Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of December 3, 2012
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 3rd day of December, 2012 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Bryon Alstead, 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.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of Douglas County Regional Planning Agency under New Business. Motion carried unanimously.
Niskanen, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 11/19/2012 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Niskanen, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 12266-12278 in the amount of $12,264.89, net payroll $4,352.04 totaling $16,616.93 with a transfer of funds from savings in the amount of $12,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: Geneva Estates streetlight. Area resident Donna Glebe was present inquiring as to the possibility of installing a streetlight midway on the south side of E. Lake Geneva Road, approximately between house numbers 847 and 850. She asked about the process for acquiring a streetlight and the ensuing financial responsibility. Clerk Raisanen stated that lights are typically installed at intersections and on corners where speed limits are greater than 30 mph. This is designated a rural residential road and is therefore posted at 30 mph. When the development originally went in, the development purchased non-standard lights and the township has assumed the maintenance. If the association wants to pursue the issue, the association would need to assume responsibility for purchase, installation, and maintenance of the streetlight.
PLANNING AND ZONING: JFRC. Zoning Administrator Oleson stated that he met with the MPCA onsite at Jacks Family Recycling. The MPCA will allow the owner, Ms. Hodges, to continue receiving electronic devices from homeowners and process them. The MPCA has given her a timeline for removal of backlogged e-waste by no later than Sept. 2014. At present, JFRC is prohibited from being a big-waste collector. They will not be re-registered until they meet local requirements. Oleson listed three options: 1) revoke the CUP allowing collection of e-waste; 2) swap space, potentially screening more of the waste; or 3) do nothing. Consensus is to have Zoning Administrator Oleson, Supervisor Feuling and Chairman Alstead meet with Ms. Hodges to discuss options.
Dog grooming business. Oleson stated he has confirmed this business is still operating out of the same location. The owners have been advised by both the township and the township’s attorney to apply for an interim use permit. To date, there has been no response. Consensus is to have the clerk notify the township attorney to proceed with prosecution.
Oleson stated that the business Hwy 27 Auto Sales appears to be in violation of their CUP. They are limited to 15 vehicles. Upon cursory examination, there appear to be approximately 24 vehicles onsite. Consensus is to have Oleson send a letter notifying them they are in violation of their CUP.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Supervisors Dahlheimer and Niskanen, along with the township road maintenance contractor, met to identify priority one roads for snow removal. Motion by Dahlheimer, seconded by Niskanen, to identify 50th Avenue, South Lake Jessie Road, Maple Drive, Hope Road, Liberty Road, Neewana Beach Road and NE Lake Geneva Road as priority one roads. Motion carried unanimously. An updated snow removal policy will be discussed at the next meeting.
Blacktop budget: Clerk Raisanen stated that the town currently has $250,000 available in its blacktop budget. The two proposed road projects for 2013 would potentially wipe out this fund; therefore, his recommendation is to approve one of the two projects. The town board will review in the spring.
Engineer Kuhn discussed with Douglas County the intersections of County Road 82/Liberty Road and County Road 82/County Road 17. Part of that dialogue entailed the incorporation of left-turn lanes off 82. They also discussed the possibility of the township taking over County Road 85 a/k/a Crestwood Drive.
OLD BUSINESS: Animal Control. Alden Just will have a proposal ready for the next meeting.
NEW BUSINESS: Zoning Administrator services. Clerk Raisanen stated that Hometown Planning submitted a proposal and fee schedule for zoning administrator services for 2013 at a rate of $3,750/month. Motion by Niskanen, seconded by Dahlheimer, to accept the proposal from Hometown Planning for zoning administrator services for 2013. Motion carried unanimously.
Engineering services. Clerk Raisanen stated that Widseth, Smith, Nolting submitted a proposal and fee schedule to provide engineering services for 2013 with the township engineer’s rate at $134/hr. Motion by Alstead, seconded by Dahlheimer to accept the proposal from Widseth, Smith, Nolting for engineering services for 2013. Motion carried unanimously.
Absentee ballot location. Clerk Raisanen recommended designating the county auditor’s office as the township absentee ballot location. Motion by Alstead, seconded by Niskanen, to designate the county auditor’s office as the township absentee ballot location. Motion carried unanimously.
Absentee ballot board. Clerk Raisanen recommended designating himself, Darlene O’Brien, Verla Schwendemann, and the Douglas County auditor’s office as the absentee ballot board. Motion by Niskanen, seconded by Dahlheimer to designate the individuals aforementioned to the township’s absentee ballot board. Motion carried unanimously.
Zunker metal removal. Clerk Raisanen stated that he had received notification from the town’s attorney regarding the amount of material removed by Richard Zunker over the past year. Mr. Zunker removed 69.35 tons in 2012. He is required to remove 80 tons/year. Mr. Zunker had a credit from previous years, so he is still in compliance. All material is to be removed by fall 2014.
Chairman Alstead stated that the Douglas County Regional Planning Agency will be meeting this week to officially disband.
Being no further business, Niskanen, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:57 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2012
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Bryon Alstead, Chairman