Iron County sales tax revenue up

HURLEY — Iron County sales tax is up and it may be due to online shopping, or at least its ability to track purchaser origin for tax purposes, according to reports at the county board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday.

The monthly sales tax for June was $230,834, according to the report from county clerk Michael Saari. That is a $66,992 or 29% increase over the June 2020 total of $231,834. Every month of 2021 so far has a double-digit increase over the previous year.

“That is really good,” Saari said.

County Board Chair Joseph Pinardi said he attributed much of the increase to online sales. The online transactions require the purchaser address, which allows the tax to be paid and make its way back to the county. That is not always possible when shopping in-person out of town, he said.

The county approved a 2% wage increase that equates to about 38 cents per hour, according to board discussion. The amount was slightly less than the Consumer Price Index calculation formula for the annual cost of living increase.

The board approved a petition to amend the land use ordinance by creating language governing the movement and maintenance of cervids to protect the county’s natural deer herd from the spread of chronic wasting disease, according to the language of the draft. The ordinance regulates, enforces and sets penalties for violations regarding captive cervids, a term for artificial breeding techniques that produce larger deer for meat production or game deer that are imported to captive hunting ranches. 

Language amended from a previous meeting will require second-layer fencing to match the required height of the primary fencing.

The board approved an ordinance to allow all-terrain vehicle use on Wisconsin 169 from U.S. 2 south to Vogue Road in Gurney, and on Wisconsin 122 from the intersection with County B in Saxon, north to the Michigan state line. The highway committee may remove any route as a result of any problems or safety concerns.

All required designated route signs shall be paid for and installed by an ATV/UTV club and approved under the direction of the highway committee. The ordinance adopts the ATV routes on listed roadways in consideration of the recreational value to connect trail opportunities and included data on potential dangers, public health, liability aspects, terrain involved, traffic density, and history of automobile traffic these routes have been created.

According to the ordinance, all county highways within Iron County are included. The condition for the use of these routes requires speed limits of 35 mph, and operators must reduce speed where the posted limit is less or as otherwise required by state statutes.

In the county forestry committee report, Thomas Thompson Jr, said that stumpage revenues so far this year total $990,404. That compares to $744,542 at the same time last year, he said.

In the reports from Pat Hanson, as chair do the recycling board he said the electronics, tires and appliance collection date was set for Aug. 28 at the county recycling center in Hurley and at the Mercer town garage As the chair of the Gogebic-Iron County Airport Board report, he said there are three interested applicants to assume the Essential Air Service provider from Boutique Air, but the Department of Transportation will determine who the eligible candidates are by the end of July.

In the finance committee report, Opal Roberts, chair, said the Germania Hill project to provide a county access road to a communication tower in Hurley is now completed. There was considerable gravel needed, but the job was completed in two days.