Ideal Township

Crow Wing County - Minnesota

Board Meeting December 2015

Monday, December 14, 2015 - 7:00pm
Minutes Status: 
Approved

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Wortham at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. All Board members, the Clerk, Chief II Stoltman, and two residents were in attendance.

Motion by Peterson, seconded by Bilek to accept the minutes of the November 9th Board Meeting, the December 2nd Special Meeting, and the December 9th Special Meeting as presented. Carried unanimous.

The Clerk spoke to thank Chairman Wortham for his years of service to the community. His leadership has helped the Board accomplish many things that have made Ideal a better place to live.

Dave Johnson thanked the Board for putting up the speed monitor signs on Ossawinimakee Road. Supervisor Peterson thanked Johnson for setting up the meeting with the Pequot Lakes Police Chief Klang that facilitated the use of the signs. Peterson indicated that the locations might change in order to get better readings. Curt Johnson said the similar signs that are on County Road 11 by Eagleview Elementary have been very effective in controlling speed in the area.

Dave Johnson also thanked Chairman Wortham for his longtime leadership. Curt Johnson commented that he is looking forward to serving on the Board as Wortham’s replacement.

Supervisor Peterson gave the Planning & Zoning as follows:

  1. There had been a handful of permits issued in November.
  2. There were no variance requests to review.

Curt Johnson asked about how Planning & Zoning is handled in the Township and whether there were any special ordinances on signage. Peterson explained that the Township only reviews permits and makes recommendations to the County regarding variance requests. All final decisions are made by the County Planning Commission. Wortham said that the Board had considered whether to have a Township Planning Commission but had concluded that the cost was prohibitive and that the County was good about following the Township recommendations. There are no signage ordinances unique to the Township.

Supervisor Wortham presented the Road and Bridge report as follows:

  1. The crew had plowed for the two days it had snowed so far.
  2. The crew was working on repairing dumpsters for the Transfer Station.
  3. The crew had also helped with organizing the bins & appliances into the new concrete pads at the Transfer Station.
  4. And had installed the No Trespassing signs around the Transfer Station property after the survey was completed.
  5. The two-way radio from the old work truck has been installed in the new work truck.
  6. All the equipment is now ready for the winter season.
  7. Shouldering on Old Whiskey Road was completed.
  8. He presented a summary of facts about the Pig Lake Access in response to inquiries from residents and County Commissioner Thiede. Motion by Wortham, second by Bilek authorizing a gate to restrict vehicle traffic with the exception of official Fire Department use. The gate will be kept closed from May 1 to November 30. Pedestrian use will not be restricted at any time. Carried unanimous. Wortham will send a copy of the summary to Commissioner Thiede.
  9. There were no safety incidents.

Chief II Stoltman gave the Fire Department report as follows:

  1. There had been 7 emergency runs during November; 1 false alarm and 6 first responder calls. Total year-to-date is 118 runs; 42 fire and 76 first responder.
  2. Training for LP tank extinguishment and shut off was conducted. Simulation included home LP tanks and also LP delivery trucks.
  3. The new Rescue Pumper truck is nearly completed with final inspection to take place soon.
  4. The department did not get the grant for the turnout gear washer & dryer. The equipment is required so will be purchasing them soon. Peterson asked whether the equipment could be shared with other nearby departments. Stoltman didn’t think that would be practical.
  5. The old rescue van will be put up for auction soon. Some equipment will be moved to the new truck.
  6. The department officers will remain the same as last year after election held on December 2nd.
  7. Purchased a new SCBA compressor to be installed soon which enables use of higher pressure tanks that allow for more breathing time.
  8. Supervisor Bilek suggested a newspaper announcement and open house sometime this spring to promote the new truck and equipment to the public.
  9. Supervisor Peterson had received some information about pipeline response training and suggested the department host the training and invite other local departments.
  10. There were no safety incidents.

Supervisor Bilek presented the Transfer Station/Recycling Center report as follows:

  1. The new concrete pads are now in service.
  2. Things are being kept well organized.
  3. The station continues to see increased volume and is operating close to break-even.
  4. The entry door on the office has been replaced.
  5. The no trespassing signs have been put up.

There was nothing to report for Parks & Recreation.

Motion by Peterson, second by Bilek to accept the treasurer’s report for November as presented. Report includes receipts #5013 through #5028 totaling $107,763.93 and disbursements #IRS110415 through #SVC113015 for total of $173,096.06 including a $100,000 operating funds transfer. Carried unanimous.

Motion by Peterson, second by Bilek to approve the December claims as presented; claims #42207 through #42252 totaling $64,087.94. Carried unanimous.

A discussion of the Township road sign policy took place. An inventory of the signs is to be completed this summer including review to insure signs meet retroreflectivity standards. Supervisor Peterson suggested that any signs that could be removed be reviewed by a civil engineer to make sure safety is maintained.

A special reorganizational meeting was scheduled for Wednesday January 6th at 9 am to set assignments with the new Board member.

Peterson had spoken with County Engineer Tim Bray regarding chip sealing of Long Farm Road and Heath Drive. Wortham concluded that it would be ok to do the chip sealing on the shared areas with Jenkins Township, but that it was not advised to do the entire length of Long Farm Road as the condition of the road surface was not good enough for the sealing to be effective.

The Board confirmed that vacation & sick pay was earned in the prior year and would be payable to employees who resign.

Employee wages were reviewed. Motion by Bilek, second by Peterson to raise as indicated effective January 1, 2016. Carried unanimous.

The Clerk confirmed that the County election coordination service would be used this year as it has been in the past. The service includes programming of Automark and tabulator equipment, ballot printing, and election judge training.
The employee Christmas Lunch was set for noon on December 18th at Billy’s in Breezy Point.

The Clerk confirmed that the new employee had passed the DOT drug test as required to drive the plow trucks.

There being no further business to transact, the meeting adjourned at 8:50 pm.

John Plein,
Ideal Township Clerk
December 17th, 2015

Back to Top