The Carlton County Board of Commissioners approved continuing the $20 excise tax at its meeting Monday after a hearing at which only one comment was made by the public.

Reporter and Automba Township chair Dan Reed supported more work on rural county gravel roads with the excise tax and half-cent sales tax revenues.

“This spring mud season showed many weaknesses in the miles of county gravel roads,” Reed said. “Poor roads have hurt rural residential and new home construction. We don’t expect a tarred road in front of our houses in the rural areas, but at least we should be able to g...