ALEXANDRIA TOWNSHIP
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of September 28, 2020
A regular meeting of the Planning Commission of Alexandria Township was held on the 28th day of September, 2020 onsite and via teleconference.
Roll Call: Commission members present onsite were Shad Steinbrecher, Larry Steidl and Linda Dokken-McFann. Julie Haar was present via teleconference. Also present onsite were Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk, and Ben Oleson, Township Zoning Administrator. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Steidl at 6:00 p.m.
Agenda: Steinbrecher, seconded by Dokken-McFann, made a motion to approve the agenda as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Minutes: Steinbrecher, seconded by Dokken-McFann, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 08/24/2020 meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Zoning Administrator’s Report: none
New Business: none
Old Business: Zoning Administrator Oleson presented drafts of possible amendments to the township’s zoning ordinance relating to septic systems and the expansion of existing nonconforming feedlots.
The page numbers listed below are indicative of those presented in the staff report.
Section VI. Sanitation – Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems
D. SSTS Standards.
Page 6 –(1.a.) Change wording from “County” to “Township.”
Page 13 – (2.) Change wording to read: “Holding tanks may be used as an alternative for existing failing SSTS, or SSTS that pose an imminent threat to public health or safety only when no other reasonable alternative exists.”
Page 14 – (12.) Change wording to read: “Storage of septage at a centralized location. Centralized storage of septage by maintenance businesses is not allowed anywhere in the Township.”
G. Compliance Management.
Page 28 – (2.a.(1.b.)) Change wording to read: “Prior to issuance of any Land Use Permit, Conditional Use Permit or Variance within all districts, the onsite sewage treatment system must be verified for compliance. Exceptions to this requirement include construction, repair, or modification of certain buildings or structures, which are not used for human habitation and do not generate wastewater, that are located in the Rural Conservation Residential and Rural Residential Districts on properties ten (10) acres in size or greater or on properties less than ten (10) acres in size where the applicant possesses contiguous parcel(s) of land greater than forty (40) acres in size, and where any septic system(s) on the property have been determined to be compliant by inspection within the last twenty (20) years. If the inspection requires the upgrade or replacement of any portion of the system, a design must be submitted to the Township and SSTS permit obtained in order to obtain a Land Use permit, Conditional Use Permit, or Variance. The inspection may be delayed if the permit application is made during the period when a compliance inspection is not able to be completed due to winter conditions. A Land Use Permit may not be able to be issued until a Certificate of Compliance is issued. A compliance inspection must be performed and submitted before the following June 1.
O. Animal Feedlot Regulations.
Dokken-McFann, seconded by Steinbrecher, made a motion to table the discussion and have Oleson conduct further research regarding the possible rezoning of the RCR district to Ag, capping the number of animal units and, in regard to septic systems, a more in-depth explanation of the management plans.
Adjournment: Being no further business Steinbrecher, seconded by Haar, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:51 p.m.
Respectfully submitted…
___________________________________
Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ___________, 2020
___________________________________
Larry Steidl, Chairman