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PREBLE TOWNSHIP Fillmore County, Minnesota
Preble Township Board Meeting Highlights The following topics were discussed at the regular meeting of the board of supervisors held on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, beginning at 7PM. Official minutes of this board meeting have not yet been approved.
Township officers attending the meeting were Gerald Peter, Brad Kelly, David Williams, David Larson and Charles Olson. Conrad Obieglo, township road maintenance engineer, attended the meeting.
Gordon Kallis, Alfred Storlie, Robert Burmester and Angel Burmester, township residents, were present.
Gerald Peter, township president, called the meeting to order and led the discussion.
Topics Discussed
Treasurer's Report
Chuck Olson, treasurer, reported that the township checking account balance at Rushford State Bank was $44,755.02 as of March 31, 2008, after the payment of all March bills.
Outstanding Bills
The township board reviewed bills received by David Larson since the March meeting. The total amount of outstanding bills, excluding current wages, was $4,519.11. All outstanding bills were approved for payment.
Roads and Bridges
Conrad Obieglo reported that all township roads have been cleared. He reported that early spring grading will begin soon.
Residents present asked when the township would begin major repairs of the South Fork Hill Road slide area. Brad Kelly responded that the restoration work will begin as soon as the early spring road bans on heavy equipment have been lifted. Although Dan Sveen has been selected as the contractor for the project, the township has not yet decided on the supplier of the large amount of shot rock required. Knife River has submitted a bid of $7.70 per ton for 945 tons of shot rock. Additional bids should be received this week.
Brad Kelly stated that the township board should plan to take an early spring road tour to determine the condition of township roads following the winter snows and frost. The township board will conduct a tour of all township roads on Thursday, April 17th, starting at 1PM.
Truck Purchase Update
Brad Kelly reported that the new plow truck was delivered by International Trucks to DeBauche Trucks in La Crosse last week. The truck is being delivered to Universal Truck Equipment in Galesville, Wisconsin for outfitting and equipping.
Financing for the new truck has been completed with Associated Bank in Rushford. DeBauche Truck in La Crosse, Wisconsin will be paid the purchase price of $84,061 later this week. The truck should be finished for delivery to the township in 5 weeks.
Road Equipment Rates
David Larson stated that the rates charged by the township for our road equipment usage are too low. He proposed that our equipment rates be increased to $100 for the road grader and $80 for the plow truck. The board approved the road equipment rate increases.
Township Officer Compensation
At the urging of David Larson, the board discussed compensation for township officers during 2008. Fees to township board members were $60 per meeting during 2007. The township board approved an increase in the amount of meeting fees to $70 per meeting. The clerk's compensation was increased to $225.00 per month; and the treasurer's compensation was increased to $70 per meeting. Compensation increases will begin effective the 2nd quarter of this year.
Records Retention Policy
David Williams reported that the Minnesota State Auditor, which provides audit oversight of township financial affairs, recently issued a legal position statement requiring townships to adopt a written records retention policy. Preble Township does not have a records retention policy. Williams prepared and submitted to the board a proposed records retention policy for Preble Township at the last meeting. The proposed policy describes: (i) what written data constitutes township records, (ii) who is charged with preserving and maintaining township records, (iii) the location for maintaining township records, (iv) who has access to township records, and (v) how long township records should be preserved.
The proposed policy was discussed and approved by the township board.
Azalea Road
The township received a request from a township resident to close and barricade the north end of the Azalea Road cartway to vehicular traffic. Under the proposal, the Azalea Road cartway would be barricaded adjacent to the Gordon Kallis property. The only remaining entrance to Azalea Road would be from the south near the driveway to the Jay Kim property. That portion of the cartway north of the Jay Kim property has not been maintained in years, and is in bad condition. Vehicular use of this less than one mile cartway segment is dangerous. Acknowledging the potential danger of this cartway, residents owning property adjacent to this cartway still want the northern entrance to be open for small off-road and ATV vehicles.
The county road maintenance manager has stated that concrete barricades are available to the township for blocking this cartway. The township board did not take any position on the request, and will discuss the proposal again at the next meeting. The board will review the steps necessary to reduce township liability for this cartway.
County Hazard Mitigation Plan
David Williams and Brad Kelly reported that Fillmore County is engaged in a process to develop a countywide hazard mitigation plan, in compliance with the requirements of the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. FEMA and other federal mitigation grants will no longer be approved for state and local governments that do not have an approved mitigation plan. Fillmore County has requested that all townships participate in the development of the mitigation plan. Williams presented resolutions from Preble Township supporting Fillmore County's development of a hazard mitigation plan. The board approved the resolutions, and Brad Kelly was designated as the representative of the township to participate in the development of the plan.
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