Beltrami Co. board opposes DNR shoreline purchase

The county commissioners in Beltrami County are opposing a state Department of Natural Resources plan to buy more than a mile of lake shore in the county.

The Pioneer of Bemidji reports that on Aug. 3, the county board passed a resolution saying there would be no net gain of public lands in the county. They were concerned about losing taxable property and a decline in state payment-in-lieu-of property taxes.

So on Tuesday, the board denied a DNR request to buy 153 acres of land from a private landowner that includes 6,600 feet of lake shore along Balm Lake in Alaska Township.

The effect of the board's action is unclear. County Administrator Tony Murphy says the DNR could seemingly go ahead, but the board's action might influence decision makers in St. Paul.

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Information from: the Bemidji Pioneer

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