The meeting was called to order by Supervisor Brandt at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. All members, Assistant Chief Stoltman, and the clerk were in attendance. Three other persons were present.

Motion by Wortham, seconded by Peterson to accept the minutes of the January 12th Board Meeting, the January 28th Budget Meeting, and the February 4th Budget Meeting as presented. Carried unanimous.

Supervisor Brandt presented the Road and Bridge report as follows:

1. The crew have been sanding and clearing ice.
2. The crew had removed some trees along Old Whiskey Road.
3. The crew assisted with the firewood hauling to Big Island.
4. The loader had been repaired.
5. New cutting edges for the snow plows have been installed.
6. The septic systems at the maintenance building and at Fire Station II had froze. Both tanks have been pumped and heaters installed now so should be ok.
7. Brandt attended the County Highway Department coordinating meeting and heard a MN DOT report about the use of chip sealing in the state.
8. Brandt met with Anderson Brothers regarding preliminary estimates for reconstruction of Nelson, Wild Acres & Buschmann Roads. Then met with the Mayor and road staff in Pequot Lakes to determine possible scheduling of those joint projects. The City is now focused on issues related to the Highway 371 project and did not expect to be able to do any work on the shared roads anytime soon.
9. Brandt has been working on an issue where a garage had been built on the right of way of a platted road. The county had ruled that they would not prosecute the situation and thought the township should handle it. Brandt is investigating options for the township.
10. Had gotten an estimate to improve the access off Old Whiskey Road that is used for hauling wood to the islands from J&B Outdoors for $3400. He talked to the DNR regarding options and will have the area surveyed first.
11. A letter has been sent to a resident on Ossiwinamakee Road regarding plantings placed in the road right of way. The resident is directed to remove them by May 1 or the township will remove them at the owners’ expense.
12. The clerk presented a proof of insurance coverage from the City of Pequot Lakes in regards to the public works joint powers agreements recently renewed.
13. There were no safety incidents.

Assistant Chief Stoltman presented the fire department report as follows:

1. There had been 13 runs this month; 3 mutual aid, 1 power line down, 2 false alarms, and 7 first responder calls. Total year to date is 13.
2. Training on Incident Command by instructor Chris Cid was held.
3. The new radios had been placed in service. All members of the department now have a radio.
4. The Active911 tablets are installed and operating in 3 pumper trucks. Training will start this month.
5. Mask Fit and Flow Testing were completed last month.
6. The onsite visit for the shared services study was expected soon. The report on the visits is expected in April/May to review equipment, call volume, and facilities.
7. The department will be ordering a 40x40’ canvas cover for the cooking area of the Beef Feed as per the MDH recommendation. Cost should not exceed $2000.
8. Dick Wilske asked for clarification of the ISO rating testing in past years in regards to pumping capacity. A discussion of the test results at the time and some of the factors that might affect the outcome in future took place.
9. The clerk presented a report showing tax capacity amount for the fire districts served including Ideal and Timothy Townships.
10. The clerk presented the updated fire contract and invoice for Timothy Township.
11. There were no safety incidents.

The Transfer Station/Recycling Center report was presented as follows:

1. Wortham noted the station was operating in the red after the first. The county SCORE funds had been received and the Board is working with them to secure additional funding to cover the increased activity due to other nearby recycling programs being ended.
2. The positioning of the recycling bins was changed to allow easier access to all four bins by users and to make it easier to plow snow in the area.
3. Brandt asked the hauler to install a cover for the open tub that can be rolled back and will keep snow out & materials in.
4. Brandt had contacted Sawyer Timber regarding the possibility of grinding the brush pile instead of burning and was waiting for a response.
5. Brandt reported that he is working on process of getting torrent deeds for the transfer station land parcels. The tax-forfeit parcels were transferred to the Township under conditional use deeds that could be revoked under current law. He had consulted with the Township attorney to get a recommendation on the proper process to secure the holdings.
6. The clerk presented an update from Liberty Tire regarding price increase for taking tires.

There was nothing to report on Park and Recreation.

Supervisor Brandt reported Planning & Zoning:

1. The Land Use Ordinance had been changed to allow steel cargo containers up to 160 square feet on shoreland lots without a permit as an accessory structure. Brandt was researching the process to have the ordinance updated to provide some restrictions.
2. The Township recommendation regarding the Smith variance had been submitted to the county Land Services.
3. The road setback variance for the Adair property was discussed. Motion by Wortham, second by Peterson to recommend approval without conditions. Carried unanimous.

Supervisor Brandt reported on the firewood hauling to the islands. There was good compliment of volunteers who were able to move the 25 cords. Restoration materials have been purchased for the shoreline work on the islands to be done in May & June.

A discussion of policy regarding use of the park for events in light of requests for a wedding in June. The party expects more guests than the hall capacity rating and so wants to have a large tent in the ballfield similar to what had been done for a wedding in 2014. The clerk had informed them of the concerns regarding parking, bathroom facilities, noise, and safety. They had made plans to mitigate each of the issues. The Board felt that the concerns had been addressed sufficiently for the event, but that a formal policy regarding park use should be considered.

The clerk presented a series of correspondence:

1. Information about tax-forfeit land sale for a parcel on Buschmann Road.
2. A newsletter from Soil & Water Conservation District.
3. An update on the federal standard mileage rate. Motion by Wortham, second by Peterson to follow the standard and reimburse mileage at a rate of $0.575 per mile.
4. A letter from the City of Jenkins that they are considering changing their Lodging Tax Ordinance and/or the joint powers agreement that authorizes the Township to collect & distribute lodging tax funds for the City.
5. An appeal for the Crow Wing County Historical Society. The Board declined making a donation at this time.
6. A credit account had been established with Sears to enable the maintenance department staff to purchase tools as needed.
7. The clerk had researched options regarding the safety deposit box. Lakes Bank would not offer a free box and the value of having a box was in dispute. The Board recommends cancelling the box at WellsFargo and storing the contents in the clerks file area instead.
8. Information regarding the annual meeting of the Crow Wing County Association of Township Officers to be held on April 20th at the Crow Wing Township Hall.
9. The clerk presented voided checks to be destroyed due to misprinting – check #1598 from the lodging account and checks #19445, 19620-19623 from the Township checking account.
10. The clerk asked for vacation & sick benefit to be based on the average hours worked in the previous year. Motion by Wortham, second by Peterson to increase vacation & sick pay for the clerk to 35 hours per week for 2015. Carried unanimous.
11. The equipment to enable cable TV for the ambulance crew had been installed and the service cost will be billed to North Ambulance annually.
12. A discussion of purchasing folding chairs with fabric & padding took place. The clerk will check into options to get the best price for 32 chairs.

Motion by Wortham, second by Peterson to accept the treasurer’s report for January as presented. Report includes receipts #4812 through #4826 totaling $149,692.16 including a $50,000 operating funds transfer. And disbursements #1588L through #SVC013015 for total of $166,613.32 including operating funds transfer of $50,000. Carried unanimous.

Motion by Wortham, second by Peterson to approve the February claims as presented; claims #41777 through #41826 totaling $27,479.01. Carried unanimous.

Dick Wilske asked the Board if the SnoPros could store some equipment behind the maintenance building. The Board agreed, and asked them to coordinate the placement with the maintenance staff so insure it does not interfere with normal operations.

Wilske also suggested that the surplus firewood collected at the Transfer Station could be donated possibly through a church group or foodshelf. Brandt said he had called several such places but had not gotten a taker yet, but would keep trying to find a way to make use of the wood before it rots away.

There being no further business to transact, the meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm.

John Plein,
Ideal Township Clerk
February 27th, 2015