Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of March 2, 2015
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 2nd day of March, 2015 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Bryon Alstead, Lyle Hammerschmidt, Joel Dahlheimer and Russell Niskanen. Also present were Gregg Raisanen, Clerk, and Mona Billmark, Treasurer. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Alstead at 6:00 p.m.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of the Victoria Estates 1st Addition plat under Planning and Zoning and Zunker update under Old Business. Motion carried unanimously.
Hammerschmidt, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 2/18/2015 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 15037 – 15046 in the amount of $19,540.02, net payroll $4,636.94 totaling $24,176.96 with a transfer from savings in the amount of $23,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: none
PLANNING AND ZONING: Zoning Administrator Oleson reported that Ben Zacher is seeking permission to advance the preliminary plat of Victoria Estates First Addition to final plat. The town’s subdivision ordinance stipulates that application for final plat needs to be within one year of preliminary plat approval with a possibility of a one-year extension. Mr. Zacher’s preliminary plat was approved in 2010 by the town board and is therefore deemed expired by ordinance. The current survey depicts the only change is the replacement of a cul-de-sac with a proposed turnaround to allow future continuation of the road. Supervisor Hammerschmidt asked if there were problems in allowing this to proceed to final plat. Oleson stated that in a similar case a few years back, a MAT attorney had indicated the township had a choice in either allowing the prelim plat to go forward to final plat or requiring the applicant to start the process over. He also stated that there has been no change in the subdivision ordinance since the preliminary plat approval. Dahlheimer, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to approve the request to allow the Victoria Estates First Addition plat to advance to final plat. Roll: Niskanen, Hammerschmidt, Dahlheimer, Alstead – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Oleson reported that the township has not received the after-the-fact fee from the dog grooming business on Golden Gate, noting that the fee was a condition of their IUP approval. The township attorney has sent a letter giving the owner ten days in which to comply.
It was noted that the residence on E. Burgen Road (off Maple Drive) with the ditch issue has not been brought into compliance. Oleson reported that the sheriff’s department issued a citation. Oleson stated that the property is now up for sale and the violation will need to be addressed by either the seller or the prospective buyer.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn reported on the proposed Neewana Beach Road reconstruction. He stated that the boring report indicates the road base is adequate to build off of given future projected traffic. In light of this report, he revised his estimate as follows: Lowering grading costs by $70,000 to $130,000 and $140,000 in paving costs for a project total of $270,000. Supervisor Niskanen asked if we were able to secure a traffic count. Kuhn stated we were not. Niskanen also asked about the tonnage on the road. Kuhn stated it would be designed for a minimum 7 ton road, possibly 9 ton. Further discussion was tabled until an agreement is finalized for the proposed underpass.
Engineer Kuhn requested more direction from the town board with regard to the Jesse Meadows development. The town discussed having the owner submit a proposal which would address a revised preliminary plat; parking issues; possible cash payment for the purpose of rebuilding the road; bond for added security; keeping the road as close to standard as possible, but 66 feet wherever feasible. They also discussed an additional requirement of having 1/3 of the lots built upon before the town’s consideration of taking over the road.
OLD BUSINESS: Vice-Chairman Dahlheimer indicated his intention of outlining the township’s expectations with Richard Zunker regarding the final clean-up.
NEW BUSINESS: none
Hammerschmidt, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to adjourn the regular meeting and open the Board of Audit meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:47 p.m.
Clerk Raisanen reported that since we have an outside audit, the purpose of the Board of Audit is to review the financial statements that have been submitted by our auditor. The financial statements show total net assets of $1,088,916 at the end of the year. Total revenue for the year was $1,075,049 compared to expenditures of $784,539. Total change in fund balance for the year was $116,700.
Niskanen, seconded by Hamnmerschmidt, made a motion to approve the preliminary financial statements as presented and to recommend forwarding the proposed levy with a $5,000 change in the levy for ALASD to the voters at the annual meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:14 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2015
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Bryon Alstead, Chairman