Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of March 4, 2024
A Board of Adjustment hearing and a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 4th day of March, 2024 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 324 Broadway, and via teleconference.
ROLL CALL: Supervisors present were 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 Chairman Eldevik at 6:00 p.m.
Chairman Eldevik recessed the meeting to open the public hearing on the variance request submitted by Brock Leagjeld to allow a PUD consisting of 3 twin homes with 6 units and one single-family dwelling in the Urban Residential zoning district. The property is located off Liberty Road and Old Glory Drive.
Zoning Administrator Oleson reported the five lots were originally platted as part of the Geneva East plat. The applicant is proposing to re-plat these lots to accommodate 7 townhomes, consisting of 3 attached twin homes and one single townhome. A preliminary plat and conditional use permit are required as well as a variance. Oleson stated the planning commission held a hearing on the preliminary plat and CUP on February 26, 2024 and recommended approval with conditions. That recommendation will come before the town board at its March 18, 2024 meeting.
The purpose for this hearing is to consider a variance, which is necessitated since the combined size of the lot being re-subdivided totals 2.47 acres, which falls short of the 2.5 acre minimum lot size required for a PUD.
The applicant stated the application meets all other requirements except for the 2.5 acre requirement.
Chairman Eldevik opened the meeting to the public for comment. Hearing none, he closed the public hearing and reconvened the town board meeting at 6:06 PM.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 2/21/2024 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Butz, seconded by Dahlheimer, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 24047 – 24054 in the amount of $22,397.45, net payroll $5,971.03 totaling $28,368.48 and a transfer of funds from savings of $28,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: Wally Tischer stated he owns property along Co Rd 82 SE that abuts the City of Nelson. He is requested that the City of Nelson annex his property. Chairman Eldevik reported we have not received a formal request from the City of Nelson and therefore have no comment.
PLANNING AND ZONING: Oleson reported the planning commission recommended approval of the Leagjeld CUP and preliminary plat of Geneva Meadow Townhomes. That application will be considered by the town board at their next meeting. The variance request is to allow the creation of a planned unit development that is .03 acres short of the minimum required acreage of 2.5 acres. Wright, seconded by Butz, made a motion to approve the variance request with the condition listed in the staff report to allow the creation of a PUD that is .03 acres short of the 2.5-acre requirement. Motion carried unanimously.
Oleson reported the town has not resolved an ongoing enforcement issue related to a property along Co Rd 82 SE. Money had been put in escrow for a sewer update and transferred. The homeowner had indicated his intention to connect to ALASD public sewer but to date has not done so. Consensus to have the township attorney send a letter to the homeowner.
Oleson has been in contact with the landowner on Maple Drive who has two mobile homes parked on the property. The landowner claims he needs more time to sell them. They hope to complete the removal of the mobile homes by summer. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to require the mobile homes be fixed up and removed by June 1, 2024. Motion carried unanimously.
Oleson reported a resident has requested to put up a 100- or 200-gal fuel tank on his property. This request is not prohibited by ordinance; therefore, the landowner was advised to contact the MPCA for any regulations.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: none
OLD BUSINESS: Tom Anderson with Douglas County Public Works had previously asked if the town was interested in replacing a culvert under Crestwood Drive. Douglas County is proposing to install a culvert in a portion of the ditch and would desire to connect to the township culvert. Engineer Kuhn stated we could potentially line the 36” culvert at an estimated cost of $300/ft. Another option would be to use the culvert being stored at the county; however, it would require excavation of the road to install. Engineer Kuhn will obtain an estimate for the proposed work and discuss with Douglas County.
Clerk Raisanen presented Resolution 24-02, a resolution petitioning annexation of a portion of Alexandria Township by the Alexandria Lakes Area Sanitary District. ALASD needs to extend their boundaries to accommodate the County Road 82 SE project. Supervisor Dahlheimer asked if a picture of the annexation area was available. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adopt Resolution 24-02, a resolution petitioning annexation of a portion of Alexandria Township by the Alexandria Lakes Area Sanitary District. Roll: Butz, Dahlheimer, Wright, Eldevik – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen provided draft copies of the audited financial statements provided by the auditor. Total revenue for 2023 was $1,120,260.00 compared to expenditures of $1,007,441.00 which resulted in an increase of $112,819.00 to the fund balance which is at $1,751,695.00. The proposed budget for 2025 is $1,341,758.00, an increase of 10.6% compared to the 2024 budget. The fire protection contract with the city had a sizable increase due to the purchase of fire equipment by the fire department. Also, road and bridge and blacktop are increasing due to the need for additional improvements on township roads. To support this budget, a proposed 2024 levy in the amount of $997,657.00, to be acted upon at the upcoming township annual meeting, was discussed. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to forward the proposed 2024 levy in the amount of $997,657.00 to the voters at the annual meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS: Clerk Raisanen reported the winter road maintenance contract expires on March 31, 2024. Traditionally the township has advertised for quotes since the contracted work would be under $175K. Consensus to have the clerk advertise for summer road maintenance with quotes opened at the April 1, 2024 meeting.
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2024
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman