Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of December 18, 2023
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 18th day of December, 2023 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway and via teleconference.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Joel Dahlheimer, Rod Eldevik, Dennis Butz, Jeff Oberg and Jerry Wright. Also, present was Gregg Raisanen, Clerk. Said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Eldevik at 6:00 p.m.
Wright, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to approve the agenda with the addition of fund transfer under New Business, ALASR public hearing, and site visit notification under Old Business. Motion carried unanimously.
Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 12/04/23 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Butz, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 23210 – 23222 in the amount of $90,684.21, EFTPS of $2,577.06 totaling $93,261.27 with a transfer from savings of $92,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: None
PLANNING AND ZONING: Township Zoning Administrator Oleson reported a landowner off of Crestwood Drive still has two cargo containers on his property in violation of the township ordinance. Oleson contacted the landowner, who indicated his intention is to keep them until February-March to store material for a home being constructed in Carlos Township. Cargo containers are permitted onsite in a temporary capacity during construction of a dwelling but not for storage of other items. Wright, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize Zoning Administrator Oleson to send the landowner a letter stating he has two weeks to remove the containers or face legal action. Motion carried unanimously.
Zoning Administrator Oleson provided an update on a property located along Co Rd 23 which has an abandoned mobile home and other items on the property. The board was in consensus to have Zoning Administrator Oleson send a letter to the landowner indicating they are in violation of the township’s junk ordinance.
Zoning Administrator Oleson reported a landowner requested permission to place 300 cubic yards of fill on a parcel on West Lake Jessie Road. Since this property is located in the shoreline district, a conditional use permit is required. The board was in consensus that the landowner needs to comply with the conditional use process even though the work probably will not be able to be completed until spring.
Oleson had no other Zoning Administrator items of business.
Engineer’s Report: None.
OLD BUSINESS: The board discussed the ALASR public hearing recently held on December 5, 2023. Supervisor Oberg inquired why he was not notified of the hearing. He was made aware of the hearing due to receiving calls from affected landowners. Supervisor Dahlheimer reported notices were sent to all affected landowners of the proposed sewer extension project. The proposed project is to extend sanitary sewer along Co Rd 81 and Co Rd 82 within Alexandria Township. This project would be paid by contributions from ALASR, ALASD, and the assessment of benefiting landowners. Supervisor Oberg expressed concern that the town board was not included in the public hearing process and that the proposed assessment of $30,000 per landowner was excessive. Chairman Eldevik and Clerk Raisanen explained that typically ALASR completes the feasibility report and conducts the public hearing with no direct involvement of the whole town board. Supervisor Dahlheimer is the Alexandria Township representative on the ALASR board and provides feedback to the board. The ALASR board took the recommendations of the Alexandria Township board to explore sewer extensions along Co Rd 81 and Co Rd 82 as part of this sewer extension project. Typically, the town board makes a recommendation to ALASR to extend the boundaries of the sewer district into new areas by resolution but doesn’t get involved in the actual project.
Supervisor Oberg questioned why the town board was not notified of a recent planning commission site visit as previously agreed upon. Clerk Raisanen will discuss with the administrative assistant.
NEW BUSINESS: Clerk Raisanen presented Resolution 23-10, a resolution designating the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as the Town General Election Date. At the annual town meeting in March 2023, a motion was approved to place the question on the ballot during the next township election. Clerk Raisanen reported that an orderly transition schedule needed to be approved before that question could be put on the ballot. This resolution outlines the transition schedule that would be followed if the question is approved at the March 12, 2024 election. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adopt Resolution 23-10. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen presented copies of Schedule 1, a statement of receipts, disbursements, and balances for 2023 and copies of the 2023 budget that was adopted. Total receipts to date are $1,103,682.50 vs expenditures of $1,008,269.90. Additional revenue expected before the end of the year is the road reimbursement from Douglas County of approximately $30,000. These numbers compare to a budgeted expenditure of $1,085,318 with a revenue estimate of $1,083,158. The Planning and Zoning fund was negative $18,008, and Clerk Raisanen recommended a transfer from the general fund. Oberg, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize the transfer of $30,000 from the general fund into the planning and zoning fund. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen reported the contract for planning and zoning services with Hometown Planning expires the end of the year. Hometown Planning has provided a proposed contract similar to last year’s contract with a 4.9% increase in cost for services. Dahlheimer, seconded by Wright, made a motion to contract with Hometown Planning for planning and zoning services for 2024 under the terms and conditions in the proposed contract for a fee of $4,670/month. Motion carried unanimously.
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Wright, made a motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2024
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman