Year: 2008

Annual Town Meeting, March 11, 2008

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WILMA TOWNSHIP ANNUAL TOWN MEETING, MARCH 11, 2008

Clerk Paul Raymond called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance at 8:15 p.m., following the township election and the canvass of the vote by the Board of Canvass. Sixteen citizens were present: Glenford and Tony Williamson, Eldon and Marjorie Schmedeke, Randy Michel, Joseph Vink, Mark Pallow, Michael McCullen, Patrice Winfield, Kenneth Yager, Ronald McCullen, Gary Vink, Bruce and Donna Filler, Gary Vink, and Paul Raymond.

Nominations were opened for meeting chair. Mike nominated Donna Filler; Ken seconded. Gary nominated Joe; Joe said he declined. Mark nominated Glen Williamson; Tony seconded. A hand vote showed that Glen was chosen as moderator and he took the chair.

Glen called for the reading of the clerk’s record of last year’s annual town meeting.

Gary moved to approve; Mark seconded. Paul presented the Treasurer’s statement of finances for 2007 prepared by Patrice. Mike moved to waive the reading of all checks; Ken seconded. Passed. Joe moved to approve the Treasurer’s Financial Statement; Gary seconded; passed.

ROAD REPORT: Board Chairman Gary Vink gave the road report for 2007. He said that due to the cost of buying a grader, we didn’t have the funds to do as much work as wanted, and that the weather did not cooperate, but many roads did get work in 2007.

Mayfield Road: New culvert installed.

Little Tamarack Lake Road: ECE put an underground cable on the Little Tamarack Lake Road and did some damage to the road; their $500 escrow payment went to pay for this.

Schmedeke Lane: The County made a decision to move this road to their surveyed position, across from Fust Lane. Eldon had found some more records, so the County will re-survey this road in the spring. So far nothing has been done. The original survey cost $4,800 and Ron asked who is paying for the new survey. Eldon said he did not ask for this survey and never wanted the County to get involved in the first place as the road has always been where it should be. Marg explained the history of the county’s involvement when she and Eldon found a county logging surveyor on their land and he called the sheriff and reported that the Schmedeke’s were armed.

Escrow Fund: Escrow payments were received from Carlson Lumber and from Tri-State and T & T Logging.

Pete Anderson Road: A culvert was replaced on this road. In their service year, Arna Township had reported that the culvert had collapsed and we replaced it in 2007. A culvert was placed at the access to Eldon’s road off of the Pete Anderson Road. Gravel was placed at the end of both the Pete Anderson Road and Langstrom Rd. to extend the roads as per our agreement with Arna. Arna insisted that we do more work on that road then we were planning to do; they had even threatened to take their own grader out.

Snowplowing: The Board decided in 2007 to only snowplow roads with full-time residents to reduce costs. Glen asked how has this worked out? Gary said that we only had one complaint, from Clay Heller, and that the Board had then decided to snowplow Heller Drive as it is a townline road. New Dosey had asked us not to plow that road too much as they were out of funds in their Road and Bridge fund. Randy asked about the Mayfield Road. Gary said that most of the land bordering the Mayfield Road is state land, and we should ask them why they don’t plow it. Randy said that snowplowing once in awhile helps clear the brush out.

Duncan Rd./Pete Anderson Roads: T&T Logging knocked down the road and stop signs on these roads during their logging activities. The clerk is billing them for both road signs, a total of $500. We don’t want to use their escrow monies.

Crooked Lake Road: Carlson Timber dozed that road without permission. No one is allowed to do any unauthorized road work on township roads. Carlson’s removed the crown and ruined the road.

Road construction training: Both Gary and Mark attended a road construction class and learned that the best way to maintain a road is with a crown and drainage.

REVENUES AND BUDGET:

Road and Bridge Fund: The Board had recommended keeping the R & B fund at $20,000. Eldon moved that it stay at $20,000 for 2009. Gary seconded. Passed.

Building Fund: The Board recommended no change; Joe moved to keep it at $1,200; Dennis seconded. Passed.

Fire Fund: The Board pays the Duxbury Volunteer Fire Department $3,500 per year for township fire protection, and recommended the same for 2009. Joe said Sandstone Township pays$16,000 per year. Mike said the fire department should have presented each township in the protection area with a proposal to increase this payment because of increased fuel and other costs before their annual town meetings, but since they didn’t, he moved to retain it at $3,500 for 2009. Randy seconded. Passed.

Park Fund: There was a discussion on where the revenues from logging the park would go. Paul said he thought they would go into the Park Fund. Joe said they could go into the General Fund, and he gave a history of acquiring the park land from the State. Eldon said that we need to build a new town hall and the logging revenues should stay in the Park Fund for the new building. Gary moved to keep the Park Fund at $400; Patrice seconded. Passed.

General Fund: Paul explained that the General Fund is used for all operating expenses of the town, for wages, insurance, mileage. Joe moved to keep this fund at $12,000; Mark seconded. Passed.

Debt Service Fund: Paul moved to keep this fund at $25,500 for one more year. After that the grader will be almost all paid off. Ron seconded.

WAGES: Mark moved to keep all wages, for Chairman, Supervisors, Clerk and Treasurer, the same as in 2008, $17.50 per hour for Chairman; $15 for Supervisors; $75 per meeting for Clerk and $65 for Treasurer, plus $10 per hour for bookkeeping and reports. Eldon seconded. Passed.

Ron moved to keep wages for General Labor, Major Mechanic, Mechanic’s Assistant and Grader Operator the same: $15/hour General; $30 Major Mechanic; $15, Mechanic Assistant and $16, Grader Operator. Joe seconded. Passed.

Out of Town Meetings: Paul explained why Board members attend out of town meetings such as the short courses and County Township Officers meetings. Eldon said there is no reason for all officers to attend the meetings. Glen said that as a new officer he has learned a great deal at the short courses and at the County Officers’ meetings. If we don’t attend, the elected and township officials think that we are not interested or involved, and they will ride all over us. Randy moved to keep the pay at $35 for half-day and $65 for full-day meetings. Mark seconded. Passed.

Election Judges: Mark moved to keep the pay at $10/hour; Patrice seconded. Passed.

Mileage: Gary move that we increase the mileage reimbursement to .50 per mile. Randy seconded. Passed.

Snowplowing: The Board had recommended no change for 2009, but Mark said that with fuel costs skyrocketing we could lose money on private drives at the current rate. He said it takes 20 to 30 minutes per driveway to plow private drives. He recommended an increase to $75 and $100. Paul moved that snowplowing be increased to $75 per season for next year, $100 for drives over 700 feet. Tony seconded. Dennis moved that special plowing be set at $150 per hour with a one-hour minimum. Mark seconded.

REPORT OF THE ELECTION: Glen read the report of the Board of Canvass. For Supervisor, Gary Vink 15; Donna Filler 1; Bruce Filler 8. For Clerk, Paul Raymond, 16, Donna Filler 8. There were 25 voters, including four new registrations. Gary thanked the citizens for coming out to vote.

PARK AND TOWN HALL: Eldon took the floor to advocate for building a new Town Hall. He said he believes our present hall and outhouse is a public joke, that there is no reason that in 2008 we should have to use an unheated outdoor privy. He said we should not put any money into maintaining our current hall. If the landing is cleared for the logging of the park land, this could be cleared for a new Town Hall site. Donna said that we should at least start a planning committee or exploratory team to see what is involved and how much it would cost. We could get Menards to donate materials and people could donate labor. Ron said people talk about volunteering but few people actually show up. They can’t even get volunteers for the Fire Department or for Duxbury Days. Randy said there is nothing wrong with our town hall now, and if people are concerned about paying $35 for a meeting, building a new fully insulated town hall with year-round heated plumbing and septic will be a big increase in our taxes. Joe elaborated on the history of the Park land; it was given by the state to make money for the town; it was only suggested that it be a park. Eldon said we should check on what size and kind of building we need, and he moved that we start an exploratory committee to look into all facets of a new building for our Town Hall; what size and materials and costs. Patrice seconded. Marjorie said we need at least 5 members. Glen asked for volunteers: Eldon and Dennis Schmedeke and Bruce and Donna Filler volunteered. Dennis moved to appoint the four people who volunteered and that the committee report to the Town Board at the June, 2008, meeting. Bruce seconded. Passed.

BANK AND NOTICES: Ron moved that First National Bank remain our bank of deposit; Patrice seconded. Passed. Paul moved that the Pine County Courier be our newspaper of record, with the Evergreen as secondary paper, and that the Town Hall and the Duxbury Store be places of notice. Gary seconded. Passed.

Gary moved that next year’s annual election and town meeting be held the second Tuesday in March. Mark seconded. Passed.

BOARD OF REORGANIZATION: Paul said that the Board of Reorganization will be Thursday, March 20, at 11 a.m. at the Duxbury Store.

BOARD OF EQUALIZATION AND APPEAL: Will be Wednesday, April 16, at 10 a.m.

Gary moved to adjourn the meeting. Mark seconded. Meeting adjourned at 10 p.m.

Paul Raymond, Clerk

Regular Meeting, March 5, 2008

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WILMA TOWNSHIP MARCH 5, 2008
TOWN BOARD MEETING

Chairman Gary Vink called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present were Supervisors Michael McCullen and Glenford Williamson, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, and Duane Glienke, Eldon Schmedeke and two citizens.

Paul read the record of the February meeting. Glen moved to approve; Mike seconded.

We got a bill from Pine County Public Works for $177.57. The board directed Paul to find out what this is for before paying it.

T & T Damages: T & T Logging knocked down the stop and road signs on the Pete Anderson and North Duncan Roads. Gary said the cost for each sign is $250, and he directed Paul to bill T&T $500 to replace both signs.

Townline Road billing: Gary asked Paul to bill New Dosey $75 for their half of plowing the Heller Road on 2/16/08. Also to bill Arna Township $75 for their half of snowplowing Langstrom Road on 2/16, and Danforth $75 for their half of snowplowing the Eagle Head and Crooked Lake Roads on the same date. We received payments of $591.60 from Arna and $75 from New Dosey.

Town Park Logging: Duane Glienke presented a proposal to log off the poplar in the town park acreage, offering to pay the town $25 per cord. He estimated that there were at least 50 cords in the park. Mike said this should be a winter cut. Duane said he would be careful not to damage or rut up the roads. He said he could put the landing off of Joe Vink’s road so it wouldn’t scar the township road. Mike said there is already a driveway with a culvert from Duxbury Road to the town park and he would like Duane to put his landing there so that this cleared area could later be used for a wayside park site or even a future town hall. Glen moved that the Town of Wilma contract with Duane Glienke to log the poplar trees from the 38.5 acre town park land for a minimum of $25 per cord. Mike seconded. Mike said that a driveway and a cleared landing into the town park land that citizens could get access to the downed wood.

Septic Inspection Rates: Gail Kespohl sent a letter increasing her rates. Glen said that with all costs increasing that the town should add a surtax to the septic inspection fees so that the town can generate some revenues. Glen moved that the town retain Pine Septic and Design as our septic system inspector, and to ask for an added fee of $100 for a full system; $50 for a drainfield, and $25 for a tank only; and that the clerk send a letter with our contract notifying Gail of our added fees that she should pass on to the people she inspects. Mike seconded.

Tri-township Disposal District: Mike had a letter from the Tri-Township Disposal District reducing annual fees from $36 to $30 per year. The Chairman and Clerk signed the agreement.

Spring Short Course: Gary moved that any township officer who wanted to should be authorized to attend the Township Association Spring Short courses. Glen seconded. Paul and Glen and possibly Patrice will carpool to the St. Cloud short course on March 24. They will meet at the store at 6 a.m.

County Township Officers’ Meeting: Glen urged all township officers to attend the County Township Officers’ meeting on March 29 in Hinckley. Eldon said he has never seen a township officer speak up at any of these meetings; they just listen and applaud. He said that he has spoken up many times at these meetings and no one ever makes a motion or a resolution.

HR 2421: Eldon took the floor to urge the township to be aware and to speak up about James Oberstars’ proposed bill HR 2421, which Eldon said would vastly expand the Clean Water Act of 1972 to cover even mostly dry land. He said that clean fill like gravel would be considered a pollutant and putting clean fill on mostly dry land would be considered discharging pollutants and would be a felony federal offense. Eldon said that HR 2421 would expand federally protected waters to include small depressions that fill only one week a year and land in a 100 year floodplain that is wet only once in 100 years.

Treasurer’s Report and Bills: Bills were presented:

FNBNS $ 2,000.00

ECE 37.38

The Evergreen 10.00

Mike McCullen 34.63

Pine Co. Courier 45.12

Mark Pallow 118.20

Gary Vink 83.86

Paul Raymond 102.78

Patrice Winfield 225.18

Glen Williamson 34.63

TOTAL BILLS $ 2,691.78

Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached). Gary moved to approve the Treasurer’s report and to pay all the bills, and to transfer $2,700 from savings to checking. Glen seconded.

Mike moved that we purchase a new clock, not a battery-powered one. Gary seconded. Mike moved to adjourn; Glen seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.

Paul Raymond, Clerk

Board of Audit and Regular Town Meeing, February 6, 2008

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WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF AUDIT AND TOWN BOARD MEETING
FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Chairman Gary Vink called the Board of Audit to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present were Supervisors Glenford Williamson and Michael McCullen, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, and Township Assessor Bob Brewster, Eldon Schmedeke and a citizen.

The Supervisors examined the financial records of the Clerk and Treasurer. Mike questioned a discrepancy between the Clerk’s and Treasurer’s figures for the Road and Bridge Fund. Paul’s books still showed orders paid and receipts in the Gas Tax Fund, but this fund was reabsorbed into the Road and Bridge Fund. When Paul made this adjustment the books agreed and Glen moved to approve the Summary Statements of the Clerk and Treasurer; Mike seconded, and the Supervisors signed off on the books.

Paul presented a proposed budget for 2009 which was the same as the 2008 budget adopted by the taxpayers last March. Paul suggested reducing the Park Fund to zero since there is a $1,000 balance in the fund and we don’t use the park, but Glen said he feels we should continue to fund this fund. Mike moved to recommend the mileage rate be raised from $.45 to $.50. Glen seconded. Mike noted that the board had already voted to increase the rate for special plowing to $150/hour, and the new budget should reflect that for 2009. Glen moved that the special plowing rate be $150/hour with a one hour minimum charge. Gary seconded.

Paul read the record of the January meeting. Eldon asked that the minutes be amended to say that he pays $5,000 every two years in township taxes, not every year. With that correction, Mike moved to approve the minutes; Glen seconded.

NEW BUSINESS: Review of the Pine County Sewer Code. Bob Brewster, who heads up Arna Township’s Zoning Commission, took the floor to discuss the proposed revisions to Pine County’s on-site sewer system rules to comply with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s recent revisions to the 7080 sewer code. Dale Powers, Pine County’s zoning administrator, is soliciting feedback from townships. The county has two years to conform to the state rules, or February, 2010, and townships have one year from the county making the change for township ordinances to conform to the county code. The new rules are 7080, 7081, 7082 and 7083. 7080 applies to individual home sites. 7081 is for multiple homes using one tank. 7082 involves township regulations on how tough their regulations are. 7083 covers licensing of system inspectors and installers and designers like Gale Kespohl and Dennis Schlomka. Bob said that Dale Powers wants septic systems to be twice the size as currently required. Mike said that we as a board need to notify our Commisioner Roger Nelson and tell him that we do not want Dale Powers to be involved in our township or to impose his ordinances on our township. Bob said that Dale is claiming a conflict of interest with Gale and Dennis as they live together and Dennis installs systems and Gale inspects and approves them. Mike said Dennis does not sell holding tanks or septic tanks; he just buries them. There is going to be a meeting at Tobies on February 14 for contractors, not for townships, but Bob plans to attend. Eldon said this is right out of the United Nations playbook to abolish all private property rights. Eldon said that James Obestar is proposing new regulations, HR 24-21, that would define even dry areas as wetlands so the U.S. Corps of Engineers can control our property and he does not want the township to pass any ordinances that would take away his rights to manage his property.

T&T and Tri-State Loggers: Both T&T and Tri-State Logging paid escrow deposits; T&T paid two for both the North and South Duncan Roads.

Election Judges: Patrice will be the head judge for the township election on March 11. Margorie Schmedeke and Tony Williamson will also serve.

Fire Department Tower Funding: Mike said that the Federal Government is providing funds for local fire departments to put up radio towers for communication. If the Duxbury Fire Department put up a tower on the townsite, they would pay $1,000 and the Government would pay $9,000. Pine County got $540,000 from FEMA and other fire departments are taking cuts of it, especially Pine City’s. Mike said a tower could be used for cell phones so we can have cell-phone reception out here, and that they would pay to rent the towers. Gary asked if the township could get revenue from a tower that was paid for by the federal government. Mike said that because it would be on township property, that we could collect revenues. Glen said that in Grand Marais the tower also provides wireless internet service. The sheriff or Fire Department could put a repeater on the tower.

Mike said he wanted the board to be informed because he intends to really push for this money on the fire department since other fire departments are getting radios and towers.

Tri-Township Garbage Board Meeting: Mike said that at the Garbage Board meeting they voted to reduce the yearly fees from $36 to $30 per year, as they have so much revenue. Glen moved to approve reducing the garbage fee from $36 to $30 per year. Mike seconded. Mike explained to Glen how he can get a refund from multiple fees. Paul said he thinks the garbage board should inform property owners who are paying multiple fees that they only have to pay one and how to get refunds. Mike said they also have four new garbage dumpsters that they are not using, and he is going to get one for the town hall to replace the one we have that can’t be dumped. There will be no charge.

Cigarette License: In 1998 the Pine County Board passed an ordinance taking over tobacco license issuance and compliance requirements. The ordinance stated that it would “apply only where local jurisdictions have not adopted their own ordinance.” Wilma Township has always handled our own licensing of tobacco, but Auditor Cathy Johnson could not find a copy of our ordinance in their files and said we needed to adopt a new one to continue doing the licensing. Glen moved that Wilma Township adopt an ordinance that the Town of Wilma will continue to be the issuing authority all licenses for the sale of tobacco products within the Town of Wilma. Mike seconded. Passed. The Minnesota Department of Revenue and the County Auditor want to be informed of the names of any businesses that we license. Paul will send a copy of our ordinance and the business licensed to the Auditor and the report to the state.

Treasurer’s Report and Bills:

Bills were presented:

ECE $ 35.00

Mark Pallow 36.94

FNBNS 2,000.00

The Evergreen 8.25

Joe Vink 40.00

Mike McCullen 73.88

Paul Raymond 193.93

Gary Vink 112.72

Glen Williamson 27.70

Patrice Winfield 242.54

Bob Brewster 1,540.00

Totals $ 4,310.96

Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached). Glen moved to approve the report and to pay all the bills and to transfer $4,300.00 from savings to checking. Mike seconded.

Glen moved to adjourn the meeting; Gary seconded. Meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m.

Paul Raymond, Clerk