Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of 3-03-08
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 3rd Day of March 2008 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were Bryon Alstead, Joel Dahlheimer, Louis Ross, Jim Casper, and Roger Thalman. Also present were Clerk Gregg Raisanen and Mona Billmark, Treasurer. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Thalman at 7:30 PM.
Alstead, seconded by Ross, made a motion to adopt the agenda with the addition of snowplowing under Citizen Concerns. Motion carried unanimously.
Alstead, seconded by Ross, made a motion to approve the minutes of the February 20, 2008 regular board meeting as written, with Supervisor Casper abstaining. Motion carried.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Alstead, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 8072-8081 in the amount of $11,288.13 and net payroll in the amount of $2,365.81 for a total of $13,653.94 and a transfer of funds from savings in the amount of $11,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN CONCERNS: Snow Plowing – Supervisor Alstead asked about removal of snow around mailboxes. He had spoken with a resident this week that claimed he had to do the work around his mailbox himself. Clerk Raisanen reported that a few feet from the box is acceptable, as he felt the road maintenance contractor couldn’t get closer without damaging mailboxes.
PLANNNING AND ZONING: Zoning Administrator Oleson explained that at the February 25th planning commission meeting, two items were heard and subsequently tabled. The first item, Dennis Conn’s preliminary plat and conditional use applications (East Gate, a CIC plat no. 238, First Supplemental CIC Plat), were tabled to enable Mr. Conn to provide additional information concerning the stormwater plan.
Second item was Jeff and Lori Brede’s preliminary plat and conditional use permit (Brede Addition). This was tabled for additional information. At present they don’t know the status of the sewer system nor the location of the two sites required for each of the two lots. The Bredes have decided to wait until the ground thaws to do the soil samples.
Third item concerns the issue of sewer requirements for subdivisions in the expanded UR district. The Subdivision Ordinance currently states that sanitary sewer is required as a condition of all subdivisions located within public sanitary sewer district boundaries and the Urban Residential district. Some landowners in the newly expanded UR district who are considering subdividing their land has taken issue with this requirement due to the expense involved in hooking up to the sewer system. The planning commission is considering recommending that requiring hookup on a case by case basis. One their concerns are the desire to do better than the county has with regard to future platting. Oleson asked for the board’s comments. They discussed ghost platting possibilities. Oleson brought up a discrepancy wherein the ordinance says you have to hook up to the sewer system, but what if the property is NOT within the sewer district? Chairman Thalman stated that the township would have to formally petition ALASD to expand the ALASD boundaries within the township. Oleson reported that to work out the ghost platting issue, the biggest challenge is being able to figure out where future roads would go. The township could require easements rather than dedicated right-of-ways. The township needs to find an efficient way of handling these types of issues. Oleson will do more research, bring it to the planning commission, and then back to the town board.
The board discussed changes in CGI’s phone system. CGI implemented a new phone system wherein their Alexandria calls are automatically picked up by Brainerd personnel and then routed. Their intent is to be more efficient and provide a quicker response. Chairman Thalman raised the concern that people do not want to be transferred two or three times. Oleson assured the board that the number of calls coming through their Brainerd switchboard would be minimal as the majority of inquiries come through the Township office.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn stated that the costs for the Queens Road did not change. Each individual assessment would be assessed at $4,040.45 each. The board recommended to include Maple Drive and Queens Road altogether as one project. Out of $113,000 assessable costs, $17,000 is for Maple Drive. Question ensued re inclusion of Maple Drive portion. The clerk said whether it was included or not, the cost to the landowners would be approximately the same since additional parcels are assessed on Maple Drive. Ross, second by Casper, moved to adopt Resolution No. 08-04, Resolution receiving report and calling for improvement. Roll: 5 for, 0 against. Motion carried unanimously. Hearing is scheduled for March 31, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the township conference room.
OLD BUSINESS: Animal ordinance amendment. Attorney Michelle Clark had provided the board with a draft of an amendment, which included the language of “kennel”, with a kennel being subject to interpretation as either pertaining to a commercial business or residential. There are fees associated with licensing of kennels. With licensing, the board has the option of waiving the fees. Supervisor Casper inquired about requiring a Conditional use permit, which would allow for a public hearing. The consensus of the board was that a CUP should not be required since a CUP is transferred with the land. Supervisor Casper feels that there should be notice to the neighbors so they are aware that a kennel is being considered and then they would have a say in the matter. Does the Board have the authority to stipulate conditions on a kennel? Supervisor Casper does not want to have an “unlimited” number of animals. He also wants to differentiate between a commercial kennel and a residential kennel and have a set of “definitions” included. The public hearing is scheduled for March 31st, 6:30 p.m., township conference room.
NEW BUSINESS:
Clerk Raisanen provided a quote for township office improvement: Central Office Solutions has quoted a price of $1,595.15, which would include additional work surfaces and storage units on the wall. He also stated that additional outlets and a data line would need to be installed. WSN will contract to have the electrical work done with the understanding that the township would remit payment for it. Alstead, seconded by Dahlheimer, moved to accept the quote by Central Office Solutions and the electrical work to be performed. Motion passed unanimously.
2007 BOARD OF AUDIT: Clerk Raisanen provided the board copies of the 2007 audited financial statements that were completed by Chris Mitchell. Total Assets of Alexandria Township at the end of 2007 were $718,571. The township fund balance at the end of 2007 increased by $140,299 to a total of $538,509. Individual funds at the end of the year were as follows: General fund: $121,271, Road and Bridge: $22,677, Snow and Weed: $67,224, ALASD: $30,098, Planning and Zoning: $6,224 and Blacktop $291,015. Total Revenue for 2007 was $1,051,745 compared to total expenditures of $911,446. Dahlheimer, seconded by Casper, made a motion to approve the audited 2007 financial statements for Alexandria Township. Supervisor Ross inquired in to what would be a recommended fund balance for the township. Clerk Raisanen responded that normally recommended guidelines would be between 6-9 months of an annual budget which would be between $500,000-$750,000 for Alexandria Township. Motion carried unanimously.
The board discussed agenda items for the annual meeting: Zoning Administrator Oleson will make a presentation for planning. The board discussed changing the town board meeting times. They decided to make a recommendation at the annual meeting for changing the time from 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. year-round. Supervisor Dahlheimer reminded the board that the AAEDC report is usually given at the annual meeting. Chairman Thalman stated that the elections would be held from 12 noon – 8 p.m. followed by the annual meeting.
Being no further business, Ross, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 8:40 PM.
Respectfully Submitted….. Approved this _____ day of________, 2008
_______________________________ ______________________________
Gregg Raisanen, Clerk Roger Thalman, Chairman