38 acres will drain directly in the Rum River without treatment but that doesn’t matter to the county - that’s a three pointer! 

Anyway, we had a 22 point discrepancy which would leave Nexus far short of the number needed for tax abatement.  We wanted a little time to get to the truth.  But that request was smashed just like our property values will be.  The total of the property values that will be lost is at least three times the abatement given.  The county says it is a contract and if they don’t meet the requirements of the contract the deal is void.  But by that time the ground has been clear-cut, the buildings built and Nexus is here to stay. 

So  I to would like to thank the County,  for now with 1 teacher or teachers’ aide for every 4 boys at the academy,  we will have the best educated convicted sex offenders from other counties and states. Mille Lacs County kids should be so lucky!  

Curt Lukens

Onamia