December 13, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 by Chair Scott Mead.

Attendance:

Supervisors Scott Mead, Lee Kaplan and Don Swanstrom; and Treasurer Kim Hand
Number of residents present – 5. Nonresidents – 1

Clerk’s Report

The minutes from the November meeting were approved following a motion by Don and a second by Lee. Motion approved, 3-0

Treasurer’s Report

$238,770.92 – Cash on hand as of Oct. 31
$20,083.83 – Deposits
$1,548.17 – Expenditures
$257,305.98 – Cash on hand as of Nov. 30,

Motion by Scott, seconded by Don, to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Motion carried, 3-0.

Old Business

• Township property. Lee will contact Beth Peterson, Southern St. Louis County Soil and Water District, to have her prepare a proposal and contract regarding her liaison with the county on necessary permits to access the property off Rossini and other coordination with the county as necessary, coordination of the work of Waste Wood Recyclers who will be clearing/logging the property, marking of the eastern boundaries of the township land, and a conservsation plan for future  plantings.

• Discussion of the contract with Waste Wood Recyclers. It was recommended that an end date be added to the contract to make sure the work is done.

•  Township Road. The county has required that work be done on West Branch Road to facilitate its plowing of the road. It has agreed to plow this year but said the work must be done by next winter. Scott will contact possible contractors to see if he can get a cost for the removal of various banks along certain parts of the road to prevent the plowed snow from falling back on the road and also to expand the turn around at the north end of West Branch Road. The cost is needed in time for the annual meeting in March and discussion of the annual levy.

• Treasurer’s Position. Residents will be notified that the position of treasurer is open for the upcoming term through an email/mailed letter right after Jan. 1  A job description of the position will  be attached. If there is not a qualified candidate, Option B will be voted on at the annual meeting which allows the township to appoint a treasurer. There is a treasurer in another township who has agreed to serve if no resident can. The job description is also posted on the township website.

New Business

• Don agreed to be the Weed Inspector. The State has required that the township complete  a weed control report and appoint a weed inspector regarding noxious or hazardous weeds.

• Scott reported on his attendance at the annual Minnesota Township Association meeting on broadband internet on Nov. 18.

• Scott read a letter to be sent to the St. Louis County Commissioners stating the township’s support of Normanna Township’s land use plan. Scott made a motion to approve the letter. Lee seconded. Motion passed.

• January agenda – items for inclusion should be sent to Kim Hand in the absence of clerk Lita Wallace.

Claims and Payroll

• Check numbers: 1097 to 1110. in the total amount of $2,271.51

Next meeting: January 10 at 7:30 a.m., Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road

Motion of Adjourn meeting by Scott, second by Don. Motion passed, 3-0.  Meeting adjourned at 8:35.

Minutes submitted by Judy Strom.

November 1, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chair Scott Mead.

Attendance:

  • Supervisors Scott Mead and Don Swanstrom; Treasurer Kim Hand; and Clerk Lita Wallace
  • Number of resident/s present – 3; Number of non-resident/s present – 1; guest Beth Peterson from St. Louis County

Clerk’s Report – The minutes from October meeting motioned for approval by Don, seconded by Scott, motion carried. (Don yay, Scott yay)

Treasurer’s Report

$255,926.34 — Total cash on hand as of 9/30/2016
$      3,449.60  — Add: Deposits
$    20,605.02 — Less: Expenditures (includes $19,870.00 Firewise charges)
$238,770.92       Total cash on hand as of 10/31/2016

Motion by Scott, second by Don, motion carried (Scott yay, Don yay.)

Old Business

  • Logging in township property – Contract for logging with Wastewood Recyclers is in process. Discussion: (1) use chipped wood to cover the walking path; (2) put signs that says “No motorized vehicle” to prevent ATV’s from driving in the land; (3) on the contract, list items that the township wanted done such as: (a) keeping pines, spruce, maple and smaller birch trees; (b) cut everything else – bigger birch, balsam and aspen; (c) charge $1.00 to make it a legal contract; (d) put together a procedure working on the land to the north; (e) add an end date to the contract – full year or end of summer. Note: lead person and rep of loggers – Beth Peterson, St. Louis County, Soil, Water and Conservation District
  • Action Plan for December meeting re-logging: finalize contract for timber sale; finalize conservation plan; acquire a driveway public access permit from St. Louis County Public Works to be able for loggers to access the logging area in the township land from Rossini Road; and contact Randy Roff of St. Louis County, to acquire access permit to the land owned by St. Louis County between Rossini Road and the township land for access to the logging area.
  • Discussion of road maintenance – the big issue is enlarging the turnaround by getting rid of the banks with plan of completing before winter 2017.
  • Treasurer Replacement – advertise in the Pequaywan Township and Pequaywan Association webpages; a resident interested in serving; inquire if the Treasurer in the nearby township would be interested in serving.
  • Reminder: General Election, November 8, 7am to 8pm, Pequaywan Firehall
  • Automark Public Accuracy Test – Sunday, November 6, 10:00 a.m.

New Business

  • Scott attended the St. Louis County Township Meeting in Cotton and reported that the meeting was comprised mostly of politicians introducing themselves within which none of them applies to our area.
  • Scott is planning to attend the Broadband part of the MAT Annual Meeting in St. Cloud on Friday, November 18 and is requesting if the township can pay for the $105.00 Registration Fee. He will cover transporation expense. Don motioned to approve, second by Scott, motion approved. (Don yay, Scott yay)

Correspondence

Received: Snowplow bill from St. Louis County in the amount of $1,006.25.

Public Comment – a resident is requesting if the township can be prepared to have a plan to answer questions for any township changes; i.e., dissolve township as was discussed at the last month’s meeting if a treasurer is not found or any other position in the township.

Claims and Payroll – Checks #1094-1096 in the total amount of $1,548.17.

Next Meeting:
December 13, 2016, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road

Motion to Adjourn at 8:35 p.m. by Scott, second by Don, motion carried. (Scott yay, Don yay)

Respectfully submitted by,
Lita Wallace, Town Clerk

October 11, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order by Chair Scott Mead at 7:30 p.m.

Attendance:

  • Supervisors Scott Mead, Lee Kaplan and Don Swanstrom; Treasurer Kim Hand; and Clerk Lita Wallace
  • Number of residents present – 7
  • Number of non-residents present – 0

Clerk’s Report – Copies of  September minutes were  provided to attendees. Motion by Lee, second by Don with correction to change day of November meeting from Monday to Tuesday, motion carried  (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Treasurer’s Report

$259,739.06 — Total cash on hand as of 8/31/2016
$         220.61 — Add: Deposits
$     4,033.33 — Less: Expenditures
$255,926.34       Total cash on hand as of 9/30/2016

Motion by Scott, second by Don, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Old Business

  • Reminder: General Election, November 8, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Pequaywan Firehall
  • Financing options for major road repair: Determine the cost of the work for each portion of the project. Possibly get a loan from the Credit Union and/or increase the levy request for next year.
  • Solving the turnaround snowplow problem, as well as, not having enough room to push the snow. Possible ways to solve the problems: the embankment towards the lake can be filled in; and make the current turnaround area  on a resident’s property bigger.
  • Contingency Emergency Election and meeting location will be the Snowmobile Club building.
  • Firewise Update: chipping is done and the total cost was $19,870 plus other expenses which is on-budget, below the $20,000 grant. Paperworks will be processed and submitted with checks paid and a report of the residents’ hours. Reimbursement is expected within a month. The Firewise committee was very impressed at the participation of the residents.

New Business

  • Options for filling a vacant Treasurer position in 2017: (a) check with the community if they know someone who would be interested; (b) combine treasurer and clerk position, Option D, if clerk is interested (she is not); (c) if Kim decides to resign before the end of her term, appoint someone to replace her;  (d) dissolve the township if we can’t find someone to fill the position which could happen when we are not able to fill-in the supervisor position, as well. If township is dissolved, whatever funds left will go to St. Louis County to be used towards the repair of West Branch Road.

Correspondence

Received: St. Louis County Association of Townships meeting minutes for April 27, 2016 (approved) and May 25, 2016 (unapproved). Notice of General Election for posting from St. Louis County Election Department.

Claims and Payroll –  Check numbers 1088-1093 in the amount of $20,634.02.

Public Comment – None

Next Meeting: November 1, 2016, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road Duluth.

Motion to Adjourn at 8:20 p.m. by Scott, second by Lee, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Respectfully submitted,
Lita Wallace
Township Clerk

September 13, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order by Chair Scott Mead at 7:30 p.m.

Attendance:

  • Board members Scott Mead, Lee Kaplan and Don Swanstrom; Treasurer Kim Hand; and Clerk Lita Wallace
  • Number of residents present – 7
  • Number of non-residents present – 0

Clerk’s Report – Copies of August minutes were  provided to attendees. Motion by Don, second by Lee, motion carried  (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Treasurer’s Report

$254,525.06 — Total cash on hand as of 7/31/2016
$     6,835.75 — Add: Deposits
$     1,621.75 — Less: Expenditures
$259,739.06       Total cash on hand as of 8/31/2016

Motion by Don, second by Scott, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Old Business

  • West Branch Road easement and ongoing effort to repair it in preparation for the work the county will be doing in the next year or so – The potential buyer in the turnaround area as discussed in last month’s meeting was not happy with the second option to cut down trees. Continue working with St. Louis County for the work to be done in this road. Most likely, due to cost, class V materials will be used.
  • Firewise Program Update – The last run of the chipper is September 19 and plan to be finished 1st week in October. Fire signs have been distributed to residents. Directory will be worked on and finish in the fall.
  • Logging on the township property – contract expired mid-July. Scott made a phone call to them and sent a letter but the logging company did not respond. Scott inspected the area and reported that there are not a lot of salvageable timber in the land. A resident mentioned that the company was logging close to the area. Scott, Lee and Don went over to discuss what their plans are on logging on the township property. It was proposed to offer them the timber for free if they do a good job of cleaning and $6300 if not, which was the original contract.
  • Highway 44 Work Update –  8/10 of a mile will be worked on this month in part of Highway 44 north of the Fire Department where yellow sticks have been placed in the location.
  • Election Emergency Plan – If an emergency makes a polling place inoperable prior to election day, the governing official must identify an alternative polling location as near to the designated polling location as possible. A suggestion was made that the Snowmobile Club building would be a good substitute.

New Business

  • November Town Meeting – Due to the Tuesday, November  8, General Election which will run from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., the November Town Meeting will be moved to Tuesday, November 1, 7:30 p.m.

Correspondence

Received: Materials from St. Louis County Election Department re-Election Emergency Plan.

Claims and Payroll –  Check numbers 1079 to 1087 in the amount of $4,004.33

Public Comment –

Next Meeting: October 11, 2016, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road Duluth.

Motion to Adjourn at 8:07 p.m. by Lee, second by Scott+, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Respectfully submitted,

Lita Wallace
Township Clerk

August 9, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order by Chair Scott Mead at 8:30 p.m.

Attendance:

  • Board members Scott Mead, Lee Kaplan and Don Swanstrom; Treasurer Kim Hand; and Clerk Lita Wallace
  • Number of residents present – 5
  • Number of non-residents present – 0

Clerk’s Report – Motion by Scott, second by Lee, motion carried  (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Treasurer’s Report

$246,832.74 — Total cash on hand as of 6/30/2016
$     8,984.14 — Add: Deposits
$     1,291.82 — Less: Expenditures
$254,525.06 — Total cash on hand as of 7/31/2016

Motion by Don, second by Scott, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Old Business

  • DNR Development Plans for an access to Pequaywan Lake – the 30-foot property next to Gordon Ramsey’s property should have been put up for sale but the Department of Fisheries said that it could not be sold as it will be used as a leverage for public access.
  • West Branch Road Update – On July 20, Scott, Lee and Steve (of St. Louis County Public Works Department) looked at the area. The turnaround at the end of the road is not big enough for their equipment. The following are options: (1) Cut trees in the current turnaround property owned by Jim Stewart and will need his permission to do so; (2) Cut 15-foot wide x 50-foot long area of trees on the west side of the parcel to have plenty of room to push snow.
  • St. Louis County will not be working on Highway 44 of the township area until 2018 and work on West Branch Road will not be started until 2018 after Highway 44 is completed. At that time, we will piggy back on the project.
  • Logging on the township property – Contract expired mid-July. Scott called the logger on July 28 and again on August 5 but no return call. Lee suggested to send the logger an official letter of the contract expiration. Scott contacted DNR and he was given names to call to determine the value of the lumber.
  • FireWise – 192 property owners received their new reflective signs. The chipper finished West Branch Road, East Shore and came down Pine Road. The chipper broke down as a crowbar was left on the tree and damaged it which is now non-fixable. Enough volunteer hours to cover the $20,000 requirement have been met.
  • Review of the Northern Life Ranch Proposal – Per Tom Rukavina, Jon Trexel gave a presentation to the County Board. Any comments or complaints should be made in writing if the proposal is made before the planning commission. At the present time, it is not on the agenda for the planning commission.

New Business

Correspondence

Received: $350 Dividend check under Workers’ Compensation Program from Minnesota Association of Townships Insurance Trust; Invitation from Minnesota Association of Townships to its District 10 Meeting in Twig on August 20; Letter from St. Louis County Auditor’s Office with copy of blank Township Final Levy Certification form for taxes payable in 2017.

Claims and Payroll – check numbers 1072 to 1078 totalling $1621.75

Public Comment – Pequaywan Association meeting is Saturday, August 13, at 10:00 a.m. at the Firehall. Picnic is also August 13 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Pequaywan Inn.

Next MeetingSeptember 13, 2016, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road

Motion to Adjourn at 9:15 by Don, second by Lee, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Respectfully submitted,

Lita Wallace
Township Clerk

July 12, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order by Chair Scott Mead at 7:30 p.m.

Attendance:

  • Board members Scott Mead, Lee Kaplan and Don Swanstrom; Treasurer Kim Hand; and Clerk Lita Wallace
  • Number of residents present – 10
  • Number of non-residents present – 1

Clerk’s Report – June Minutes was read by Lita. Motion by Scott, second by Don, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Treasurer’s Report

$248,068.18     Total cash on hand as of 5/31/2016
$656.55              Add: Deposits
$1,891.99          Less: Expenditures
$246,832.74     Total cash on hand as of 6/30/2016

Motion by Scott, second by Don, motion carried  (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Old Business

  • As approved at the March Annual Meeting, the levy for 2016-2017 is for the amount of $30,000 to be submitted to St. Louis County.

New Business

  • A request from a prospective buyer of the Wasnik property was received to remove “No Parking” signs at the end of West Branch Road which are not Township signs but obviously put up by a private citizen. Scott and Lee went to the location and checked the two signs that were placed in sawhorses. One was in a private property and one in township property. The township did not put the sign and will have to look at what can be done.
  • Clerk’s report on Election Training attended – At the training with St. Louis County Election Department and Minnesota Association of Townships in June, it was emphasized that it is law that Election Judges must have a party balance, (Minn. Stat. 204B.19) (i.e.; one Democrat, one Republican.) There are two residents that volunteered to be Alternate Election Judges and Lita will conduct the training for them.
  • Since Primary Election is scheduled on August 9 and ends at 8:00 p.m., the next township meeting will start at 8:30 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m. Motion by Lee, second by Don, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Correspondence

  • Received: Letter from St. Louis County – Report from State Demographic Center: 2015 population estimate as of April 1, 2015 is 121 and household estimate is 59. Email with form from Arrowhead Abstract and Title Company requesting Assessment Certificate for a resident’s property. Emails from Election Department re-training materials for Election Judges, Election Supply drop-off, and August 9 Primary Election.
  • Sent: Completed form sent to Arrowhead Abstract and Title Company.

Claims and Payroll –  Check #s1066-1070 totalling $1,291.82

Public Comment – As part of FireWise Grant, fire signs will be distributed on Saturday, July 16, from 10:30a.m.-12:00pm. at Pequaywan Firehall. Don’t forget to mark down your hours spent on removing trees. Volunteer hours count towards the township’s portion of the matching FireWise grant. To get copy of the form, go to https://pequaywantownship.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Pequaywan-volunteer-form.pdf. Check out http://www.pequaywanlakes.com/ for more information about FireWise.

Next Meeting: August 9, 2016, 8:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road

Motion to Adjourn at 8:55 by Scott, second by Lee, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Respectfully submitted by,

Lita Wallace
Township Clerk

June 14, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 by Chair Scott Mead.

Attendance:

• Board members Scott Mead, Lee Kaplan and Don Swanstrom, and Treasurer Kim Hand

• Number of residents — 10
• Non residents — 1

Clerk’s Report:

Chair Scott Mead read the minutes from the May meeting. Motion to approve by Don, seconded by Lee. (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Treasurer’s Report

$249,413.46 — Total cash on hand as of 4/30/2016
$216.57 — Deposits
$1,561.85 — Expenditures
$248,068.18 — Total cash on hand as of 5/31/2016

Motion to approve by Scott, seconded by Don (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay.)

Old Business

• Scott reported that logging had not started yet on the township land. The contract to do so expires this summer.

• Jonathan Trexel had not filed an application for a conditional use permit for his Northern Life Ranch as of June 3.

New Business

• Discussion on obtaining material for signs to inform residents of township meetings, voting times, etc. The new Fire Department sign has a “holder” to the road side on which such signs could be attached.

• Discussion was held on a request from a resident for a resolution opposing Minnesota House Bill HF 2415 on various gun control measures. Since the bill was not heard in any committee before the legislative session ended and so is considered “dead,” there was no need for any action on a resolution.

Much of the discussion was about how information had not been passed along from the St. Louis County Association of Townships regarding the bill. Lee noted that the discussion at the SLCAT took place because someone from Colvin Township wanted to use the meeting to rally support for a resolution on the part of townships. It was not part of any legislative action on the part of townships or the SLCAT itself. Short of attending all meetings of the SLCAT, we have no way of monitoring what takes place there on a regular basis.

• Discussion on a group called Positive Energy Outdoors. Don Swanstrom had received a call from a township supervisor from Normanna expressing concern about this organization and its use of trails in the area.

• Discussion from a resident on whether the Fire Department could post No Burning or Burning Bans to alert property owners that no outdoor burning was allowed.

Correspondence

There was no correspondence to report since the Clerk was not present.

Motion to Adjourn, made by Scott, seconded by Don; (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay).

Meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

Next meeting:

July 12, 2016, 7:30 p.m, Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road

Submitted by Judy Strom, Pequaywan resident

May 10, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chair Scott Mead.

Attendance:

  • Board members – Scott Mead, Lee Kaplan, Don Swanstrom, Lita Wallace
  • Number of residents – 27
  • Number of non-residents – 1

Clerk’s Report

The minutes from April meeting was approved with corrections. Motioned by Scott, seconded by Don (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay), motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report

$250,790.32 — Total cash on hand as of 3/31/2016
+         406.12 — Deposits
–     1,782.98 — Expenditures
$249,413.46 — Total cash on hand as of 4/30/2016

Motioned by Don, seconded by Scott (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay), motion carried.

Old Business

  • Dr. Jonathan Trexel answered questions and concerns of residents about his proposal to develop Northern Life Ranch on parcels of land he plans to purchase from John Wilson on the east side of Pequaywan Lake Road.

  • Local Board of Appeal meeting on Tuesday, May 17, at 12:00 p.m. at Pequaywan Fire Hall. This was a continuation of the meeting that was held May 5. (The first part of the meeting was attended by Lita, Scott and Lee.)

  • Logging contract in the township owned land in Rossini expires in 2016. Scott reported that he contacted the logger and they promised to log this summer. The area has become a fire hazard. It has an area of 34 acres. Any income from the logging will be used to buy plants to transplant.

New Business

  • Brimson Market requested to post market days in the posting board at West Branch Road which was approved but only for the July to September market days and not for the month of May.
  • Scott will respond to the letter from St. Louis County regarding Snow Plowing Agreement.

Correspondence

  • RECEIVED: Two email requests from Arrowhead Abstract & Title Co. re-Levied and Pending Assessment Report for a resident property in the township; bill from St. Louis County Public Works for $1,006.25 for plowing snow in West Branch Road; five letters of appeal from residents re-their Property Appraised Value for taxes payable in 2017; Notice of Filing for offices to be voted on in the November general election from St. Louis County Elections Department; 2016 Assessment Book for Pequaywan from St. Louis County Assessor’s Office; letter from St. Louis County Land and Minerals Department re-Proposed Sale of State Tax Forfeited Land; email from St. Louis County Public Works re-new Snowplow Agreement
  • SENT: Emailed two completed forms to Arrowhead Abstract & Title Co.

Claims –

Public Comment – First Pequaywan Association meeting is scheduled on May 21 at 10:00 am. Brush Day is June 11 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Information on Firewise has been mailed to residents.

Next Meeting:
June 14, 2016, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road

Motioned to Adjourn at 9:00 p.m. by Scott, second by Lee (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay), motion carried.

Respectfully submitted by,
Lita Wallace, Town Clerk

April 12, 2016 | Township Board Meeting

AGENDA

 The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chair Scott Mead.

Attendance:

Board members: Scott Mead, Lee Kaplan, Don Swanstrom, Kim Hand, Lita Wallace
Number of resident/s present: 5
Number of non-resident/s present: 1

Clerk’s Report

No changes. Motion by Lee, second by Scott (Scott yay, Lee, yay Don yay), motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report

$245,085.19 — Total cash on hand as of 2/29/2016
+  $7,530.45 — Deposits
–   $1,825.32 — Expenditures
$250,790.32 — Total cash on hand as of 3/31/2016

Motion by Lee, second by Scott (Scott yay, Lee, yay Don yay), motion carried.

Old Business

  • Clarification of the town clerk’s appointment term – clerk will serve for a term of two years from March 2016 to February 2018. Motion by Scott, second by Don (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay), motion carried.
  • Road report update – Scott reported that he met with Steve of St Louis County Public Works at West Branch Road and confirmed that the county will be working on West Branch Road this summer. In addition, they can also work on the area owned by the township. They will furthermore discuss  what the cost and payment schedule would be. The township will purchase the gravel and the county will do the work. Bad spots in Highway 44 will be patched next year.
  • Local Board of Appeal & Equalization (LBAE) 2016 Assessment for Taxes Payable 2017 is scheduled on May 5, 2016 at 5:00-6:00 p.m. at Pequaywan Fire Department.
  • Lita reported that LBAE Public Notice was posted in posting places on April 5.
  • Levy request submittal – submit the form close to the deadline date.

New Business

  • Information sharing  on a proposed sale of land owned by John Wilson on Pequaywan Lake Road, south of the Township-owned land – residents voiced concern about the impact of double population in the area, delivery trucks coming and going, public access, peace and quiet. . For information on how residents can register their opinion, see Northern Life Ranch.
  • Delivery of Automark for maintenance is either May 11 or May 12 at St. Louis County/Chris Jensen, 2501 Rice Lake Road Duluth, Laundry Facility.
  • 2016 Summer Short Course – board members are approved to attend training
  • A resident interested in being an election judge and willing to attend the July 19 training – supervisors approved to have an alternate election judge. Lita will conduct training. Another resident present at the training expressed interest in being an election judge. She will be an alternate judge and Lita will also conduct training.
  • Direct deposit of county checks – Kim suggested to have state and county checks be paid via direct deposit instead of checks and depositing to the credit union. Motion by Scott, second by Lee (Scott yay, Lee, yay Don yay), motion carried.
  • Procedure when a check signatory board member is out-of-town during a meeting; and if clerk or treasurer is out-of-town, how would we handle correspondence received – The board member who expects to be absent can sign a blank check since no one can cash it unless signed by two other board members. As for correspondences, it will be advisable if someone can pick up their mail and be able to call one of the board members if there is any township incoming mail.
  • Excerpt of important items from the 2016 Spring Short Course attended by the clerk:
    (1)  LBAE online training offered again in July – at least two board members should be certified
    (2) Workers’ Compensation Coverage update – Minnesota Association of Townships has surplus this year so they are mailing dividends to townships that have Worker’s Comp through them. Lita verified that Pequaywan Township will receive $350 in the mail in July.
    (3) State law requires that Clerk & Treasurer maintain duplicate sets of required records; i.e., CTAS claims/disbursements, payroll, receipts/income; and bank statements
    (4) Reorganizational meeting – elect Chair and Vice-Chair – During March, Scott Mead was elected as Chair but Vice-Chair was not voted upon. Scott motion Lee to be Vice-Chair, Don seconded ((Scott yay, Lee nay, Don yay), motion carried.

(5) create a Written Policy for compliance with Data Practice Act requests, if none available – Lita will check the files if there was one created in the past. If none, she will put one together.
(6) clerk is required to keep a copy of correspondence/s presented to the supervisors during the meeting with Meeting Minutes – Lita had been doing this since she started and will continue to do so.

Correspondence

  • RECEIVED: Minnesota Association of Townships (MAT) re-2016 Spring Short Courses; St. Louis County Assessor documents re-Local Board of Appeal & Equalization (LBAE) 2016 Assessment, and email re-new Appelant form ; St. Louis County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office re-Automark maintenance schedule, and battery replacement; email from the State of Minnesota re-questionnaire on federal expenditures; St. Louis Co Public Works re-new policy on snow plowing in township areas, and letter re-Draft ATV Ordinance Ready for Review; letter and email from St. Louis Co Asso of Townships re-March Meeting Minutes; letter from Department of Treasurer (IRS) re-confirmation of township mailing address
  • SENT: New town officers list sent to Minnesota Association of Townships and St. Louis County Election Department; State of Minnesota questionnaire on federal expenditures.

Claims – Check numbers 1047 to 1050 were issued in the total amount of $1,782.98. Motion by Scott, second by Lee, motion carried (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay).

Public Comment

 Next Meeting: May 10, 2016, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Department, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road

Motion to adjourn at 8:35 p.m. by Scott, second by Lee (Scott yay, Lee yay, Don yay), motion carried.

Respectfully submitted by
Lita Wallace, Town Clerk

March 8, 2016 | Annual Town Meeting

The Annual Town Meeting was convened at 8:12 p.m.

12 residents and 2 non-residents were present.

Clerk Lita Wallace called the meeting to order. Phyllis Mead volunteered to be moderator.

Copies of 2015 annual meeting minutes were provided to attendees.

Treasurer’s Report – operating expenses in 2015 were similar to what it has been the last few years. Additional revenue were derived from interest income from savings and the $50,000 in CD.

Fire Chief Dale Brooks reported that in 2015, there were four medical calls, three fire calls, one aid in Brimson and one aid in North Star, down from previous years. Two members were added, one for First Responder and one for fire. Joel Bamford is retiring. Pancake Breakfast is scheduled on July 3, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Pequaywan Firehall, 8764 Pequaywan Lake Road.

Road report – West Branch Road Cty 256: St. Louis County did some construction work in West Branch Road in 2016 and 2017 and is willing to work with us on the construction of the area owned by the township. We will follow up with them in the spring to get a cost estimate and payment schedule. It’s likely that this cost will be significantly lower than what could result from bidding the job out commercially. In addition, it will save the cost of a preliminary civil engineering study.

The levy for taxes was motioned by Lee Kaplan and seconded by Marilyn Bamford to be set at $30,000 for 2017. All in favor, none opposed. Motion carried. Part of $30,000 goes to Fire and the balance would go toward other operating expenses and would begin to offset cuts made in 2015 to enable us to build a reserve for the road repair project.

Voting hours (motioned by Scott Mead, seconded by Joel Bamford)
7:00 am – 8:00 pm, Primary, General Election
10:00 am – 8:00 pm, Special Primary, Special General Election
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Township Election

Monthly town board meeting date/time – Second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 pm at Pequaywan Fire Hall. Motioned/seconded/carried.

If monthly town board meeting falls on a November election date, supervisors can decide on a schedule change. Motioned/seconded/carried.

Annual meeting date/time – Second Tuesday of March following the Township Election, most likely at 8:15 p.m. Motioned/seconded/carried.

March monthly town board meeting follows the March Annual Meeting  at Pequaywan Fire Hall. Motioned/seconded/carried.

Postings
– Sign board
– Pequaywan Fire & EMS bulletin board
– Pequaywan Inn
– pequaywantownship.org website
– pequaywan.com website

Election judge Bob McDonough commented that there is no place to put an election notification sign by the road due to snow banks. Dale Brooks mentioned that the Fire Department is working with Pequaywan Lake Association for a plan to put a 3’x4′ lighted board sign by the road.

Annual Board of Appeals and Equalization date is scheduled on May 5, 2016, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Pequaywan Fire Hall

Result of Township Election – Scott Mead was elected for a 3-year term, Donald Swanstrom for a 1-year term and Town Question Adoption of Option B (Shall option B, providing for the appointment of the town clerk by the town board, be adopted for the government of the town?) passed.

Internet service update – 25-30 households were connected; three repeaters will be installed end of little lake and big lake covering five homes.

Firewise – Property owners in the township will be receiving more information in a mailing this spring about the Firewise project, a partnership between  Pequaywan Township and the DNR to try to make our community safer in the event of a wildfire.

Updates are available at the township website,
http://www.pequaywantownship.org/firewise/

Citizen comments/concerns – a citizen questioned about the sale of tax forfeited land in Moose Lake and how it will affect the revenue for the township.

Meeting was motioned to adjourn at 8:42 p.m. by Doug Dressen and seconded by Kathy Sluka. Motion carried.

Submitted by Lita Wallace, Town Clerk