WILMA TOWNSHIP  BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021

Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Also present: Supervisor Mike McCullen and Gary Vink, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, Grader Operator Alden Shute, Kim Felton and Cindy Kleinschmidt. 

              Meeting Record:  Paul read the record of the December board meeting.  Mike moved to approve; Gary seconded.

            ROAD REPORT:  Alden plowed twice for snowfalls. He got the grader wing repaired with Gary’s help, but then the boom pulley pin broke so the wing went out.  He just got the part delivered, so he will be fixing it.   Alden asked Paul to double check his billing to Arna Township to be sure the two 18” x 30′ culverts were billed.  They were sold by Hinckley Trailer Sales and installed by Summerland gravel.  Paul will check.

            Dollar Lake Culvert:  Culvert has been damaged at the end.  Alden said he doesn’t know why there is a culvert there; Gary said there used to be flooding from beavers.  Alden will have it repaired in the spring.

            Backup Grader Operator:   Nick Mattson wants to be trained as backup grader operator. Alden will need to train him.  Nick has experience with big machinery.  Mike moved that we hire Nick as backup grader operator and to pay him the mechanic assistant wage ($16/hour) for his training hours with Alden, and regular grader operator rates ($25/hour) if he ever has to take the grader out.   Gary seconded; passed.

            Telcom Escrow:  This was on agenda but did not get discussed. Telecom has completed work on  65377 River Cabin Rd., Job: 20188286 They want a refund of their escrow; Paul asked Alden to inspect the road at that address.

            OLD BUSINESS:    Break-ins in Dairyland, WI:    Mike said they caught the perpetrator of a rash of break-ins in the Dairyland area in Wisconsin.  Gary said that Stew Holtz just south of Tamarack Pine Drive had someone drive into his place through the woods and steal a 3 wheeler and trailer.

            2020 MAT Educational Conference and Annual Meeting:   All sessions were virtual by Zoom for two days of meetings and trainings,  They sent handouts and power-points for every officer on the sessions: CTAS, Township Succession; Winter equipment; Workers’ Comp; Noxious Weeds; Cartways; Mediating Conflicts.  Paul said the training is very good and it is paid training, and that the videos of the sessions for clerks, treasurers, and supervisors are all online at the MAT website and he encouraged the officers to get the training.  Sessions are one hour long.  It will soon be time for the Spring short courses and they will likely be online also.

            NEW BUSINESS:    Elections:    Filing for March 9, 2121 Election:  Mike and Patrice both filed for re-election.  Paul asked if Stefanie Rahn and Gary Vink will judge; both were trained.  So far no one else has filed for the offices. Gary agreed. 5 – 8 p.m.

             Duxbury Store Cigarette License:  2021 cigarette license due for renewal. $10. Mike moved to renew it; Glen seconded.  Gary abstained.  Passed.

            PINE CO. ASSN. OF TOWNSHIPS/MAT DUES:  $339.57 due.  Glen said he can take the check tonight from Patrice.

            2021 Garbage Pickup Schedule:   Paul left copies in the hall and Glen said it will be posted on the website.

            Board of Audit for 2020 Books:  Glen moved to hold the Board of Audit before the February board meeting.  Paul and Patrice need to meet to coordinate and cross-check books before the audit.

             Treasurer’s Report and Claims:   Patrice could not download the new tax tables for 2021 so could not process the payroll.  She did complete the non-taxable claims, which totaled $1,604.02, for a transfer of $1,600. She will work on the download at home and have Glen and Paul come to sign the checks and will do another transfer.

 Report by Paul Raymond _________________________________

WILMA TOWNSHIP  BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

Unapproved Record

Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Also present: Supervisors Mike McCullen and Gary Vink, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, and Grader Operator Alden Shute.

              Meeting Record:  Paul read the record of the November board meeting.  Mike moved to approve; Gary seconded.

            ROAD REPORT:  Alden said he had nothing to report. He explained the billing for the road brushing, and that he had asked them to separate range line roads from other roads. The billing for this year was similar to the bill in 2016 when all the roads were last brushed, $4,800.    Bob Brewster had demanded an answer about ditch work  at the end of Pete Anderson Road on Arna’s side:  he wanted to know who ditched it and who authorized it? Alden spoke with him and explained it.  Paul just sent out the billing to Arna and New Dosey and Danforth for range line road work done in 202o.  Patrice said she just got the billing for the brushing so it will need to be billed later.

            Vehicle Blocking Mink Farm Drive:  Gary had to make repeated trips to the end of Mink Farm road for a car parked in the right of way that would prevent the grader from turning around, and even cars. He left notes.  Mike said we have the authority to tow cars if necessary to keep the roads accessible. Mike said to document incidents like this with the licence plate numbers.

            OLD BUSINESS:   Wilmatownship.com postings:    Paul asked if the board could add Deputy Clerk Stefanie Rahn as a site administrator to work directly with the Clerk and the Treasurer to post meeting records and notices and monthly financial reports expeditiously.  Mike said this is not a board issue.  We contract with a website developer and administrator and he decides who posts what and when.  Glen said he is trying to post things quickly and recent records went up quickly.  

            Broad band Internet:  At the November meeting, Patrick Story brought up the Border to Border Broadband Development Grant Program that was created  in 2014 with the legislative focus to provide state resources for new and existing providers to invest in building broadband infrastructure into unserved and underserved areas of the state. In the 2019 legislative session, $20 million was appropriated to DEED for each of the next two years.  The board authorized Paul to research this grant and if we could ask that some of it be used to extend or improve service in under-served areas in our township, like Pat. Paul did contact the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development to ask about their broadband grants. They said CenturyLink got a federal grant, not a DEED grant, and no one has applied to DEED for broadband expansion in our area.  Our only recourse would be to pay for it ourselves. Diane Wells wrote: “The township might want to consider working with either CenturyLink or whoever is the winning bidder in the new round of funding to see if there is a way to get the remaining areas of the township built out with broadband. We have examples of townships using bonding to help pay a provider to deploy broadband in those hard to serve areas where no provider can make the business case without outside funding.  (In some instances, that bonding was paired with state grant funding. However, the state grant program has been funded on a yearly basis and we likely won’t know until the 2021 session ends whether it will be funded again. And, given the budget constraints going in to session, funding for the state program cannot be assumed.) If there is interest by the township in a financial partnership with a broadband provider to get services constructed, our office can help facilitate those discussions.”

            2020 MAT Educational Conference and Annual Meeting:   All sessions were virtual by Zoom for two days of meetings and trainings:  Friday, November 20 Breakout Rooms  (CTAS, Township Succession; Winter equipment; Workers’ Comp; Noxious Weeds; Cartways; Mediating Conflicts). and  Saturday, where Gov. Walz was the featured speaker at the annual business meeting.  Videos of the sessions for clerks, treasurers, and supervisors are all online at the MAT website.  The board agreed to reimburse those who attended by Zoom at their hourly rate.  Mike asked Paul to see if he can get the handouts and power-points for the board.

            NEW BUSINESS:  Break-ins in Dairlyland, WI:   Glen and Mike got warnings from citizens in Wisconsin about a rash of break-ins in their area.  They have a video and photos of the suspect. 

            Elections: Glen moved to approve a resolution to designate the Wilma Town Hall as our polling place for 2021.  Mike seconded; passed.  Filing for March 9, 2121 Election:  Filing period is from December 29 – January 12, 2021.  Patrice and Mike are up for re-election in 2121.

            Death of Scott Quady:  Glen reported that one of our long time citizens, Scott Quady, died this past week and the board extends condolences.  Mike said the funeral will likely be in Buffalo, and with COVID it won’t be big.

             Treasurer’s Report and Claims:   Patrice gave the December treasurer’s report (attached).  Total bills for $3,296.82 and she wants to transfer $3,000 from savings to checking.   Mike moved to approve her report and to transfer the funds; Gary seconded.   Gary moved to adjourn; Mike seconded. Meeting adjourned 8:45 p.m.

 Report by Paul Raymond _________________________________

Attest:  Glen Williamson, Chair______________________________

WILMA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Unapproved Record

Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present: Supervisor Mike McCullen, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond, Grader Operator Alden Shute and Cindy Kleinschmidt from the Vink Road.

Meeting Record: Paul read the record of the October board meeting. Mike moved to approve; Glen seconded.

ROAD REPORT: The culvert on Pete Anderson is done and pit run was laid and leveled on the South Duncan Road. We had a complaint about a deep ditch on the Pete Anderson Road where a property owner couldn’t access his land. He put some pallets in the ditch for a bridge. Mike said the township does not do private culverts, but he needs to put a culvert in to make a driveway. Alden said it has to be laid at the bottom of the ditch and needs to be at least 20′ long and 12” wide if he plans to bring a trailer across. There isn’t good drainage there. Alden said to tell him the Hinckley Trailer Sales has culverts, but his best option is to hire Summerland to do it professionally. Paul will write to him.

OLD BUSINESS: Pine County Township Officers’ Meeting: Was Saturday, October 24 at at the Community Center in Hinckley. Decent turnout, considering COVID fears. 44 Township officers attended, plus speakers. Paul gave the supervisors a written report of the speakers.

^{NEW BUSINESS: WILMA TOWNSHIP SNOWPLOWING: 2020-21 snowplowing fees were due tonight, Nov. 4, 2020.}

^{General Election: Was yesterday, Tuesday, November 3, for President, Senator, and State representatives, judges, and County Commissioner. Wilma had 56 voters out of 61 registered voters. Paul, Patrice and Glen judged. Wilma totals for President: 35 Trump, 19 Biden; for Senator: Lewis 34, Smith 18; for District 8 Rep: Stauber 36, Nystrom 16; State Senator: Rarick 37, Lee 17; for state Representative: Nelson 38, Frechette 16; for County Commissioner: Lovgren 19, Chaffee 26. Terry Lovgren was elected Commissioner, and Stauber, Rarick and Nelson were all re-elected.}

^{Wilmatownship.com postings: Wilmatownship.com postings: The website moderator, Glen, was opposed to giving Paul access to Wilma Township website because he would post non related materials on the site, and without the approval of the town board.  Paul said he thought that Glen had agreed to add Deputy Clerk Stefanie Rahn as a site administrator to work directly with the Clerk and the Treasurer to post meeting records and notices and monthly financial reports expeditiously, but Glen said he did not say that. Paul said he would not, and that Glen would still have control and could delete anything he didn’t approve. Everything on the township website is already provided by Paul and no one else. Paul also sends out the unapproved minutes to those he thinks need it.. Paul does not charge an annual fee for providing all the material for the website. Mike said that’s part of the clerk’s job, but Paul said it is not. Paul gave a report on the website for this year showing that it sometimes took weeks from when he sent Glen the reports to when they finally appeared on the website. Glen said he has always posted the minutes in a timely manner and has been doing that since 2006.  Paul acknowledged that for years, he never checked the website and only recently started doing do. Paul said he has had complaints from citizens wondering where the records were and thinking it was the clerk’s fault that they did not get posted in a timely fashion. Glen said because Paul asked to be added that he will increase his rate to the town from $300, because he has not raised the web site rate for 14 years, because of his commitment to Wilma Township.  In fact, that was the original rate, when the website was set up in 2006.  Glen also pointed out that in 2006 the Supervisors rate has gone from $35 per meeting to $100 per meeting, but his website rate has stayed the same.  The reason he would have to charge more, is because the website would need to be modified to allow others to use the site, without destroying it. He said he should also get $10 a month for the internet like the clerk and treasurer do. Mike said that Gary has never approved the website and he also doesn’t see its value, but without Gary at the meeting, nothing can be done at this meeting and he moved to table the issue. Glen said Paul should contact Bob Brewster who does Arna’s website (ArnaTownship.org) and that he should compare his website work to his. Cindy Klienschmidt said her husband is an IT director and may have some advice.}  

^{Broad band Internet: Pat Story said the Border to Border Broadband Development Grant Program was created in 2014 with the legislative focus to provide state resources for new and existing providers to invest in building broadband infrastructure into unserved and underserved areas of the state. In the 2019 legislative session, $20 million was appropriated for each of the next two years. Pat said they supposedly contacted Wilma Township about this program, but no one on the board knew about it. Centurylink did put fiber-optic cable in part of our township, but they said they ran out of money to go further. Pat is served by a cable from River Cabin Road under a beaver pond and he has terrible speeds for internet. He asked if there is anything the township could do to get improved internet for him. Paul agreed to do some research and contact the Minnesota Economic Development to see if there is anything they can do for Pat. Paul also can contact Rep. Nathan Nelson and Sen. Jason Rarick.}

^{2020 MAT Educational Conference and Annual Meeting: All sessions will be virtual by Zoom for two days of meetings and trainings: Friday, November 20 Breakout Rooms, 4 pm to 7:30 pm, three rooms with three classes (CTAS, Township Succession; Winter equipment; Workers’ Comp; Noxious Weeds; Cartways; Mediating Conflicts). (Schedule in Fall Township Insider). Saturday, Gov. Walz, speaker; business meeting. No charge to participate with Zoom, but officers have to register online. MAT’s website, www.mndtownships.org will have links to register. Discussion of whether it should be paid as a half-day meeting or by the hour. Mike moved that anyone who joins the meeting be paid their hourly rate and are expected to take notes to give a report to the board.}

Treasurer’s Report and Claims: Patrice gave the November treasurer’s report (attached). Total bills for $5,260.22 and she wants to transfer $5,200 from savings to checking. Mike moved to approve her report and to transfer the funds; Glen seconded. Glen moved to adjourn; Mike seconded. Meeting adjourned 8:45 p.m.

Report by Paul Raymond _________________________________

Attest: Glen Williamson, Chair______________________________