WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF REORGANIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEEETING 4-6-2016

admin Board Minutes, Board of Reorganization

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF REORGANIZATION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEEETING 4-6-2016

Chairman Glen Williamson called the 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 GrandPre, Alden Shute, and Eldon and Marge Schmedeke.

BOARD OF REORGANIZATION: Mike nominated Glen to be Chairman of the Board for another year; Gary seconded. Passed. Glen nominated Gary to be Vice Chair; Mike seconded. Passed. Mike moved that the board approve all the wages and meetings pay and election judge pay that the voters authorized at the annual meeting. Gary seconded. Passed. Glen moved that Northview Bank be our bank of deposit; that the Pine County Courier and the Evergreen and the township website, Wilmatownship.com, be our papers of publication; that the Duxbury Store and Wilma Town Hall be our posting places. Mike seconded. Passed. Mike moved that we keep the charge for snowplowing private drives the same as the 2015-16 season. Gary said that at the Township Short Course on Friday, they said townships cannot limit snowplowing to full time residents. Glen said they also said that we can charge residents different from non-residents. Mike amended his motion to keep snowplowing rates the same, except to designate that they are for full-time residents, and that non-residents will be charged the regular plowing rate of $150/hour.

Donations to Civic Organizations: Mike moved that Wilma township enter into a contract with the Seven County Senior Federation, with the Old School Arts Center, and with the Pine County Historical Museum for services and to pay them $100 each, as approved by the voters. Glen seconded. Gary voted nay; Passed. Gary asked how the old high school could be deemed unsafe for students but it’s ok for the Arts Center? Paul said they cleaned it up and it is safe now.

TOWN BOARD MEEETING: Paul read the record of the March board meeting. Gary moved to approve; Mike seconded.

ROAD REPORT: Alden gave the report and said little was done this month. Roads are still very wet. Glen asked if there were any trees down with all the wind we’ve had lately. Alden said none that he has seen, but he hasn’t driven out all the roads. The road inspection will be next month.

Wilma Township WIFI: Glen gave a report on the WIFI Committee developments and future plans. Pat Story is no longer on the committee. Glen made a new proposal and presented it to the ECRDC for approval. His proposal is limited to providing broadband internet for the Town Hall, but will have directional antennas to reach in all directions, so it would likely reach Alden’s, Glocke’s,the Duxbury Store, Duane Glienke, Fillers, and possibly even the campground. Glen’s proposal to Penny at the ECRDC totaled $9,000. Paul said we should still go for the full $10,000 grant to cover misc. unforeseen expenses and also for the wages and time of the committee, which can’t come out of Township funds as per the agreement. Paul said that at the Short Course and the County Township Officer’s Meeting, and at last fall’s MAT State Convention there was a lot of talk about bringing broadband internet to every rural household. They weren’t specific about how this can be done. Jeff and Patrice both worked for the phone company and said there is no way that Century Tel can afford to bring DSL to our area. We have a fiber-optic line running right through our town, but it won’t be used for internet.

Spring Short Course, Mn Assn. Of Townships: Was Friday, April 1, in Carlton. All board members attended but Mike. Paul gave Mike the Power Points and handouts for Supervisors. All the board members who attended said this year’s trainings and sessions were some of the most valuable and informative ever.

NEW BUSINESS: Pine County Environmental Assistance Grant: The County is applying for a grant to improve recycling facilities in the county and ask the board to send a letter of support. Glen moved that we send the letter; Mike seconded. Gary abstained. Glen signed it.

Board of Appeal and Equalization: Wilma Township’s Board will meet Monday, April 11, 1 p.m. At least two Supervisors needed. Both Glen and Gary are certified currently. Gary’s certification will expire after this year’s Board, so he needs to take the certification course at the Summer Short Course on Thursday June 30, 2016, starting at 1:30 in Carlton. Gary had the registration form for Paul to mail. This may be the last time certification is offered at a Short Course, so Glen also signed up to renew his certification.

Township Web Site: Mike moved to renew our contract for the WilmaTownship.Com website. Gary seconded. Glen abstained. Jeff said it is a very good site and he uses it a lot to keep up with announcements and township events.

Schmedeke Lane: Eldon said that Schmedeke Lane was recorded as a 66′ wide road and he insists that the road be widened to the full width. Paul will research the records.

Town Hall Site: Eldon and Marg went to the County Courthouse and got a document where Albert and Barb Glienke donated the site for the town hall filed May 29, 1980. Eldon said this document proves that the township owns the land all the way to the fence. Paul said he measured it out based on the documents the County gave us back in 2013, and our border ends at the edge of the town hall. Duane Glienke had said he put the fence further east only as a courtesy, but he never gave that land to the Town. Paul said he would take the new information and if necessary do another survey with his measuring wheel.

Meetings and Short Courses: Eldon said he thinks the board is wasting money with multiple officers going to training meetings and Township Officer’s Meetings and election judge training, and he wanted to know how much these last two meetings cost the town. He said one or two officers could go and report to the rest. Different board members spoke that the information gathered at these meetings is valuable and benefits the whole town. Some training is mandatory, such as judge training and assessor certification. Paul said that the township’s part of the total property tax bill is only about 11%, with almost 90% going to county and school district taxes, although the town does a lot more for our people with roads, etc. He said school officials and state and county officials also attend taxpayer-paid training conferences and meetings and events and we don’t question them.

Treasurer’s Report and Bills: Patrice gave the Treasurer’s Report (attached) and claims were presented and signed. Glen moved that we pay all the claims, totaling $3,279.66, and transfer $3,300 from savings into checking. Gary seconded.

Mike moved to adjourn the meeting; Glen seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

________________________________

Paul Raymond, Clerk

_______________________________

Attested to by Glen Williamson, Chairman

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, MARCH 2, 2016

admin Board Minutes

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, MARCH 2, 2016

Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Wilma Town Hall with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present were Supervisors Mike McCullen and Gary Vink, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, and Assistant Grader Operator Alden Shute.

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

OLD BUSINESS: ROAD REPORT: Alden said there is not much to report; he repaired a cable on the blade, and has another repair to do. We’ve only had two plows this season so far.

Road Brushing: We got a bill for $4,32.50 from Central Pine Lumber Co. for brushing our township roads last fall. Mike said he didn’t think they did such a good job, and some brush was cut pretty high. Alden said the roads hadn’t been brushed for 25 years, and you need to do it every five years to keep it down. Some of the brush and trees were very high and thick. Paul needs to bill Arna for 2 hours @ $125/hour for the east Range Line Roads, and New Dosey 1 hour for Heller Drive.

NEW BUSINESS: 2016 Election/Annual Meeting: Glen and Paul are up for election, Tuesday March 8, polls open 5 to 8 p.m. Patrice, Barb Smith, and either Jeff or Jeanne GrandPre will judge. Board of Reorganization can be at the April Board Meeting per MAT. 2017 Proposed Budget for Wilma. No changes were proposed by the Clerk and Treasurer for the budget to propose to the voters on Tuesday. The voters approve levies; board approves wages and other costs. Mike moved that we present the budget proposal with no changes at the Annual Meeting. Gary seconded.

WIFI Committee Report: Glen said we need to schedule another meeting of the WIFI Committee to discuss our options within the $10,000 grant the ECRDC has said we will likely get. Pat got a letter from Mesh Dynamics saying they didn’t think a WIFI system was feasible for our township due to the topology and distance. DSC Communications submitted an estimate of $47,000. Pat wrote that the tower installation is the single highest cost item. Mn DOT requires $700 for the application and another $800 for a study to make sure our signal frequencies will not interfere with theirs, plus we’d need to pay for the equipment and installation. Last month, Pat gave the Board maps showing five nodes in Wilma Township which could reach every home in our town, at a projected cost of $10,300. Glen said we should see if we can beam a signal from the Eagle Head Tower that would reach the Town Hall, and which should also reach five or ten homes in the tower vicinity. He said he doesn’t want us to turn down the grant if there is any way we could put up even a limited system for that amount. Paul has a mailing list of all the registered voters in our town, most of whom would probably want WIFI, for when we are ready to survey people for interest.

Glen said WIFI would be a great selling point for our town. For the first two years, Glen said, we can use the grant to build and sustain the system, but after that runs out, we will either need to fund it ourselves without taxpayer money, or abandon it.

Annual Town Meeting Agenda: We have requests from OSAC, Pine County Historical Association and Seven County Senior Federation for continued contracts, $100 each. Mike moved that we put this on the agenda for the voters.

Pine County Comprehensive Plan Hearings: The County will be creating a Comprehensive Plan for Pine County. They have scheduled three public meetings to get input on priorities for the future of the county, including jobs, natural resources, agriculture, tourism, housing, education and recreation. The County hasn’t indicated how much control they want over township zoning. Dates: Tomorrow, Thursday, March 3, Pine Co. Public Health Bldg., Sandstone; Monday, March 7, Rutledge Community Center; and Thursday March 10, Pine County Courthouse. All meetings at 6 p.m. Our township has in the past wanted local control of blight, zoning, septic and subdivisions, with no county interference. We have no zoning presently except for septic. Paul wrote a resolution to present to the voters for approval, asking that Wilma Township be exempted from any county-wide comprehensive plan, and that we control our own zoning and planning. Mike moved that we have the people vote on it, and that Paul be authorized to attend the hearing on March 3rd in Sandstone as a township representative to find out how much control the county is seeking over local jurisdictions. Gary seconded. Passed.

Annual Meeting Wages: Mike said that several years ago we voted to pay the Supervisors for a full meeting for attending the Board of Canvass and the Annual Meeting. Patrice said she also has to be at the meeting to present the financial report; Mike moved that Patrice be paid by the hour for the Annual Meeting, as well as Alden or Mark, for presenting the road report. If a Supervisor is elected Moderator, they don’t get paid double. Gary seconded. Passed.

Minnesota Township Association Billing: Glen said as the secretary of the County Township Association, he is sent mailing labels for each township for their annual dues, but this year the addresses they used were the Treasurers’ and not the Clerks’, and seven towns have not paid their dues, possibly because the treasurers didn’t tell their clerks. He asked Paul to write or call the MAT to have the notices labels have the clerks’ addresses.

Spring Short Courses Mn Assn. Of Townships: Friday, April 1, in Carlton. Registration starts 8 a.m. Glen will drive, and can take five if Toni, Patrice, Paul and Gary all attend.

Board of Appeal and Equalization: For Wilma Township, Monday, April 11, 1 p.m.

Pine County Township Officers Association Meeting: Scheduled for the day after

Good Friday, March 26, 9 a.m., Hinckley American Legion.

Town Hall Mice: We have mice in the hall, tearing up paper towels. Mike asked Paul to pick up some traps or poison to get rid of them.

Treasurer’s Report and Bills: Patrice gave the Treasurer’s report (attached). Total claims were $5,431.22. Gary moved to approve her report, to pay all the claims, and to transfer $5,500.00 from savings to checking. Mike seconded.

Gary moved to adjourn; Glen seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Paul Raymond, Clerk

_____ ________________________

Attested to by Glen Williamson, Chair