Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of April 3, 2023
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 3rd day of April, 2023 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway and via teleconference.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Jeff Oberg, Joel Dahlheimer, Rod Eldevik, Dennis Butz and Jerry Wright. Also present were Gregg Raisanen, Clerk, and Mona Billmark, Treasurer. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Clerk Raisanen at 6:00 p.m.
Clerk Raisanen called for nominations for chairman. Oberg nominated Rod Eldevik for chairman. Nominations ceased and a unanimous ballot was cast for Eldevik as chair. The meeting was turned over to Chairman Eldevik.
Chairman Eldevik called for nominations for vice-chairman. Oberg nominated Joel Dahlheimer for vice-chairman. Nominations ceased and a unanimous ballot was cast for Dahlheimer as vice-chairman.
Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of short course discussion under New Business. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Wright, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 3/20/2023 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Butz, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 23056 – 23062 in the amount of $26,406.98, net payroll of $4,550.80 totaling $30,957.78 with no transfer of funds from savings. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: none
PLANNING AND ZONING: Zoning Administrator Oleson reported he had received an inquiry regarding a structure on E. Geneva Road. They were wondering if it met the criteria for a shouse. He commented that it did not.
There was discussion concerning drainage issues on some E. Lake Geneva Road properties. Consensus of the town board is that this is a private matter. Supervisor Dahlheimer to relay the board’s decision to the landowners.
Oleson reported there has been an accumulation of asphalt at the end of Donway Drive. Consensus of the town board is to direct Oleson to notify the landowners that the asphalt needs to be removed promptly.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn reported Douglas County has expressed interest in taking over Liberty Road. They have requested the town acquire a 50’ easement where necessitated along Liberty Road from Co Rd 82 to Co Rd 73. Since the county is also interested in extending Liberty Road to Co Rd 20 (39th Ave. NE), they are requesting the town obtain 50’ easements north of Co Rd 73 to Co Rd 20 in anticipation of this extension.
Engineer Kuhn also noted that if the interchange for I-94 is established on Co Rd 17, the county would also request the town obtain 50’ easements along 50th Avenue. Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to authorize acquiring highway right-of-way permanent easements along Liberty Road from Co Rd 82 to Co Rd 73 and, if warranted, to Co Rd 20. Motion carried unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS: Supervisor Dahlheimer reported he had spoken with the affected landowners regarding the Burgen Heights drainage issue. They were not in unison on how to proceed. Chairman Eldevik reported the town had agreed to a 3-way split to resolve the drainage issue: 1/3 township, 1/3 county and 1/3 landowners. Consensus to direct Engineer Kuhn to meet with the residents and draw up an agreement formalizing the 3-way split.
NEW BUSINESS:
- Economic Development Commission board appointment. Oberg, seconded by Wright, made a motion to appoint Joel Dahlheimer to a one-year term on the AAEDC board. Motion carried unanimously.
- Planning Commission appointments. Wright, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to appoint Julie Haar and Shad Steinbrecher each to a 3-year term expiring March 2026. Motion carried unanimously.
- Per Diem Rate. Eldevik called for a motion to set the 2023 per diem rate. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to have the per diem rate remain at $80/meeting with an additional $20/meeting for the chairman. Motion carried unanimously.
- Inspection Rate. Eldevik called for a motion to set the 2023 inspection rate. Oberg, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to have the inspection rate remain at $40/inspection. Motion carried unanimously.
- Incidental Labor Rate. Clerk Raisanen stated this is an hourly rate for non-staff employees. Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to have the incidental labor rate remain at $20/hr. Motion carried unanimously.
- Administrative Assistant Salary. Clerk Raisanen stated the current salary is set at $26.25/hr. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to increase the administrative assistant salary by 5%, to $27.56/hr. Motion carried unanimously.
- Treasurer’s / Clerk’s Salary. Wright, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to increase the treasurer’s and clerk’s salaries by 3%, to $865.20/month. Motion carried unanimously.
- Mileage Rate. Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adopt the IRS mileage reimbursement rate. Motion carried unanimously.
- Official Publication for Notices. Dahlheimer, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to designate the Echo Press and the township’s website as the township’s official site for legal notifications. Motion carried unanimously.
- Township Bank. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to designate Bremer Bank and Viking Bank as our depositor of funds. Motion carried unanimously.
- Township Attorney. Clerk Raisanen reported some townships are utilizing the services of Kennedy & Graven, a firm specializing in municipal law. He stated he has been in contact with Troy Gilchrist of their offices and Mr. Gilchrist has expressed interest in representing the township at a rate of $220/hr. Oberg, seconded by Butz, made a motion to designate Kennedy & Graven as legal counsel, with Troy Gilchrist serving as the township’s attorney at the rate of $220/hr. Motion carried unanimously.
- Weed Inspector. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to designate all town board supervisors as weed inspectors. Motion carried unanimously.
- Group Life Insurance. Consensus of the town board to have it remain at the silver level.
- Annual Road Inspection. Consensus of the town board to schedule the annual road inspection for Saturday, April 29th meeting at 8:30 a.m. at AJ’s shop.
Clerk Raisanen reported the township also needs to annually delegate someone to make electronic funds transfers. Wright, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to authorize the clerk and treasurer to conduct electronic funds transfers on the town’s behalf. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen reported he had been contacted by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) regarding a Joint Powers Agreement between the township and the BCA. Since the township has had no activity in eCharging or other BCA systems and it has not been used for any data queries, the BCA is inquiring if the township wishes to dissolve this agreement and retire the originating agency number (ORI) that had been assigned to the town. Wright, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to send a letter to the BCA retiring the ORI number for the township. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Eldevik provided an update on the short course he had attended.
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2023
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman