Helena Township Board of Supervisors Regular Monthly Meeting

Transcription

1 Minutes of September 6, 2018 New Prague Fire & Ambulance Conference Center Call to Order Officers Present Vouchers Annual Meeting Others Present Minutes Maintenance Road Overseer Report Regular Monthly Meeting was called to order by Chairman Deutsch at 7:00 PM; Pledge of Allegiance said. Chairman Duane Deutsch, Supervisors John Wermerskirchen and Ed Nytes, Treasurer Pat Lambrecht, Deputy Treasurer Nathan Hutton, Road Overseer Darryl Perkins and Clerk DeAnn Croatt. Quarterly vouchers were reviewed prior to payment of the bills. The Annual Meeting was continued to September 6 th at 7:00 PM. Finalizing the levy was continued to Tuesday September 18, 2018 at 7:00 PM to be discussed and set at the September Work Shop. Jeff Klehr, Jodi Kubiszewski On a motion by Nytes/Wermerskirchen the August Regular Monthly Meeting Minutes were approved as presented; carried unanimously. 1. Roads are holding up nicely with all the rains; dustcoating is holding also. 2. Naylor was bladed on top of the hill because of the rain-washed areas; dustcoating is still effective. 3. Working on the slopes on 245 th 4. Carl Schoenbauer s damaged culvert was repaired; Clerk will invoice $508 to property owner. 1. Craig Svoboda is still dissatisfied with water on this land and will attend a township meeting when he s available to share more thoughts on the matter. 2. The first county-installed mailbox post was placed and property owner is well satisfied. 3. Chip sealing in SMBE is complete (by county contract) 4. Trees on Naylor were cut 5. Need to cut trees on Willow Lane; will view at Fall Road Viewing WCLD property owner (Fred Jenkins) asked about water in ditches; Perkins viewed and it appeared some rocks could be impeding the water flow; ditch was dry except by the rocks which were not placed by the township 7. Perkins will follow up with the trees on Baseline following the Fall Road Viewing; it is noted Cedar Lake Township does not have as aggressive of a brush spraying program and that could impact the tree and shrub growth along Baseline. The contractor is L & T Tree Service, Carver MN and the quote is $4,800 to be shared by Cedar Lake Township and Helena Township. In addition, Helena Township will incur $1,200 for work on a non-shared road. 8. Fall Road Viewing was set for September 11 th at 4:00 PM; meet at Deutsch s and Nytes will catch up if needed Old Business RSP2/3 Feasibility Study The officers reviewed the Real Estate Consulting Letter Report from Ethan Waytas, MAI, Appraiser and William R. Waytas, SRA, Appraiser with Nagell Appraisal Incorporated out of Plymouth MN. The scope of the project was to provide an estimate of the increase in market value for each lot once the road is reconstructed. After discussion and consensus, and on a motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes the assessment to each of the parcels in RSP2 will be no greater than $4,000 plus an additional $150 for mailbox post replacement by Scott

2 County, and the assessment to each of the parcels in RSP3 will be no greater than $5,000 plus an additional $150 for mailbox post replacement by Scott County; carried unanimously. Clerk will submit information to Attorney Ruppe and Engineer Nelson to be incorporated into the Feasibility Report for the October 11 th hearing. Hutton prepared an estimate of funds in the Road and Bridge account and in the Reconstruction account to help the board determine financing options. Willow Lane The storm-damaged tree on Willow Lane will be viewed during the Annual Fall Road Viewing. Although the residents have expressed concerns that the tree be allowed to remain in the cul-de-sac, there are concerns about the health of the tree (see picture). New Business Snow Plowing Contract SCALE State Courts District 4 Couri & Ruppe County Parks Receipts and Treasurer s Report Because the township now requires the county-installed swing-away mailbox post, the Clerk was directed on a motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes to update the contract and send to the contractor prior to winter conditions; carried unanimously. Clerk will prepare for review at the September 18 th Work Shop. Wermerskirchen reported on the recent SCALE meeting. The city of New Prague was highlighted; City Administrator Mike Johnson was the presenter. Johnson discussed: 1. Improvements to Highway 19 in Ball Park renovations for the State Tournament at a cost of $900k 3. Changes in the management of the aquatic center as it merges with Mayo s Fitness Center 4. New Senior Highrise in the LeSueur side of Hwy 19 Clerk will submit contact information as requested to the Minnesota Judicial Branch First Judicial District Administration for the distribution of monthly receipt journal report. Deutsch, Lambrecht and Croatt provided a report on the District 4 meeting, noting a summary was also provided at the end of the August Minutes. The 2019 rates for Couri & Ruppe, PLLP are $200/hour for general legal work and $220/hour for development work. The township was notified of the county receiving funding for a special parks project. Township involvement will be to provide information on policies, plans and ordinances. The Treasurer s Report was accepted as presented on a motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes; carried unanimously. 8/2/2018 $ 2.00 Nathan Hutton Filing Fee 8/2/2018 $ 2.00 Edward Nytes Filing Fee 8/2/2018 $ 2.00 John Wermerskirchen Filing Fee 8/2/2018 $ GMG Culvert Damage 8/2/2018 $ Siwek Lumber Temp Driveway 8/31/2018 $ First Bank & Trust Interest 8/31/2018 $ Riverland Interest 8/18/2018 $ Scott County (DNR) Payment in lieu of taxes

3 Bills Paid Bills # were paid on a motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes; carried unanimously /17/2018 $ 200, Riverland Bank Open Savings Account /6/2018 $ 8, Klehr Grading Naylor/Pexa culverts/grading /6/2018 $ 1, TJ Deutsch Mowing /6/2018 $ Steve Rynda Const RSP2 Park Mowing /6/2018 $ Homeland Builders Driveway Refund /6/2018 $ SW News Media Filing Notice /6/2018 $ Scott County Treasurer Post for Baseline /6/2018 $ 1, Couri & Ruppe, PLLP RSP2&3 Appraisal Letter Officers & Employee Wages, Meetings, 5803/5807 9/6/2018 $ 11, Quarterly Payroll Reimbursements /6/2018 $ 1, PERA DCP /6/2018 $ 3, US Treasury Withholding and Match /6/2018 $ MN Dept. of Revenue Withholding and Match Building Permits Junk Complaint Cert. of Ins. Meeting Continued 1. Addition on Naylor for Lambrecht 2. Basement finishing on Hunter Ridge Circle for Hansen 3. Deck on Baseline for Asde 4. Deck on 245 th Street West for Kadelbach 5. Demolition on 240 th Street West for Welch 6. Solar panel on Hunter Ridge Circle for Breeggemann 7. Fireplace on Naylor for Novak 8. Shed on WCLD for Zabka 9. Remodeling on Aberdeen for Balfanz 10. HVAC on Redwing for Gesme 11. HVAC on 225 th Street West for Kes 12. HVAC on Lavonne for CTW Group 13. Septic replacement on 223 rd Street West for Kehrer A resident along 229 th Street West again called the Clerk to complain about vehicles, semis, weeds and tires at Redwing Avenue. Deutsch viewed the property and determine there were no violations. The resident will report the property to Scott County. 1. L & T Tree Services, LLC 2. Enchanted Forest, Inc. The meeting was continued to: 1. Monday September 10 th for a 6:30 PM meeting with Scott County and Belle Plaine Township related to zoning; will meet at Clancy s in Jordan to carpool at 6:00 PM; then to: 2. Tuesday September 11 th at 4:00 PM to view roads (Supervisors and Road Overseer); will meet at Deutsch s; then to: 3. Tuesday September 18 th at the New Prague Fire Hall for a Work Shop at 7 PM; then to: 4. Wednesday September 19 th at Spring Lake Town Hall for the Scott County Township Association Fall Meeting at 6:30 PM

4 Scott County Planning Meeting with Belle Plaine Township On Monday September 10 th at 6:30 PM Helena and Belle Plaine Townships met with county staff to discuss zoning in the southern portion of the township. Present from Helena: Deutsch, Nytes, Wermerskirchen and Croatt. Also present: Commissioner Barb Weckman Brekke Brad Davis led the discussion and allowed for comments from commissioners, residents and officers. Following a thorough discussion related to Cedar Lake, the focus was Helena and Belle Plaine Townships. Davis said the criteria followed was related to population, the impact on agriculture, roads and infrastructure, and policy. Davis concerns were to preserve agricultural land, the impact of feedlots and the direction from Met Council to remain 1:40 in the most rural areas of the county. The Belle Plaine board is divided on whether to request zoning from Agricultural Preservation to Transition Area. Schmitz favors the change; Stier opposes; Slack is unsure. Because Schmitz and Slack are retiring from the board at the end of 2018, they hesitate to make a recommendation which will impact residents for decades. Deutsch spoke on behalf of Helena and made the following points: 1. Helena supports cluster development; the township has a few and they fit well into the overall zoning. With cluster development, the remaining land may continue to be farmed 2. If zoning allowed more development around wetlands and non-hydric soils, it would make better use of the non-ag land 3. An important component is to be uniform throughout the township. The majority of Helena is Transition, except properties close to the city of New Prague. There is only a small portion in the southwest corner of the township in Ag Preserve. That limits options for retiring farmers. 4. The township charges $3k/lot for developments, which helps fund expenses related to population growth 5. All development built after 1990 in Helena have 9-ton roads; this ensures road integrity 6. Townships must set realistic levies; townships do not receive financial support from other levels of government Some interesting points: 1. Credit River, Spring Lake and New Market are 1: Studies have shown that water quality improves when land goes from ag production to residential 3. Randy Kubes was present to speak in favor of cluster development 4. Cedar Lake Township will include a cluster development question on their November ballot 5. Clerk will resubmit the April comments to Davis from Helena Township Work Shop On Tuesday September 18 th at 7 PM the Work Shop was called to order by Chair Deutsch. Present: Deutsch, Nytes, Wermerskirchen, Perkins and Croatt. Perkins reported meeting with Andrew to view weeds and brush on 270 th Street West and on Stevens; work is scheduled for this fall. Columbus will be done in conjunction with other projects when Klehr has a backhoe in the general area. Baseline tree trimming will be done within three weeks. Helena will pay the invoice and bill Cedar Lake for their portion of Baseline. Deutsch reviewed a request by Pete Beckius, SWCD, for a release of an easement which will no longer be needed when the wetland project is done. Beckius will provide documents to the Clerk; Township will have Attorney Ruppe and Engineer Nelson review prior to action.

5 Trewartha solar project s dead trees were reported to Marty Schmitz and Greg Wagner, who will engage Code Compliance Officer Dan Eckholm. The Feasibility Reports for RSP2 and RSP3 were reviewed and the timeline discussed. Clerk will prepare a PPT presentation for the October 11 th hearings. Attorney Ruppe will mail notices to the property owners; Clerk will publish in the Times and JI. Klehr will work on the waterway project in RSP2 by the Blue property yet this fall. Fall Road Viewing went well. Klehr will follow up on ditch work on 245 th and will mark the end of the culvert with a stake. Brush issues will be done by Andrew and trees on 270 th will be trimmed. Clerk submitted additional comments related to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan as discussed in the summary from the September 10 th meeting (above). Clerk will ask Johnson s for a quote for snowplowing for the season [sent 9/19]. The Annual Meeting was reconvened to finalize the 2019 levy. After discussion of the current balances and the budget for 2019, the levy was set on a motion by Deutsch/Nytes; carried unanimously. General $ 90,000 Road & Bridge (includes $50k reconst) $ 250,000 New Prague Fire $ 72,000 Jordan Fire $ 25,000 Total Levy $ 437,000 Officers will as Treasurer to keep a running summary for the Reconstruction, New Prague Fire and Jordan Fire, similar to the General and Road and Bridge summaries as they are helpful in determining how the township is doing YTD. Clerk will certify the levy with Scott County [sent 9/19]. A Certificate of Insurance was received from Greater MN Gas. The updated Utility Permit was provided to Perkins. After a review of the Memorandum of Understanding by Scott County Cooperative Weed Management Area Partners and on a motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes the memorandum was approved; carried unanimously. Wermerskirchen is working with Croatt on shelving units for the Storage Facility; also recommended purchasing a Master combination padlock. Clerk approved the Helena Township portion of the ballot for November 6 th General Election. Clerk explained added responsibilities related to Green Acres and Ag Preserve properties as it relates to special assessments; this historically was a responsibility of Scott County. SCTA On Wednesday September 19 th the Fall Meeting of the Scott County Township Association was held at the Spring Lake Town Hall at 6:30 PM. Present from Helena: Deutsch, Nytes, Wermerskirchen, Lambrecht and Croatt Gary Burdorff, MAT Dist. 4 Director, summarized the process for hiring David Hahn as the new ED.

6 Wermerskirchen will represent the SCTA at SCALE Training Facility Meetings. Officer Arras introduced himself; he is a candidate for Scott County Sheriff. Commissioner Brekke addressed the group via a written statement and related to road turnbacks, the hiring process for a new County Administrator, low unemployment s affect at Scott County, and the Resilient Communities Project. Retiring Lambrecht was recognized for her 31+ years as Helena s Treasurer Adjournment On a motion by Wermerskirchen/Deutsch the meeting was adjourned Sine Dei ; carried unanimously. Duane Deutsch, Chairman DeAnn Croatt, Clerk