Chairman Mike McCullen called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present: Supervisors Glen Williamson and Alden Shute, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, Road Manager Alden Shute, and Dylan Linet. Dylan introduced himself: “I am looking at buying the for sale 40ac parcel just north of Duxbury on Duncan Rd to build a cabin that I would eventually move in to. I also want my friends and family to be able to build cabins on my land if they want to down the line.”
Clerk’s Report of September 6 Board Meeting. Alden wanted the record corrected; he said he did not second a motion for Paul to paint the plow this fall; he thought we would do it next year. Paul read the record: “Mike moved that Paul get paint to put the base coat on the plow. Alden seconded, passed. Paul said tractor yellow with blue lettering would look good.” Alden said he had said slate/silver gray would be a good color, like the county plow. No motion was made on the color, or for Paul to paint the plow once he bought the paint. Paul apologized and said he did not hear Alden say this, but no one objected when he suggested safety yellow with blue lettering. As ammended, Alden moved to accept the report; Glen seconded; passed.
Road Report: The roads have been too muddy to properly grade them, but Alden has done about 1/3 of the roads and will do the rest before winter. Hopkins trimmed the branches on Crooked Lake Road, and Rootke will brush all of our roads in a couple of weeks. Hopkins removed most of the cut debris from ditches.
OLD BUSINESS: Plow Display: Alden will soon place the plows on blocks turn the angle plow to face the driveway, and then put down gravel inside a framework. Mike will trim the two low branches on the trees on road. Paul will do another coat of paint on the plow. He asked if one wing could say Duxbury VFD. The board said no. Paul said the old fire hall doors had Duxbury Volunteer Fire Department painted on them, and he wants to paint them again. There is now no sign or identification for our fire department and people get confused and go to the Eagle Head Station that does have a sign. Patrice said the fire department will pay for painting the doors, not the town.
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NEW BUSINESS: Snowplowing for Private Drives in 2023: Alden said that next year he would like the deadline to sign up be the first meeting in October, not November. Glen so moved; Mike seconded; passed. Paul will post notice of the rate increase and due date. It is already on the website.
PERA Enrollment: Alden (or any officer who is also an employee) will have to enroll in PERA if he has a claim of $425 in any month, and the town will also have to contribute. So far he has not reached this threshhold. Paul will research how to enroll and how much is deducted and how much the township pays.
VOTER Funding for Elections: Wilma will get $7.43 but will have to file paperwork. Mike moved that we donate this to the county. Alden seconded; passed. Mike and Paul signed the agreement.
Minnesota Association of Township’s Legislative & Research Committee meeting: Was today, by Zoom. Resolutions relevant to Wilma that were passed: County asssessors will no longer able to challenge the decisions of the township Board of Appeal. All of these resolutions passed: Appeals to the Board of Equalizationj can be made only by the landowner, and not by others. Forbid cities to annex township land without the township’s approval. Oppose increase in truck weight limits that could damage township roads. Change the rules for how county appraisers determine property values by requiring multiple year averages be used instead of the current year which may have huge sales spikes. Propose an increase in the income level before owners lose homesteading credit.
Designate ARPA Funds: We will need to designate how we will spend our ARPA funds by Dec 31, 2024 and spend it all by Dec 31, 2026. Almost everything can be funded, included roads.
Clerk/Treasurer CTAS Training: Paul and Patrice attended the “4-Corners” training for Clerks and Treasurers in St. Cloud on September 25. Materials will be given to Deputy Clerk Cindy Kleinschmidt. She will download CTAS and bring it up to date so if necessary, she can take over from the clerk.
MAT 2023 Annual Conference: Will be December 7 – 9 at the Rivers’ Edge Conference Center in St. Cloud. The Pine Co. Township Officers Association will not offer scholarships as they did before COVID because Wilma Township is usually the only county township to attend the conferences.
Town Hall Deck, Plow, and Pressure-wash Hall: Paul pressure-washed the town hall for the spider webs and dirt and will touch up areas where paint peeled. Mike moved that Paul buy a small can of white paint. Adlen seconded; passed. He presssure -washed the plow to blast the rust off. Paul stained and put preservative on the town hall ramp and rear stairs. The back door lock still does not work. Glen moved and Alden seconded to have Paul buy a new door knob and enough keys for all the board members; plus copies of the front door key for all board members. Passed. The fire hall will have a separate key which is in the lockbox. Paul also vacuumed the huge amount of flies and lady bugs in the hall.
Couri&Ruppe Legal Seminar: Was Saturday, September 16 in Rutledge. Paul and Mike attended. Legal books with all the powerpoints provided to Glen, Alden and Patrice. 9-4. Patrice wasn’t interested so Paul will give her copy to the Deputy Clerk.
Assessment Training: Online training for boards of appeal and equalization is available from MAT. “Follow the instructions on the Board of Appeal and Equalization Training website and follow the instructions. If you close out of the course before certifying your completion, you will need to retake the course. This new format does not save your progress so you must complete it, or you’ll need to start over.” Glen is certified to July, 2026. Mike and Alden not certified. We have a computer in the hall with internet access for Mike to use.
Treasurer’s Report and Claims: Total bills for Octoberr, $18,028.37, mostly from Hesseniuf Excavating and Hopkins Gravel. Glen moved to approve her report and transfer $18,000 from savings to checking. Alden seconded; Passed.
Glen moved to adjourn; Alden seconded; passed. Meeting adjourned at 9:00
Paul Raymond, Clerk