Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of April 16, 2012
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 16th day of April, 2012 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Bryon Alstead, Jul Feuling, Louis Ross, 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.
Feuling, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Niskanen, seconded by Ross, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 04/02/2012 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Feuling, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 12082 – 12093 in the amount of $9,656.58, EFTPS $807.64, totaling $10,926.53. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: Members of the Geneva Estates Homeowners Association were present to discuss drainage concerns in their area. Clerk Raisanen reported that he had met with Attorney Paul Johnson to discuss those drainage concerns. Attorney Johnson provided the opinion that the township does not have any legal responsibility regarding the drainage concerns since at the time of original platting, Douglas County approved the plat. In addition, even if the township has no legal requirement to do anything, Attorney Johnson recommended that the Board authorize work only if there is a public benefit or if the drainage issue is causing damage to township roads. Since this drainage issue is not causing any damage to public property or impacting lake water quality, it is deemed a private matter. Glen Persen addressed the board and asked if township approval would be required in the event the association installed some additional culverts on private property and created some berms. The board recommended that the association consult with Zoning Administrator Oleson to determine if any approval would be required. Engineer Kuhn recommended a drainage study be conducted to determine cause and effect of any proposed modifications to the drainage to ensure other landowners are not impacted by any improvements. The previous drainage map that was created for the township shows that water from the east side of Liberty Road enters that drainage through Geneva Estates. Mr. Persen inquired if there is any process to prevent future construction on the lots that are currently vacant. The board thought that once the development is platted, the owner has the right to build on the lot; however, the item will be researched further.
NEW BUSINESS: Jeff Patience, Alexandria Township’s AAEDC representative, was present to discuss the opportunity for Douglas County to join the Lakes Area Economic Development Authority (LAEDC). He reviewed the advantages of a county wide funding for economic development activity. Niskanen, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to approve Resolution 12-02, a resolution recommending that Douglas County join LAEDC. For: Niskanen, Feuling, Ross, Dahlheimer, Alstead. Against: None. Motion carried unanimously.
PLANNING AND ZONING: The board discussed weekly and daily rentals of single family residences. Zoning Administrator Oleson has had requests from a couple residents inquiring into regulations regarding this type of activity and if there were any restrictions. The board reviewed the summary of a previous case where Douglas County attempted to regulate this type of activity by requiring a conditional use permit. The court ruled that vacation rental of a single-family home was not prohibited by current ordinances. Therefore, since there was a recent court case allowing current rental of single family residences as resorts, the board was in consensus to recommend that Oleson communicate with the individuals who had made inquiries that this use would be allowed. They also directed the planning commission to recommend an amendment to the current ordinance to regulate future similar uses.
The board reviewed the current zoning ordinance regarding pervious pavers. The current ordinance does not allow credit for these pavers in the calculation of impervious surfaces. Supervisor Feuling had done some research and concluded that the current problem with allowing the pavers is the proper installation and maintenance of the pavers to permit water penetration. Feuling, seconded by Ross, made a recommendation that the planning commission review current types of pervious pavers and to consider credit in the future for their uses. Motion carried unanimously.
The board was in consensus that Zoning Administrator Oleson does not have to represent Alexandria Township at City of Alexandria DRT meetings unless it directly affects the township.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: The board discussed the road inspections. Ross, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize Engineer Kuhn to obtain quotes for 5,000 tons of class 5 gravel. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to obtain quotes for calcium chloride application for gravel roads. Motion carried unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS (Continued): Clerk Raisanen reported that the 2011 financial audit has been completed. Ross, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to designate Clerk Raisanen to review the 2011 financial audit before its release. Motion carried unanimously.
Being no further business, Feuling, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
______________________________________
Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2012
_______________________________________
Bryon Alstead, Chairman