WILMA TOWNSHIP ANNUAL TOWN MEETING  MARCH 10, 2009

Clerk Paul Raymond called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance at 8:10 p.m., following the Township election and Board of Canvass.  The first order of business was electing a moderator for the meeting.  Patrice Winfield nominated Glenford Williamson, Sr. to moderate; Donna Filler seconded.   Glen took the chair.  Also present were Tony Williamson, Mark Pallow, April Filler, Gary Vink, Michael McCullen, Eldon and Marjorie Schmedeke, and Dennis Schmedeke.

Glen called for the Clerk’s reading of the record of last year’s Annual Town Meeting.   Gary moved to approve the record; Dennis seconded.  All aye.

FINANCIAL REPORT:   Paul presented the Financial Report for 2008 as prepared by Patrice Winfield, Treasurer.  Gary moved to waive the reading of all the checks and to approve the Financial Report as written.  Tony seconded.

ELECTION RESULTS:   Glen read the results of the election:   There were 15 registered voters, including two new registrations.  Michael McCullen was reelected Supervisor with 14 votes; Patrice was reelected Treasurer with 14 votes.  Glen congratulated the candidates and the voters applauded them.

ROAD REPORT:   Gary gave the road report for 2008.  He said the grader is 100% paid off.

The following roads received gravel in 2008:

Eagle Head Road; Crooked Lake Road; Heller Drive;  McCullen Drive; Tamarack Pine Drive; Duncan Roads North and South; Fust Road; Pete Anderson Road; Langstrom Road; The Mayfield Road; Little Tamarack Lake Road; and River Cabin Road.  There was no gravel put down on Kenny Peterson Road, Schmedeke Lane, or Mona Drive.   Mark said that the

Kenny Peterson Road needs gravel.

Gary said that most of the money to gravel Little Tamarack Lake Road came from the escrow deposits of ECE and       Park Falls Hardwoods, since they did the damage to the road.  The repairs to Crooked Lake Road came from Carlson

Timber’s escrow account.   T & T Logging’s escrow account paid for most of the repairs on the North and South Duncan Roads.   Gary said that after we had repaired the damage T & T did, putting down gravel and building up the crown and  opening up the drainage lines, T & T came back in and logged again and filled the ditches in again and wrecked the road.

We haven’t gotten payment for this but Gary said he thinks they may have some more escrow monies for the Pete Anderson

Road that we can use for this.

Mark said that before winter started all our roads were in pretty good shape.   The Supervisors will do a road inspection when the roads dry out.

Eldon said he wants a complete accounting of every penny that has gone into our new grader, including the trip and travel expenses when Mark and Joe went down to buy it, plus all repairs and equipment added or replaced since we purchased it.

Eldon said that Schmedeke Lane has not been plowed all winter, and that he nearly fell trying to walk up this road to get access to his camper, and that Marjorie fell trying to walk up this road.   Gary said that he did not authorize plowing it because the county said this road was surveyed wrong and that they were going to move it eventually.   Paul moved that until this road is actually moved that we maintain it equally to all other township roads.  Patrice seconded.

FIRE DEPARTMENT:  Paul said that Ronald McCullen had asked that we bring up the suggestion of pursuing having the Duxbury Volunteer Fire Department, which now serves three townships (Arna, New Dosey, and Wilma), be funded by a direct assessment of all the property owners in the three townships, just like the Tri-Township Disposal District is funded.  They are an independent agency serving all the people in five townships, and every property owner is assessed an annual $30 fee, no matter how many parcels they own.   This has been enough for the Disposal District to pay for the twice-monthly garbage pickups and to purchase a new garbage truck, and to reduce rates from $36/year to $30.   There was a discussion.   Eldon asked if we would still levy $3,500 from the taxpayers.   Mike said this wouldn’t be necessary.  Mike said that each town in the Volunteer Fire Department

has their own truck and fire hall, and including the other two towns has greatly increased the number of available trained firemen and women for fire calls.  Paul made a motion that Wilma Township pursue this suggestion and write to the other town boards and ask for their feedback and input, and ask the County Auditor for the mechanics of doing this.   Mike seconded and said that as a member of all three boards, the Town Board, the Tri-Township Disposal District, and the Volunteer Fire Department, he would gather facts and feedback and information to present to the Board.   Proposal passed.

WILMA FALL FEST:   Glen said that Wilma Days started three years ago to succeed Duxbury Days and has been held in October to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Wilma Township.  This year we renamed it Wilma Fall Fest and set it for the third week in October, with a potluck dinner and d.j. and dance.  Glen asked if we wanted to leave it to the Board to set the funding for this celebration or if the Town should do it tonight.   Donna moved that we set a budget of $500 for this years Fall Fest; Tony seconded.   Motion defeated 7 to 5.   Mike moved that we set a budget of $400; Patrice seconded.  This passed.

UPGRADING TOWN HALL:  Paul said that we need to put siding on the Town Hall and repair the foundation and possibly put in double pane windows or get storm windows.   Eldon gave reasons he believes we should build a new town hall and not put any money into upgrading or improving our existing one.  He said he believes our Township is a county laughingstock, with our new outdoor bathroom set in front of the Town Hall, and that there is inadequate parking and no room for the fire trucks to get out.   We have no signs against parking on the road which blocks fire trucks.  He said we had an opportunity to have a new road put into our park land and have a clearing made when we let out the poplar timber bid, and we blew this opportunity by letting Duane Glienke access the timber from the back of the land.   Glen asked Paul to read the record of last year’s Town Meeting where a committee was created to get information on the costs and logistics of building a new Town Hall; he asked what happened to this committee?   Eldon said he felt that he had no support and that those who did not want a new Town Hall would prevail, so they didn’t waste their time.  Glen said that the issue of bids and contracts has been resolved in that all new contracts must have the signature of all three Supervisors.  He went around the room asking each citizen to give their feedback and opinion.   Gary said he believes we cannot afford the taxes to build a new Town Hall, and that our existing one should be painted or sided, and that the park site would be much more difficult to watch and protect.  Paul said he loves our Town Hall and has never heard anyone make fun of it;  it does need siding and some foundation repair, but his taxes have gone up beyond what he can afford already, and a new Town Hall could cost over $100,00, plus heating it all winter would add more expense.  April said that if we keep this Town Hall we need to heat it and insulate it and have indoor plumbing and move the privy.  Mark said the new bathroom had to be put in that location.  Donna said we should paint our existing Town Hall.   Patrice said she hates vinyl siding and it cracks, and she would prefer paint.  If we side it we should use steel siding.

Marjorie said that she and Eldon have vinyl siding and it hasn’t cracked.  Tony said that our Town Hall has a long and wonderful history and that we should keep it but fix it up.  Gary said that Melvin Elliot told him oil-based paint would last much longer than latex and that it should be thoroughly scraped first.  Mike said he thinks scraping wouldn’t be enough; it needs a complete sandblasting.  He said he thinks we have a great old building and he believes siding would last longer than our lifetimes and would be more economical in the long run than continual repainting.   Mark said we lose 80% of our heat through the roof, and we should blow insulation up into the ceiling.  Dennis said we should not put any more money than we absolutely have to into our current building.   Marg said she just can’t see keeping this building.

TOWNSHIP WEBSITE:  Paul said that we have two websites, Duxburynews.info and Wilmatownship.com.   The Wilma Township site is our official posting site for minutes, records and notices, plus information about our town.   So far the developer and maintainer of this site has worked voluntarily, but Paul said he believes this is such a valuable tool that the site creator should be reimbursed.   He suggested $200 per year.  Glen said that a site of our quality would have cost thousands of dollars if we’d outsourced it or contracted it, and we probably wouldn’t have a website.  Patrice moved that we pay Aspire, Incorporated, $200 to continue to maintain and update our Township Website (note:  Glen Williamson is the owner of Aspire).  Dennis seconded.  Passed.

2010 LEVIES:   ROAD AND BRIDGE:  Eldon asked how our levies are paid.  Paul said that when the Township citizens approve a levy that he reports the amount to the County Auditor who then assesses each taxpayer for their part of the total levies, and this money is paid to the town twice a year.  Eldon said that since the Road and Bridge Fund still has almost $28,000, we don’t need to levy $20,000 for 2010.   He moved that we set the levy at $15,000.  Paul seconded.  Passed.

BUILDING FUND; FIRE FUND; PARK FUND; GENERAL FUND:   The Board had proposed $1,200 for Building (no change from 2009); $3,500 for Fire (no change); zero for Park, since there is $4,500 in the fund now; $12,000 for General (no change).  Dennis moved that all these proposed levies be adopted as proposed.  Patrice seconded.  The Debt Service Fund has been dissolved as the grader is paid off.

WAGES:    The Board has proposed to keep all wages the same in 2010 as 2009:  Chairman, $17.50/hour; Supervisors:  $15.00/hour; Clerk, $75/meeting; Treasurer, $65/meeting; Reports, $10/hour; General Labor, $15/hour; Major Mechanic, $30/hour; Mechanic’s Assistant, $15/hour; Grader Operator, $16/hour; and Election Judges, $10/hour.  Patrice moved to keep all wages the same for 2010 as 2009; Donna seconded.  This passed.

OUT OF TOWN MEETINGS:   The Board had proposed to increase the pay for full-day out of town meetings from $65 to $100.  Eldon asked why the change; Paul said these meetings plus travel can last over 12 hours, and we currently are paying a little over $5/hour.  Eldon said Arna is only paying $65 and he moved and Dennis seconded to keep full day out of town meetings at $65.    Motion failed.   Tony moved and Patrice seconded to increase the out of town meetings to $100 full day and $50 half day.  This passed.

SNOWPLOWING:   Patrice moved to keep the snowplow rate at $75 per season, and $100 for driveways over 700 feet.   Dennis seconded.  Dennis asked that he be plowed out rather than in; Glen gave him Mark’s phone number so he can tell him how he wants it done.

BOARD OF REORGANIZATION:   This will be Thursday, March 19, at the Duxbury store.   Glen said let Mike set the time since he has to be there to be sworn in.

2010 ANNUAL MEETING:   Paul moved that next year’s annual Town Meeting be the second Tuesday of March following the Township election; Tony seconded.

BOARD OF EQUALIZATION/APPEAL:   This will be Wednesday, April 15 at 10 a.m.

POSTING, PUBLISHING, BANKING:   Paul moved that we keep the Pine County Courier as our paper of record, with the Evergreen and the Township Website as secondary publishers;  that the Town Hall and the Duxbury Store be our posting sites; that we keep First National Bank as our bank of deposit;  Patrice seconded.  This passed.

April moved that we adjourn the meeting; Dennis seconded.   Meeting adjourned at 10:10 p.m.

Paul Raymond, Clerk