The Town Clerk called the meeting to order at 8:00 P.M. with the Pledge of Allegiance. There were approximately 25 residents in attendance.

The Clerk made a few announcements to the audience including:

• Thanks to all who voted and those attending the meeting;
• Asking all those present to sign in on the sign-in sheet provided;
• Noting that only voters of the Town can make motions, seconds, and vote on action items during the meeting;
• Motions to reconsider votes must be made within 30 minutes of the original vote.

The Clerk called for nominations for Moderator of the 2019 Annual Township Meeting. Motion by David Peterson, second by Tom Johnson to nominate Paula Schaub. There were no other nominations. Schaub accepted the nomination.

The Moderator asked for any changes to the proposed agenda provided. Motion by Bill Wortham, second by Patti Peterson to add “review of facility repair” as item #12A to the agenda. Carried unanimously.

Motion by Mary Plein, second by Tony Wagner, to accept the minutes of the 2018 Annual Meeting as presented. Carried unanimously.

The annual Board of Audit Report was read by the Clerk. Motion by Galeen Royce, second by Sharon Wortham to accept the Board of Audit Report as presented. Carried unanimously. The Board of Audit Report, the Annual Audit & Financial Statements, and the Auditors Communications Letter are available on the township website.

Moderator Schaub requested the results of the Ideal Township Annual Election. Following are the results presented by the Election Judges and read by the Clerk: Supervisor, 3-year term Galeen Royce - 38 votes, Ronald Ommen – 136 votes; 1 blank ballot; for total of 175 votes cast. Based on the results, Ronald Ommen was declared winner of the election.

The Moderator asked to affirm the Township banking facilities. The Clerk explained that First National Bank North has the Township checking account, that most of the savings are at the 4M Fund, and that the lodging tax funds are kept at American National Bank. Motion by Ken Stoltman, second by Patti Peterson, to use the banking facilities as outlined. Carried unanimously.

The date and time for the 2020 Ideal Township Annual Meeting and Election was set. Motion by David Peterson, second by Jim Schultz, to hold the Annual Election between the hours of 5 pm and 8 pm with the Annual Meeting to begin at 8 pm. All will take place at the Ideal Community Center on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020. In case of inclement weather, Election & Annual Meeting may be postponed to Tuesday, March 17th. Carried unanimously.
The Road & Bridge report was presented by David Peterson. He added that the Township roads represent a value of about $12 million based on cost of paving. Other highlights of the year included:

• An addition was built on the maintenance building to add a cold storage area so more of the equipment can be stored inside.
• New tractor purchased and received around June 1. New tractor is Cat Challenger MT455E with new Diamond brand mowers. Old tractor was sold to another township for $35,000.
• Road construction completed in 2018 includes resurfacing of a portion of Ruttger Road and all of Twin Ponds Road. The intersections of Ruttger Road with Twin Ponds & Whitefish Point were also reworked to improve safety.
• Chip sealcoat was completed on 1.4 miles of Wildamere Road under cost share with Jenkins Township.
• Crack sealed approximately 5.25 miles of road.
• About 150 swing-away mailbox supports were installed.

Dick Wilske commented that everyone should be proud of the job the maintenance crew does for the Township. Motion by Dave Peterson, second by Bill Wortham to accept the Road & Bridge report. Carried unanimously.

The Fire Department report was presented by Chief II Ken Stoltman. He noted there are 22 members on the department now and that if anyone is interested in joining to please contact the Clerk. Tony Wagner asked what a “good intent call” is. Craig Wallace explained that it is usually when someone reports visible smoke and the department goes out to locate the fire. Motion by John Bilek, second by Tony Wagner to accept the Fire Department report as presented. Carried unanimously.

The Transfer Station & Recycling report was presented by John Bilek. He pointed out that the Townshp received $30,000 of SCORE funding from the County in 2018 and $35,000 for 2019 that supports the recycling program. He also noted that he had heard many positive comments about the facility and that the staff are doing a great job. Paula Schaub asked what had been done to make the fund end in the black. Bilek noted that some prices had been increased and the additional SCORE funding helped as well. Tony Wagner asked for an explanation of difference in net revenue between the audit report and the figures presented here. The Clerk explained that the figures in the audit report is from operations only and does not include levy amounts included in this report. Motion by Jeff Feltmann, second by Tom Johnson to accept the Transfer Station report as presented. Carried unanimously.

Bilek also reported on planning & zoning activity in 2018. There had been 153 permits issued so it was a busy year. The breakdown of permits was as follows: Septic – 32; Accessory Structures – 27; Shoreland Alteration – 26; New House – 22; Additions – 17; Deck or Porch – 15; Variance – 7; Commercial – 4; Ag Structure/Barn/Shed/etc – 1; Guest Cottage – 1; Travel Trailer – 1. The Township continues to work closely with the County Land Services to review permits and variance requests.

Bill Wortham gave a report on plans for repairing the roof on the Community Center and Fire Hall. There are a couple flat roof areas that are damaged & leaking and so have solicited estimates from contractors Thelen Roofing and Herzog Roofing. The low bidder was Herzog and a contract is being negotiated that will replace the flat areas with a rubber membrane commercial roof process and one sloped section will get new steel roofing to match other areas of the roof. The work is scheduled for this spring as soon as weather allows and to be completed before the Beef Feed. Motion by Bill Wortham, second by Tom Johnson to accept the report as presented. Carried unanimously.
The 2020 levy proposal was discussed. David Peterson explained some details of past performance and the changes proposed for the 2019 budget including the cost of the roofing project already covered in the Capital Projects fund. For 2020, Peterson noted that the Fire Department budget had been reduced significantly because the new fire truck will be fully paid off this year. Tony Wagner asked about the increase noted in the General Fund. Peterson pointed out that the General Fund budget was reduced significantly for 2019 due to allocating expenses more accurately and that the increase in 2020 is to allow for the Deputy’s salary going forward. Tom Johnson asked why a Deputy was needed. The Clerk responded that the Township cannot function very long without a Clerk, so the Deputy can step in when the Clerk is not available to keep the Township operating without interruption. The Deputy is also helping keep the office hours staffed and helping with special projects that need to be worked on. Motion by Dave Peterson, second by Tony Wagner to authorize the proposed levy for 2020 at $1,022,000. Carried unanimously.

Galeen Royce spoke to the group about her candidacy. She expressed congratulations to Ron Ommen, that she had enjoyed putting her name out there to the public, and that she had met many wonderful people in the process. She felt it was important to the Township to have someone on the ballot and that it was discouraging for people when campaigns are done in secret. She commented that she was sure that Ommen will be a good Supervisor for the Township and that she will support his service to the community.

Ron Ommen spoke to the group about his election win. He agreed that it is better to be on the ballot but he didn’t find out about the vacancy until after the filing period. He spoke briefly about his background & experience, that he has been active in the community, and that he is generally around during the winter. Dick Wilske commented that it would be good to have a community forum before the elections so that residents could get to know the candidates.

Dave Peterson spoke saying that the Township is in good shape and well run. He thanked Paula Schaub for serving as moderator and all the residents who voted & attended the meeting for their interest in local government. He introduced Allison Royce as the Deputy Clerk and thanked Bill Wortham for stepping in to serve on the Board until the new Supervisor can take over.

Motion by Jim Schultz, second by Patti Peterson to adjourn as there was no further business to discuss.  Carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:15 pm.

John Plein
Ideal Township Clerk
March 19th, 2019