Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of December 16, 2013
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 16th day of December, 2013 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Bryon Alstead, Jul Feuling, Lyle Hammerschmidt, and Russell Niskanen. Also present was 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.
Hammerschmidt, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Feuling, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 12/02/2013 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Niskanen, seconded by Feuling, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 13274 – 13288 in the amount of $77,526.82, net payroll of $2,272.07, EFTPS $1,451.93, totaling $81,250.82 with a transfer of funds from savings in the amount of $81,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
Supervisor Dahlheimer joined the meeting.
PLANNING AND ZONING: The board discussed the proposed changes to the fee schedule to allow for refunds of fees after an application has been submitted if the applicant does not finish the project. After review, the board decided to leave the fee schedule as is with no refunds with the understanding that the applicant can appeal to the board on a case by case basis.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn reported that he will be submitting final pay estimates for the 2013 blacktop projects in the near future.
OLD BUSINESS: Clerk Raisanen reported that he and Chairman Alstead met with Douglas County Land and Resource Director Dave Rush and other county officials to discuss a possible collaboration with regard to the Zimmerman property off of Neewana Beach Rd. None of the county officials were interested in collaboration and indicated the buyer needed to be aware of potential issues when purchasing tax-forfeited property. Mr. Zimmerman indicated he had broached to the neighbors the possibility of purchasing the property, but at the time they were not interested. Supervisor Niskanen indicated he would be opposed to the purchase of the property by the township. Clerk Raisanen reported that Dave Rush suggested the township perhaps acquire an additional easement to attach this property to the existing road right of way. Mr. Zimmerman indicated there may be an opportunity to accomplish this with a possible gift to the township. Chairman Alstead and Clerk Raisanen will meet with the township attorney to discuss opportunities.
Clerk Raisanen reported that the board needed to adopt resolution 13-04, a resolution freezing township contributions to the administrative assistant’s HRA, to be in compliance with the Affordable Care Act. Niskanen, seconded by Feuling, made a motion to adopt resolution 13-04. For: Dahlheimer, Niskanen, Feuling, Hammerschmidt, Alstead. Motion carried unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS: Feuling, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to contract with Hometown Planning for Zoning Administrator services for 2014 at the same rate as last year. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen reported he had received a proposal from WSN for engineering services for 2014 with a slight increase in the hourly rate. Matt Hagstrom, from Hagstrom Engineering, was present and also submitted a proposal for engineering services. Mr. Hagstrom reported he had started his company in May 2013 and provided the board with a summary of his proposed scope of services. He gave the board a summary of his experience and proposed an hourly fee of $110/hr.
Alstead, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to contract with WSN for engineering services for 2014 at the proposed fee schedule. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen provided the board a copy of a proposed letter of intent to negotiate a lease agreement with HRA for a new office complex being proposed for the Old Broadway site. AAEDC is planning on relocating to this site if the project goes forward and has inquired if the township would also be interested in moving. The board directed Clerk Raisanen to find out more information about the proposed cost and also to discuss with WSN if they are willing to sign an extended lease for the township’s existing space.
Clerk Raisanen provided copies of Schedule 1 and the 2013 budget for the board’s review. Total receipts for 2013 were $1,072,901.22 and disbursements were $951,458.69 which resulted in an approximate increase in the fund balance by $120,000.00. Revenue exceeded the budget as a result of the orderly annexation payment from the city and blacktop expenditures exceeded the budget amount due to the 2013 overlay project. The rest of the line items were in line with the 2013 budget.
Being no further business, Feuling, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2014
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Bryon Alstead, Chairman