WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF REORGANIZATION & BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, APRIL 2, 2014
Chairman Glen Williamson called the Board of Reorganization meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present were Supervisors Mike McCullen and Gary Vink, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, and Jeff and Jean Grand Pre. Glen swore in Supervisor Gary Vink and Clerk Paul Raymond for a three and two year term.
Mike nominated Glen to serve as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors for 2014/5; Gary seconded; passed. Mike moved that the Board approve the wages and salaries that were voted in at the Annual Meeting March 11: One change from 2013, Mike moved that Supervisors be paid a fixed rate for meetings, instead of the hourly rate: $55/meeting for the Chairman, $50 for Supervisors, up to a three-hour meeting, not to include road inspections. Overtime at the current hourly rate of $22.50 and $18. Gary seconded. Passed. Glen moved an amendment to the motion, that if a Supervisor should leave the meeting early, that he be paid the hourly rate for the time attended. Mike seconded. Passed. Glen and Mike said that last year the Board voted that since the Supervisors are required to attend the Board of Canvass at the Annual Meeting, and because they should be at the meeting to answer questions from the public, that they should be paid the hourly rate for attending the meeting. There was a discussion about this, and Paul found the record where this was voted. Glen moved that the new meeting rate for Supervisors apply also to the annual meetings; Mike seconded; passed. Should a Supervisor be elected Moderator, the Moderator pay will apply instead.
Mike moved that these other salaries and wages remain the same for 2014: Clerk, Treasurer, Grader Operator, major mechanic and assistant, general labor, Annual Meeting Moderator; Gary seconded. Passed. One exception, Mike moved that, as approved by the voters, election judges be paid $12/hour, up from $10. Glen seconded; passed. One other change the voters had approved: Mike moved that half-day out of town meetings be raised from $50/half day to $75; and from $100 for full-day meetings to $150. Gary seconded.
Donations to area groups: Voters approved $100 donations to three county organizations: Seven County Senior Federation, the Pine County Historical Society, and the Old School Arts Center. Gary moved that the board approve these payments; Glen seconded. Mike abstained.
Bank, Notices, etc: Mike moved that we retain Northview Bank as our bank of deposit; Pine County Courier and the Evergreen for our published notices, and the Town Hall and Duxbury Store as our posting places for notices.
Glen moved that the Board of Reorganization be adjourned; Mike seconded. Glen called the regular Board Meeting to order with Paul reading the record of the March meeting. Gary moved to approve; Mike seconded.
OLD BUSINESS: County Land Sale: At the March meeting, the Board passed a resolution not to authorize any county or state land sales in Wilma Township, in order to preserve public access lands for future generations, and to avoid legal hassles from sales of no-access properties. County Auditor Cathy Clemmer wrote to and met with Glen and Paul at the County Officers Meeting and she objected to this resolution and asked that the board reconsider. She says there are already over 11,000 acres of state forest and tax forfeited lands in Wilma Township, with 2,300 acres forfeited this year. We had told her that there were two exceptions to the resolution: the twenty acres of our park land that we request a conveyance to the Township and people of Wilma, and the strip of land east of the new Schmedeke Lane Extension that the county is requiring Eldon Schmedeke to purchase for the road to be improved. She told Paul and Glen that the Board of Commissioners can overrule the township board and can approve the sales without our permission. Cathy said 1,288 acres are part of the Memorial Forest and will never be sold; 400 acres of the proposed sale are Conservation Lands, with mid-term management for timber and land sales, which the county will have logged off before it is sold; and 673 acres are non-conservation, which are labeled short-term, to be sold after being logged off within 8 years. Mike said his vote for the resolution stands. He does not want any more public lands to be sold in our township. Mike moved that the board re-affirm the resolution, and that Paul send copies to all the 5 County Commissioners, and notify the auditor. Glen seconded. Passed.
Township Septic Ordinance: We have drafted a revised Sewer and Septic Ordinance for Wilma Township, which basically duplicates the County ordinance which went into effect yesterday. We do not have to have a Shoreland Management Ordinance; we can go under the County’s. The board has a year from yesterday to adopt and implement the ordinance, and Glen said we will table the vote for now to give the Board and any Citizens time to study it. Glen said he will have a link to the new ordinance posted on the township website. Paul will send a copy of our new ordinance to Gail Kespohl, our septic inspector, so she will not have to write one for us. Paul has sent it to Cheryl Wickham and Fran Levings, so that Arna and New Dosey can adapt it for their townships.
Schmedeke Lane: Glen tabled the discussion on the Schmedeke Lane Extension build-up and development until Eldon can attend a meeting. Mike said he had a meeting with Eldon. The board will not release the $10,000 to the township for class-5 gravel to top to the road and to fix the culvert and ditches until the land sale is completed.
Town Hall Repairs: Mike said we can’t determine how bad the back door frame is until the frost goes out and the building settles. Issue tabled.
County Township Officers’ Meeting: Paul and Glen reported on the County Township Officers’ meeting last Saturday in Hinckley. Kelly Schroeder gave a report on the new septic ordinance and charts of land schedule for taxes payable in 2015. Cathy Clemmer gave out worksheets to determine tax impact with levy increase/decreases per property, and the 2014 certified net tax capacity values. Glen and Dave Baker were re-elected to the Executive Committee. Brett Grundemeier gave the DNR Report. The winter has been very hard on deer, and the DNR is working with the Deer Hunters Association to provide free deer feed for volunteers. They are not taking new volunteers now. Many lakes have died due to the hard winter, and the Walleye limits have been drastically reduced, which will cause the Tribes to declare more lakes as netting/spearing lakes, including Razor Lake in Pine County. Sheriff Candidate Brett Westbrook spoke about his qualifications and plans for the sheriff’s dept.
Eagle Head Station, Duxbury VFD: The MN DOT officials will meet with Mike and Pat Story at the new Eagle Head Fire Dept. Station on Thursday morning to discuss what the fire department wishes to do with the DNR House and to see what our plans are for the other buildings. Rep. Tim Faust says he is going to get the house for the Duxbury VFD if they want it, and Mike said the house could be used by the township for some training or other activities. He will represent both the Fire Dept. and the interests of the Township in acquiring the use of the house. Pat is going to try to get them to replace the well and septic that they filled in and bulldozed.
Mileage: Paul suggested that when officers could car-pool to meetings, but choose to drive separately, that they should be paid only for one-way. Glen said he doesn’t feel right about that suggestion, and Mike said there are sometimes good reasons why people need to drive separately. Also, for the short courses we always carpool. Issue tabled.
NEW BUSINESS: Town Cemetery: Glen gave a report on the Green Burial Seminar that was held at the New Dosey Town Hall last Friday. Cloverton gets funds from the state to bury paupers in their cemetery, plus get income from the payments citizens make for plots and upkeep. He said we could put a cemetery in our Park. Mike said this is an old idea, and has been discussed before. The Board suggested a Cemetery Committee with Jean and Jeff Grand Pre, Paul Raymond, and Patrice Winfield to research the requirements and feasibility of building a township cemetery. Gary said having a township cemetery could open up a can of worms with regulations and rules and cause problems for the township, and he opposes it. Patrice said we should at least do the research on the liabilities and regulations and what would be involved. Glen moved that a volunteer committee be appointed with Jeff and Jean Grand Pre, Patrice and Paul to research the regulations and costs and liabilities. Mike seconded. Passed. They will report to the Board in 90 days, at the August board meeting.
Board of Equalization and Review: Will be Wednesday, April 23, at 1 p.m. at the Town Hall.
Spring Short Course: Will be this Friday in Carlton. Glen will drive his 4-wheel drive truck as a lot of snow is predicted. So far, Toni, Paul and Patrice are going.
Election Judge Training: Thurs. June 19, Clerk/Head Judge Training, Sandstone Sr. Center, 9 a.m. to noon. Wed. Aug. 6, Regular judges, Askov Community Ctr., 1-3 p.m., or Thurs., Aug. 7, Hinckley Community Ctr., 9-11 a.m. or Pine Co. Courthouse, 1-3 p.m. All judges must have training. Glen appointed Jeff and Jean GrandPre to join the judge pool and to get training. We need four judges for our Fall elections.
Coure-Ruppe Free Legal Seminar: Covers township issues, roads, fire contracts, ordinances, and free legal advice. Albertville June 26 or Sept. 6, or Cotton, Oct. 4. All seminars 9 – 4 p.m. Paul said he would like to attend this year. We didn’t go last year.
TREASURER’S REPORT AND BILLS: Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached). Claims were presented:
Pine Co. Courier $ 17.90
ECE 63.37
Little Falls Machine 156.11
Bruno Deep Rock 1,123.84
Patrice (expenses) 128.20
Gary (expenses) 60.00
Antoinette Williamson (judge) 51.00
Glen (expenses) 33.60
Paul (expenses) 52.80
Barb Smith (judge) 45.00
US Treasury Withholding 497.40
Mike McCullen 71.11
Mark Pallow 265.96
Patrice Winfield 258.58
Glen Williamson 148.45
Antoinette Williamson 69.26
Gary Vink 111.28
Paul Raymond 366.63
Total all Bills $ 3,407.69
Gary moved top pay all the bills, to approve the Treasurer’s Report, and to transfer $3,400 from savings into checking. Mike seconded; passed. Glen moved to adjourn the meeting; Mike seconded; meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Paul Raymond, Clerk