WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF REORGANIZATION AND SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018
Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the
Pledge of Allegiance. Also present Supervisors Mike McCullen and Gary Vink, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, Grader Operator Alden Shute, and Pat Story.
BOARD OF REORGANIZATION: Elected Supervisor Mike McCullen was sworn to a three year term by Clerk Paul Raymond, who had been sworn into office by Toni. Mike nominated Glen to serve as Chairman; Gary seconded. Passed. Mike moved that Gary be assistant Chair; Glen seconded; passed. Treasurer Patrice designated Northview as our bank of deposit. Mike moved that The Evergreen and Pine County Courier and the Town Hall and the township website be our notice-posting and publishing places. Glen moved that the wages and salaries for 2018 as voted and approved by the townspeople at the March 13th Annual Town Meeting be adopted. Chairman $105/meeting (over three hours, $22.50/hour); Supervisors, $100/meeting (over three hours additional $18.00/hour); Clerk and Treasurer $100/meeting. Special reports and paperwork $16/hour. Election judges $16/hour (including head judge). Grader Operator $25/hour for grading and plowing; $20 hour for inspections and reports; Assistant Grader Operator, $20; General labor $16/hour; Major mechanical work, $30/hour; Mechanic Assistant, $16/hour; Annual Meeting Moderator, $75/meeting; Out of town meetings, $150/full day; $100/half day. Mileage at Federal rate, now $54.5/mile. Mike seconded; passed. Township Donations: Requests from OSAC, Family Pathways, Pine County Historical Association and Seven County Senior Federation for continued contracts. At annual meeting, a total of $300 for all requests was approved by the voters for 10 years. Mike moved to give $75 apiece to each of them; Glen seconded. Gary no.
Snowplowing 2018/2019: Mike moved that we keep our private drive snowplowing rates for the 2018-2019 season the same as last year: $75; Drives over 700′, $100; 1,000′ to ½ mile: $175/season; over ½ mile, $350. Glen seconded; passed.
Paul read the record of the March 7 Board meeting. Gary moved to approve; Mike seconded.
ROAD REPORT: Alden reported that he plowed one more snowfall, and he did driveways since it was over a foot of snow. He will not plow driveways any more since they are so soft he is digging them up and could get stuck. Dave Storvik wrote Glen to ask to be snowed after the last big storm; Glen explained that Alden had said he couldn’t do driveways because they were soft, but Alden did go out and plow out Storvik, but he also made a rut in the road. He will repair it when it dries out.
Potlatch Escrow: Alden said Potlatch is finished on the Mayfield Road and he inspected it while plowing and there is no damage as the road was frozen. He asked if he could tell them their $500 escrow will be returned. Gary said he thinks we have a policy to take administrative costs from the escrow and we should deduct something. Mike moved to add a $25 administrative fee to our hauling permit on township roads; Gary seconded. Passed. Paul will rewrite the notice and add an addendum to the ordinance and notify the DNR and county.. Mike moved to refund Potlatch’s escrow; Glen seconded; Gary no.
Wilma Arna Rangeline Road Agreement: Arna Township’s Board signed an addendum to our agreement for maintenance of the range-line roads Pete Anderson and Langstrom, which states that Wilma Township will do all snowplowing and regular blading and Arna Township will do all the road brushing, in all service years. Each town will bill the other town for half of their costs. 2018 is Arna’s year for repairs They will notify us when they schedule their road inspection so our road manager Alden can inspect the roads with them. They authorized us to spend only $3,000 on road repairs in 2017, but by then it was too late and we did not do any of the work, and 2018 is their year. Paul will find out when their road inspection is.
Road Construction and Maintenance Training: University of Minnesota is offering a training workshop on gravel road maintenance and construction. Glen said Alden should go and the town will pay the tuition plus his meeting pay and mileage. It is in Duluth on April 10 at the Radisson Hotel, 505 W. Superior Street, all day. Registration 8:30, workshops from 9 am to 4 pm, with lunch provided.
John Deere Grader Inspection: Alden said he would like to have a John Deere maintenance engineer come down and inspect our grader and go over the brakes and everything. Mike questioned if it would be cheaper to have the grader hauled up to them, especially if they have to raise it on a hoist; Alden will check. Glen said Alden can do what he thinks is best.
OLD BUSINESS: Public Payroll Records: The MAT Attorneys say we would be violating Data Privacy laws if we reveal net pay data. “Do not put the actual names of township officers or employees on any report other than the CTAS gross pay report.”. The MAT Attorneys said we can publish the gross payroll each month with names. |Patrice will add that to the monthly report from now on.
Wilma Township Website: Mike said we wouldn’t have the payroll reporting issue if we didn’t have the internet and the website. Discussion on ending the website and no longer publishing meeting records or financial information. Pat said he’d be heartbroken if we removed the website and he knows many people who read it and rely on it to know what is happening. Mike also said he has people from the cities who read it and talk to him about issues. The consensus was to keep the website because ending it would cause a big problem and controversy. Glen said we are doing much better with taking care of township business efficiently; our meetings used to go until 10 pm or later.
Lost River Road Postal Service: Postal Service will not deliver packages to Pat Story’s door. They won’t deliver to a mailbox at this home; he had to put a box on the Markville Road. They have the same policy on River Cabin Road. The reason given is that Lost River Road is too narrow for two vehicles to safely pass. Glen drove down Lost River Road to check it and also the Fleming Logging Road, and all the mailboxes were on the main road. Crooked Lake and Sand Creek Roads were the same. Glen said the board sympathizes with Pat but doesn’t think the Post Office will change, and the width of the road is not a factor. Pat said he and some neighbors may make an appeal and he talked with Rick Nolan’s representative, Rick Olstein.
Board of Appeal/Equalization: For voters to appeal 2019 property tax assessments, Monday, April 9, 2018, 1 p.m. Glen’s certification has expired but Gary is certified and we only need one Supervisor to be certified.
Pine County Township Officers Mtg: Was Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Hinckley. Four board members were in attendance, Glen, Patrice, Gary and Paul. Paul gave a detailed report on the speakers: Commissioner Steve Hallan; Sheriff Jeff Nelson; Assessor Kelly Schroeder; ECRDC Rep. Jordan Zeller; Brett Grundemeier of the DNR; Rick Olstein from Rick Nolan’s office; District 7 MAT Director; Mike Roupe of Couri/Roupe Law Firm and Representative Jason Rarik. Paul was re-elected to the Board, so Wilma has two people on the Board with Glen as Secretary-Treasurer. NEW BUSINESS: Spring Short Course: At the DECC in Duluth on April 6, two days after our April Board Meeting. Glen, Toni, Paul and Gary will attend. Glen will drive for all of us, leaving at 7 a.m.
Culverts: Land and Cabins has a new price list for culverts.
County-wide Zoning: The Board of Commissioners met on March 16 and according to Kelly Schroeder, she was asked to draft a County Zoning Ordinance which has a “Opt-In feature” – in that it is only valid in a township if the township board chooses for it to be valid. And if a township does opt-in they also have the opportunity to opt back out.
Treasurer’s Report and Claims: Patrice gave the treasurer’s report which will be posted on the website. Total bills for March are $3,277.99 plus $150 for debits, and she requests a transfer of $3,400 from savings to checking. Gary moved to approve; Glen seconded.
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Gary moved to adjourn; Mike seconded. Meeting adjourned 9:00 p.m.
Report by Paul Raymond, Attest: Glen Williamson, Chair_____________________