County board continues budget talks, weighs next steps for Sawtooth Bluffs
The Cook County Board of Commissioners met on Sept. 23. The meeting included the approval of several preliminary levies, and discussed to possibility of requesting proposals for the Sawtooth Bluffs.
The board passed a preliminary levy for the county earlier this month. At the most recent meeting they approved levy requests specific to the unorganized fire areas, Economic Development Authority, (EDA) and Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA).
In the fire areas, the Lutsen Volunteer Fire Department is requesting less support from the county for 2026 compared to 2025. The Hovland department’s request remained the same. The remaining departments, Colvill, Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail, and Maple Hill, have all requested an increase for next year.
Both the EDA and HRA requested slightly less funding from the county for 2026 than they did in 2025. The county board approved $512,962 for the EDA, down from $519,880. The HRA proposed a levy request of $287,444, compared to $295,284 in 2025.
As with the overall preliminary budget, the board will have until December to make any additional changes to how much is being allocated to these organizations.
The board also discussed the proposed Sawtooth Bluffs project. County Parks and Trails Coordinator Mitch Travis presented a request that the board allow Parks and Trails to issue a request for bids from landscape architecture firms for the proposed park. The county parks and trails has expressed an interest in gaining “regional designation” for Sawtooth Bluffs through the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks & Trails Commission’s (GMRPTC). Travis said that requesting bids would not cost the county, and would not require the county to commit to any proposed plans.
Commissioner Garry Gamble raised a question about how the request for bids would interact with the “Preserve the Bluff” effort. A group of private citizens is looking to acquire an 80-acre parcel on the northern boarder of Grand Marais. That property boarders the land earmarked for the Sawtooth Bluffs park. The citizen group meets regularly, and Gamble said he would have an update from the group soon.
Though Travis and Land Services Director Tim Nelson pointed out that the two questions are separate matters, the commissioners voted unanimously to table the request from Parks and Trails, and to discuss the question at the next Committee of the Whole meeting.
Kirsten Wisniewski September 26, 2025
