The meeting was called to order by Chairman Peterson at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. All Board Supervisors, the Clerk, and two others were in attendance.

Motion by Bilek, second by Johnson to accept the minutes of the September 12th Board Meeting, the September 22nd Special Meeting, and the August 25th Road Vacation Hearing as presented. Carried unanimous.

Dale Orred presented a $250 donation for Fire Station II and expressed appreciation for the new outdoor warning siren on the north side. He commented he was able to hear the siren at his home.

Cindy Hidde of Stonemark Land Surveying spoke regarding an upcoming variance request for Paul & Jennifer Harris on Lower Hay Lake. The variance is for lake & road setback to the existing structure which they plan to renovate and add a second level. Johnson asked to confirm that the septic has been inspected. Hidde said it has and was found to be compliant. Motion by Bilek, second by Johnson to recommend approval of the request. Carried unanimous.

Chairman Peterson presented the Road and Bridge report as follows:

1. Working to complete updated road maintenance agreements with surrounding municipalities. These joint powers agreements enable cities and townships to share maintenance tasks on roads near or on their borders for efficiency:
   1. Pequot Lakes was completed on 1/12/15 with term of 1/1/2015-12/31/2019
   2. Crosslake was completed on 4/20/16 with term of 1/1/2016-12/31/2020
   3. Jenkins Township was completed on 10/11/16 with term of 1/1/2016-12/31/2020
   4. Breezy Point was approved by the City Council, and will be completed when the Mayor returns on 10/24/2016. Term is 10/1/2016-9/30/2021
   5. Timothy Township agreement is for snow plowing only and has a 2 year term. Timothy is billed $150 per hour plus $20 per ton of salt/sand used on their roads. Expect to receive approval at their next Town Board meeting.
2. An employee request to receive one week paid vacation during the first year of employment was considered. The current employee policy allows the discretion of the Board. The employee has worked out great and the vacation was recommended by his supervisor. Motion by Peterson, second by Johnson to allow one week paid vacation effective immediately. Carried unanimous.
3. The road construction work is now completed and they did a nice job finishing things. The invoice had been received from Anderson Brothers and came in at $363,519.59 compared to the bid of $361,521. The overage was appropriate as they had done some extra work in some areas than what was bid. A discussion of possibly claiming damages as the work was not completed by the deadline stated in the contract. The contract does not state a recourse if the deadline is not met. A few residents had called with concerns, especially since some roads were torn up during the holiday weekend, but there was otherwise no hardship to residents or the Township by the delay in finishing the work. Since Anderson Brothers had been a trusted partner for many years and the Board wants to retain their expertise for future projects, the Board concluded it was not necessary to pursue the claim, but would look at including more detailed deadline provisions in future contracts.
4. The new mailbox supports are being installed along Ruttger, Silver Peak, Timberlane, Winnamakee Shores, and Star Lake Drive. The ones already done are looking good and will make the roads safer and easier to maintain. Old supports are being left for the owners, but we will pick them up & haul away if left more than a month.
5. Peterson and crew will be conducting a road review next week in order to get a head start on next year’s construction plans. This should enable getting bids settled earlier in the year which should help with scheduling work to be completed earlier in the summer.
6. The road vacation order for a portion of Trout Lake Drive was sent the county recorder, but was rejected due to questions on the description of the road being vacated. Peterson met with county staff and was able to confirm that the description was sufficient. Expect the recording to be completed soon.
7. The crew were working on preparing the hammerhead turn-around at the new end of Trout Lake Drive.
8. The annual certification of road mileage was due at the county by November 10th. The maintenance crew will measure the remaining portion of Trout Lake Drive so that update can be included.
9. Based on the road sign survey, all signs recommended for removal have now been removed. Some were salvaged for use later, but most were disposed of due to poor condition.
10. There were no safety incidents.

Supervisor Peterson presented the Fire Department report as follows:

1. There had been 10 medical runs during September; 1 fire, and 9 first responder. Total year-to-date is 99 runs. The fire call was for a vehicle accident.
2. The department is working on details to replace all the SCBA equipment. The new equipment is designed to work with the higher pressure air bottles that provides extended use time. Each set of equipment is approximately $6000 and the total cost for the department is about $150,000. The purchase will be financed via a lease with a low-cost buyout at the end of the term. The department will present details to the Board at the November meeting.
3. There were no safety incidents.

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

1. Year to date revenue is $57,164; up about $8000 over last year at this time.
2. Permit sales are up by 178 compared with last year.
3. The metal pile and appliances will be hauled away sometime this week.
4. Class 5 will be brought in to fill in around the building and facility to be ready for winter snow plowing.

Supervisor Johnson presented the Building, Grounds, Parks & Recreation report as follows:

1. Expecting to receive the report from the insurance appraisal of buildings and equipment that was done last month. Will use this information to assure that the Township is properly covered for all buildings, vehicles, and equipment.
2. Johnson is working to develop a plan for installing a generator for the Town Hall building. An estimate was received from Evergreen Electric – a 25Kw generator would be about $18,500; a 35Kw one adds $4000. The review of past peak electric use for the building showed about 17Kw average with a spike during Beef Feed week that put it up to 22Kw. The Board consensus suggests that the larger generator be used to make sure sufficient capacity is built-in for cases where people might be temporarily housed at the Town Hall in the event there are extended power outages in the area. Funding the project may be supported via grants from the Ideal Community Service Organization and the National Joint Powers Alliance. Johnson will present information to both groups in effort to secure that funding support. Plans are to install the systems in the spring as the generator will require a concrete pad somewhere outside the building. The goal of the project is to insure that the Fire Department has the full use of the Fire Hall even when electric power is interrupted and to help establish the Town Hall as a safe harbor in case of major disaster.
3. Still trying to connect with people who could serve on a board to manage the establishment of a Community Garden.
4. Will set time to conduct evaluation of facilities once the insurance appraisal info in received.

Supervisor Johnson gave a Legislative & Research report as follows:

1. Watching progress on legislation regarding rural broadband. The MN Association of Townships’ annual conference coming up in November is focused on the importance of and efforts to expand rural broadband throughout the state.
2. Charter Communications has been notified that Ideal Township will be reviewing the franchise agreement with them before the current agreement expires in 2019. Johnson is getting counsel from the firm of Moss & Barnett who have experience negotiating utility franchise agreements.

Supervisor Bilek, who is the liaison from the Town Board to the Rollie Johnson Recreation Area Joint Powers Board, explained that group is in process of replacing signage on the island. A new sign will be built by the DNR who is also a party to the group. The cost of the new sign will be shared by all four entities that are involved. Ideal Township’s portion of the cost will be $315. Motion by Bilek, second by Johnson to approve the expenditure. Carried unanimous.

Motion by Bilek, second by Johnson to accept the treasurer’s report for September as amended with update to reallocate the A/V system costs to Capital Projects Fund instead of the General Fund. Report includes receipts #5201 through #5225 totaling $51,931.04 and disbursements #IRS090716 through #SVC093016 for total of $75,216.10, including the payment to Minnesota Power for the siren pole that was not approved in last month’s claims. Carried unanimous.

Motion by Bilek, second by Johnson to approve the October claims as amended to add the Anderson Brothers claim for road construction of $363,519.59; claims #42645 through #42678 totaling $427,189.16. Carried unanimous.

Peterson gave an update on progress regarding the north side emergency siren.

1. The installation has been completed and tested.
2. The siren will be part of the official test of all sirens in the county on November 2nd at 1 pm.
3. Information regarding the sirens has been forwarded to local media.

The Clerk presented a series of correspondence items:

1. The county sheriff’s office has been given a contact list for them to call when they receive reports of trees down along township roads.
2. Check number 20772 was voided as it was a duplicate payment to The Office Shop.

Renewals of insurance policies are coming up:

1. Health coverage renews on November 1. Deductible will increase $500 per person under the renewal plan, but otherwise very similar to current plan. Clerk has received a comparison of benefits and costs that are available from other providers. All have higher deductible levels than the current plan and vary in cost and network. The Clerk recommends staying with Health Partners and asked if the Board would consider covering the increased deductible with additional HSA contributions. Motion by Bilek, second by Johnson to increase the annual Township HSA contribution to $4500 paid quarterly. Carried unanimous.
2. Consolidated property & liability coverage renews November 1. A review of all items listed is underway including the completed building & vehicle appraisal. The fire department is working on a listing of major equipment.

Peterson provided an update on the damage claims from storms this summer. The July 9-11 event has been approved by the Governor for funding assistance; the July 21 event was declined; and the August 4 event is still under review. Will work with the county to submit our claim for costs resulting from the approved event.

Upcoming calendar items were reviewed as follows:

1. The General Election polling on Tuesday November 8th from 7am until 8pm.
2. The November Board Meeting on Monday, November 14th at 7pm.
3. The Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association Annual Meeting & Dinner on Wednesday November 16th at Bites Grill & Bar in Pine River.
4. The MN Association of Township Conference and Annual Meeting on November 17-19 in St Cloud.
5. The meeting of the Crow Wing County Association of Township Officers meeting on Monday November 28th.

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

John Plein,
Ideal Township Clerk
October 21st, 2016