(Not final until approved/signed by the Board)
Turtle Lake Township Regular Meeting Minutes
November 6, 2017, 19143 Lake Julia Dr. NW Bemidji, MN
Meeting of the governing body of Turtle Lake Township, Beltrami County MN was called to order at 7:00 PM by Chairman Allan Lidstrom. Also in attendance are board membersRuss Bennett, Michelle Anderson,Billy Ayers, Fulton Gallagher, Treasurer Gail Dockendorf, Zoning Administrator Kelly Booge, and Clerk Lynn Johnson.
Approve Agenda
Motionto approve agendawith the addition of Judy Black to Public and Otherafter Blackduck Timber Riders made by Michelle Anderson, second by Russ Bennett. Motion carried 4-0-1. Supervisor Gallagher abstained because he did not have sufficient time to review.
Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes of October 2, 2017
Motion to approve made by Michelle Anderson, second byBilly Ayers. Motion carried 3-0-2. Supervisor Bennett abstained because he was not at the October 2nd meeting and Supervisor Gallagher abstained because he did not have sufficient time to review.
Approve November 6, 2017 Treasurer's Report
Motion to approve made byRuss Bennett, second by Michelle Anderson. Motion carried 4-0-1.
Supervisor Gallagher abstained because he did not have sufficient time to review.
Approve Claims & Payroll
Motion to approve made by Michelle Anderson, second by Billy Ayers. Motion carried 4-0-1.
Supervisor Gallagher abstained because he did not have sufficient time to review.
Public Attendees (signed in)
Ray Guthrie, Terry Newby, Bill Barthelemy, David Haskin, Peggy Curtis, Judy Black, Chelsey Hagen, and Aliza Thoring.
Public and Other
Terry Newby requested board approval for the renewal of the liquor license for Newby’s Liquor. Motion to approve made by Fulton Gallagher, second by Russ Bennett. Motion carried 5-0.
Wade Newby requested board approval for the renewal of the liquor and cigarette licenses for Newby’s Market. Motion to approve made by Fulton Gallagher, second by Billy Ayers. Motion carried 5-0.
Ray Guthrie, representing the Blackduck Timber Riders ATV Club, addressed the board to request permission to use township roads Black Lake and Tower as part of their ATV trail system. He explained that the trail would be open to class 1 & 2 ATV’s, and off-road motorcycles. If theseroads were included in the trail system, the club would post 25 mph speed limit, stop and yield signs at no expense to the township. The club would run the trails once or twice a week to look at the roads. Any trees in the roadway would be removed by the club. If there is damage to the roads that is proven to be caused by the use of authorized ATV’s the club would pay for repairs.
Motion to approve the use of township roads Tower and Black Lake for the Blackduck Timber Riders ATV trail system made by Russ Bennett. Second by Al Lidstrom. Motion carried 5-0.
Judy Black informed the board of problems her family has been having at the township cemetery. For the past 10 years, around Halloween, someone has been removing pumpkins and other items from the family’s site. The family would like to know if there is something the township can do about it. A deputy from the sheriff’s office had planned on putting up a game camera to see if the individual could be identified. They will contact the deputy and see if he found anything out and will come to the December meeting with the results.
Discussion Items (OLD BUSINESS)
Lake Beltrami Road ADT
Supervisor Bennett explained the handouts provided which he had compiled from studying the results of the vehicle count. He believes that we need to account for why the average count at meter B1 was higher than A1 by 30 vehicles. This difference doesn’t make sense. Supervisor Gallagher asked Clerk to contact the Beltrami County Engineer to see if he would be available to attend the December meeting and explain how the road count works.
KellyUpdates
- Zoning Report Kelly met with Thoring’s about a culvert on Chickadee Ln, the DNR about Vista Forest Road,and MiciahMedicraftto sign an E-911 form.He also spoke to Stacy from the County Assessor’s office and put together information on building permits for her.There were no questions from the board.
-Vista Forest Road Kelly recommends that the township enter into the road maintenance agreement with the DNR which was presented at the October 2nd meeting. He has met with representatives from the DNR and was informed that they will continue to grade the road up to four times per year, twice in the spring and twice in the fall. They request that the township communicate with them on when we have the road graded. When the weather allows, they will also be repairing two culvertson the road which are not functioning properly. Kelly recommends that the agreement be for a period of 5 years. Motion to approve entering into the agreement with the DNR for maintaining Vista Forest Road for a 5-year period made by Fulton Gallagher. Second by Michelle Anderson. Motion carried 5-0.
General Road Updates
Road Supervisor Lidstrom reported that with the recent rain and snow, township roads are slippery. Sanding has been done on several roads and will continue on the remaining roads. Arcadia Rd has a pothole that needs repair and is scheduled to be patched on Tuesday, November 7th.
Donation Request Form
Revisit at the December 4th meeting.
Township Newsletter
Supervisor Anderson researched other townships and found that many of them do have a newsletter. Cost is a concern, we have approximately 767 mailing addresses, and she likes the idea of sending postcards that would direct constituents to the website for current township information.
Animal Control
Supervisor Ayers spoke with four different townships inquiring whether they have an animal control officer. Northern is the only one who does. With only a couple of calls within the last year, he recommends that we not have an animal control officer and people should be directed to call law enforcement for assistance.
Clerk Pay
Discussion concerning Clerk’s pay was revisited. Fulton Gallagher motioned to increase Clerk’s salary by $100.00 per month for the next 12 months and to re-evaluate at that time. Second by Michelle Anderson with an addition to include that it is for the duties as listed in Clerk’s summary of duties covered by salary from the October 2nd meeting. Amendment accepted by Fulton. Motion carried 4-1 with supervisors Gallagher, Anderson, Lidstrom and Bennett voting yes and Ayers voting no because Clerk’scurrent pay is in the top 5% of other clerks, Clerk didn’t ask for a raise and it’s his right to.
Lights and Ramp
Perkins Electric and Portable Welding have been notified that the estimates that they submitted have been approved by the Board.
Turgi, Idlewild N. and Beach Blvd
Clerk informed the Board that Turgi Hill Road right-of-way and Idlewild N. and Beach Blvd road vacations have been recorded with the Beltrami County Recorder.
Discussion Items (NEW BUSINESS)
BATO Meeting
Supervisor Gallagher presented his report on the meeting from October 24, 2017. Report is attached to these minutes.
Fire Association Meeting
Supervisor Ayers reported on the recent Fire Association meeting. There were 3 fire responses to the township since the last meeting. The association is going to be purchasing new vehicles within the coming year.
Contacting Attorney
Supervisor Anderson would like to have one contact person for questions to our attorney. Suggested that the Clerk be the contact person.
Minutes
Clerk was previously questioned about providing the minutes earlier because a constituent complained toSupervisor Gallagher that the September minutes“lack information and the truth”. Clerk explained that the minutes are not a word for word record of everything said and minutes are only required to record motions and decisions made by the Board. Supervisor Gallagher stated that he did not have enough time to review the reports in time for the meeting and would like the minutes to be sent within five working days. Clerk agreed to get the minutes out by then and to notify the supervisors if unable to do so.
Correspondence
Debbie Eickhorstmailed a request for board approval of the renewal of the liquor license for Kohl’s Resort. Motion to approve made by Billy Ayers, second by Russ Bennett. Motion carried 5-0.
Adjourn
A motion to adjourn was made by Billy Ayers at 10:30pm, second by Michelle Anderson. Motion carried 5-0. Meeting was adjourned.
Approval of these Minutes from the November 6, 2017 Regular Township Meeting
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Lynn Johnson, clerk
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