Alexandria Township
Alexandria, Minnesota 56308
Minutes of the meeting of October 2, 2023
A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Alexandria Township was held on the 2nd day of October, 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, with Mona Billmark, Treasurer, attending remotely. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Eldevik at 6:00 p.m.
Butz, seconded by Dahlheimer, 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 9/18/23 regular board meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Dahlheimer, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to authorize payment of claims 23168 – 23173 in the amount of $12,275.56, net payroll $4,391.04 totaling $16,666.60 and a transfer from savings of $12,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
CITIZEN’S CONCERNS: none
PLANNING AND ZONING: Zoning Administrator Oleson reported he had conferred with Josh Weir of the Kennedy & Graven law firm regarding the Dropik situation. Mr. Weir, attending remotely, stated township options. The town can enforce the court order and the 2022 agreement with Billie Dropik and clean up the site. Cleanup costs can be certified on the tax statement. Mr. Weir was asked if there was an expiration on the court order. He responded no, since it is a 2019 permanent injunction. He was also asked if the town is required to give the landowner a 7-day notice each time of non-compliance, to which he responded yes.
Mr. Weir stated the town needs to provide a letter to the landowner with a date for inspection to document compliance and/or non-compliance, with 48 hours being a minimum. If violations are present, the town needs to give 7 days’ notice for compliance. If the town anticipates a volatile situation, they should request a sheriff’s deputy be present.
Consensus of the board is to take no action at this time and continue monitoring the property.
ENGINEER’S REPORT: Engineer Kuhn reported he has not finalized a revised road patching agreement with Ferguson Bros. He will present revised pricing for approval at the next meeting.
Engineer Kuhn will be working with our road contractor, Alden Just, on the manhole cover repairs.
Engineer Kuhn reported he will meet with Hudson Township on the joint grant application to rebuild and surface 50th Avenue.
OLD BUSINESS: Clerk Raisanen reported the township received a proposal from Carlson SV to perform our 2023 audit. We paid them $7,400 last year for this service. He and Treasurer Billmark have been satisfied with their work product. His recommendation is for the township to approve the proposal. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to contract with Carlson SV to perform the 2023 audit at $8,000.00. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen reported the township had advertised for winter road maintenance quotes twice in the Echo Press and the contractor bid notices. We received one proposal, from Alden Just Road Maintenance. All criteria requested in the RFP have been met. Quoted amounts were as follows: Grading roads with motor grader $130.00/hr; Plowing of snow with motor grader and truck $130.00/hr; Sanding of roads (cost of salt/sand not included) $112.00/hr; Sign installation, other maintenance $45.00/hr/worker with base fuel prices of $4.199 for off-road fuel and $4.399 for highway fuel with 12-cent increments @ $1.00/hr. fuel adjustment for $0.12/gal. increase in fuel prices. The clerk noted the contract was modified and the new contract provisions have been reviewed by our township attorney. The primary changes are: 1) we’ve specified that the contractor is responsible for employing two individuals to plow township roads when a snowfall event exceeds 3”; and 2) the township will guarantee the road contractor payment of 350 hours on an annual basis. If plowing exceeds this hourly amount, the township will pay the overage at the rate specified. Dahlheimer, seconded by Butz, made a motion to contract with Alden Just Road Maintenance for the period November 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024 at the quoted amounts. Motion carried unanimously.
Clerk Raisanen stated the Liberty Road informational meeting has been scheduled for October 30, 2023 at 5 p.m. at the college. A draft letter will be sent out to the board for consideration.
NEW BUSINESS:
Being no further business, Dahlheimer, seconded by Wright, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 6:36 p.m.
Respectfully submitted….
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Gregg Raisanen, Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ________, 2023
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Rod Eldevik, Chairman