Category: Minutes

Meeting called to order at 7:35 p.m. by Chair Rick Fry.

ATTENDANCE
The following Board Members were present: Supervisor Rick Fry, Supervisor Scott Mead, Supervisor Lee Kaplan, Treasurer Kim Hand and Clerk Lita Wallace.

Number of residents: 4 / non-residents: 2

CLERK’S REPORT

June meeting minutes was read by Lita. Motioned made by Rick and seconded by Scott  to approve the minutes. Motion carried.

TREASURER’S REPORT
$233,870.55              Cash on hand as of 5/31/15

14,511.54               Deposits

        -710.63                Expenditures

$247,671.46              Cash on hand as of 6/30/15

Motioned to approve by Rick, seconded by Lee. Motion carried.

OLD BUSINESS

Road Maintenance in West Branch Road – An engineer from St. Louis County will be meeting with Rick at his house on Friday, July 17 at 8:30 a.m.

Laptops – Lita reported the following: HP laptop for $400.00, $20 for Anti-virus software, $149 for Microsoft Office, $35 for laptop case plus tax or an estimated total of between $600-$700 for each laptop. Rick motioned to approve the purchase of two laptops at $700 each. Seconded by Scott. Motion carried.

Potential bank/credit union investment options – Rick motioned to change banks from Beacon Bank to Superior Choice and maintain a balance of $5000.00 in the checking account; to invest $50,000 in share certificate and $192,671.46 in Business Money Market with Superior Choice. Seconded by Lee. Motion carried.

Other Old Business

Rick’s Resignation – Lee mentioned that someone he knows is interested in taking over Rick’s position. It is suggested to have the individual attend meetings to get familiar with the processes.

NEW BUSINESS

MAT Membership Cards – Lita mentioned that with the use of the card, Board Members are eligible for government discounts in hotel.

Letter from DNR re- proposed Metallic Minerals leases for our area – states that residents have 60 days from June 23 to submit comments. Guests tonight were Wendy Robinson and Kris Larsen who are active in the cause. They showed maps of the areas to be leased which showed that most residents will be affected having properties located around state-owned lands. Wendy and Kris requested Pequaywan Township supervisors to write a letter to DNR asking for a 90-day extension so that part-time residents who are not back in the area until fall will have a chance to comment and give more chance to inform other residents. Kris volunteered to write a draft of the letter. All supervisors have agreed to sign the letter.

More information may be found from the following websites:

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3771760-dnr-set-mineral-lease-auction
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/06/23/dnr-mineral-leases-in-forests
http://www.sosbluewaters.org/

Road striping in the Pequaywan Township portion of West Branch Road – Scott reported that St. Louis County will be charging the township $900 for the striping. Scott will verify if the striping is for the middle or sides of the road or both.

Claims Report – totalling $1,248.20. Motioned by Rick to approve and seconded by Lee. Motion carried.

PUBLIC COMMENTS- none

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday,  August 11, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Hall

Motion to Adjourn at 9:30 p. m. by Scott and seconded by Lee. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted by:

Lita C. Wallace, Township Clerk

 

 

 

 

Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chair Rick Fry.

ATTENDANCE
The following Board Members were present: Supervisor Rick Fry, Supervisor Scott Mead, Supervisor Lee Kaplan, Treasurer Kim Hand and Clerk Lita Wallace.

Number of residents: 1 / non-residents: 1

CLERK’S REPORT – May meeting minutes read by Lita. Motion made by Rick and seconded by Lee to approve the minutes. Motion carried.

TREASURER’S REPORT – the financial report presented by Kim shows the following transactions and balance:

$ 234,632.08        Total Cash On-Hand as of 4/30/15

52.88       Deposits

            814.41        Expenditures
$ 233,870.55        Total Cash On-Hand as of 5/31/15

OLD BUSINESS

Road Maintenance (engineer inquiry) – Rick reported that St. Louis County will allow an engineer to come to Pequaywan to ascertain what direction to go.

CTAS – Accounting System Requirements/Laptop/Video Conferencing – Lita researched the operating system requirements for CTAS via the State Auditor’s Office website and visited Best Buy to get ideas on laptops. Any laptops in the market would work including video conferencing. Laptops would cost around $600.00, Microsoft Office $140.00, Anti-virus software $20.00 a month for the first year and $50.00 per year thereafter. A 3-year extended warranty costs $310.00 which Rick decided is not needed and Lee agreed. Lita was requested to research the following:
(1) What internet speed is needed in downloading the CTAS software? (Ray Barnes offered to conduct the download at North Star, if needed.)
(2) How many laptops can Microsoft Office software be installed?
(3) Is there a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty?
(4) What is the cost of the laptop with Windows 7 if it is not a touch screen?

INTERNET UPDATE was made by Lee – Two towers will be built and homeowners within 1/4 mile of the towers will be notified by postal mail once the contracts have been signed between Coop Light, property owners and St Louis County.

POTENTIAL BANK/CREDIT UNION OPTIONS – Kim presented a report showing the comparison of interest rate for money market between several banks and credit unions. The supervisors requested Kim to:
(1) Study comparison between MCCU’s 5-year 2.10% rate vs. SCCU’s 1.85% on $50,000.00 money market based on the report presented.
(2) Check rate at Hermantown Federal Credit Union and Duluth Teachers Credit Union.
(3) Can a Township join a credit union?
(4) How easy is it to move money from Beacon Bank to a new bank/credit union?
(5) Check checking account system transferring from one bank to another bank/credit union.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN  – Scott reported that he contacted the Planning & Development Office of St. Louis County and was advised that there are two things we can do: either develop a Community Plan or a Comprehensive Plan. Township can apply for a grant based on either of the two plans. Scott suggested to look at the Comprehensive Plan, vision of what we want the township to look like. We can get history,  specifics and samples from other counties; as well as involve community members in getting their ideas.

LOGGING AT ROSSINI ROAD – will be done this summer.

ASSISTANCE FOR TREE PLANTING AND BUD CAPPING ON THE TOWNSHIP LAND – Scott reported that he contacted the Sheriff’s Office and was advised to contact Woodland Hills which told him that their clients do this type of task as part of their community service. They have a policy of 20-mile radius but is negotiable. There is no charge but would probably need to pay for transportation. Lee mentioned that Boy Scouts Troops might be a good one to contact, too.

Other Old Business – None

NEW BUSINESS

PAY FOR EQUIALIZATION MEETING ATTENDANCE  – Supervisors gets paid $25 as approved during March for attending meetings and for training attendance only.

TOWNSHIP ADDRESS – Kim reported that Keith is still getting mail from the county and was forwarding to her. In the past, April received the bills and Keith made payment. Kim called the county to change the address to hers but was told that mails should go to the clerk.

SUMMER SHORT COURSE: is going to be held at Carlton County in June. None of the Board Members are able to attend.

MEMBERSHIP CARDS: Lita received membership cards from the County and was distributed to all Board Members.

BILLS TO PAY THIS MONTH: Motion made by Rick and seconded by Scott to approve payment of the bills, carried.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: None

Motion to Adjourn at 8:30 p.m. by Rick and seconded by Scott, carried.

Next meeting: Tuesday,  July 14, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Hall

Respectfully submitted by,
Lita Wallace, Township Clerk

Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chair Rick Fry.

ATTENDANCE

The following Board Members were present: Supervisor Rick Fry, Supervisor Scott Mead, Supervisor Lee Kaplan, Treasurer Kim Hand and Clerk Lita Wallace.

Number of residents: 3 / non-residents: 2

CLERK’S REPORT – January and April minutes read by Lita.

Motion by Rick, seconded by Scott to approve the January minutes, carried.

Motion by Rick, seconded by Lee to approve the April minutes, carried.

TREASURER’S REPORT – presented by Kim

$232,369.65        Total Cash On-Hand on 3/31/15

2,915.32        Deposits

           652.89         Expenditures

$234,632.08       Total Cash On-Hand on 4/30/15

Motion by Rick, seconded by Lee to approve the Treasurer’s report, carried.

OLD BUSINESS

Road Maintenance (long-term plans for road repair) – Five-year long-term plan for West Branch Road owned by the Township was discussed. Estimate on what can be done and how much it would cost. May need to contact an engineer to do a study. Rick will make contact with an engineer as well as the county if their engineer can come instead.

Logger at Rossini Road-what do they plan to do and when they plan to do it – Scott stated that Bill Hudson of the logging company said that work will be done sometime this summer but no definite date is available. The Township will be paid $6,700.00 which will go to replanting of trees.

Internet Review – no new information available.

CTAS accounting system – The advantages of using CTAS  was discussed along with purchasing two laptops for the use of the Treasurer and Clerk for an estimate of $1700-$1800. Lita will research the system requirements/Windows that works with CTAS and cost of the laptops/flashdrives.

NEW BUSINESS

Preparation of budget – Lee had requested Kim to prepare a report of expenditures incurred in 2014. There was an expense last year in the amount of $3,600 for the Assessor’s Office that will not be spent this year.

Use of Skype or Google Hangout technology to conduct meetings when a supervisor is out of town – Lee checked with the Minnesota Association of Townships (MAT) and the lawyer advised him that it is acceptable to use teleconferencing but the out-of-town supervisor would have to open their home to anybody that will be interested in attending. Up to 10 people can connect in Google Hangout. A high speed internet is required. Lee will conduct experimentation.

Exploring options in using new bank (e.g., Superior Choice Credit Union) – Kim will check. The Township will also explore investing part of the Township funds in (CDs) Certificate of Deposit. Kim will verify  with various credit unions how much interest is offered for different maturity dates of 3 or 5 years. Maybe put $50,000.00 in CDs. Ray Barnes, the Treasurer at North Star mentioned that North Star has their funds in Money Market and keeps only $200 in checking account. After expenditures are approved at each meeting, he then transfers the amount from Money Market to the checking account via online banking.

Electronic banking application status – We will hold off on this pending result of switching to a different bank and change of Board membership.

Proposed updates to the timesheet/expense forms – For now, we will keep using the Monthly Disbursement Forms and we can determine later if we will want to use the form that can be generated from CTAS.

Form 941 applicability – Our township is not required to file Form 941 for the following reason (per the Form 941 instructions): “Generally, employers are required to file Forms 941 quarterly. However, some small employers (those whose annual liability for Social Security, Medicare, and withheld federal income taxes is $1,000 or less) may file Form 944, Employer’s ANNUAL Federal Tax Return, annually instead of Forms 941.”

New employee forms – Lee, Kim and Lita submitted all the required new employee forms such as I-9 and W-4.

Other new business: Reimbursement approval totalling $814.41. Motion by Rick, second by Scott to approve paying the submitted reimbursements, motion carried.

Next meeting: Tuesday, June 9, 7:30 p.m., Pequaywan Fire Hall

Motion to adjourn, carried at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Lita Wallace.

Call to Order at 7:30 p.m. by Chair Rick Fry.

Attendance:

Board members present:

1. Rick Fry, Supervisor
2. Lee Kaplan, Supervisor
3. Scott Mead, Supervisor
4. Kim Hand, Treasurer
5. Lita Wallace, Clerk

Board members absent: none

• Number of residents present: 2
• Number of non-residents present: 2

Treasurer’s Report

$232,502.65     Cash on hand as of March 1, 2015
–         133.00     Expenditure (Minnesota Benefit Association (officers life insurance renewal)

+            0.00      Deposits
__________
$232,369.65     Cash on hand as of March 31, 2015

Discussions:

Kim mentioned that in going through the records, she discovered that mileage expense reimbursements have not been requested/paid for over a year. Motioned/seconded/approved to process any approved mileage expense reimbursement request.

For speedy processing, bookkeeping and recordkeeping, Kim prepared various forms for reimbursement and requested the supervisors to review the forms for approval. Motioned/seconded/approved.

Training expenses, meals, mileage will be reimbursed monthly. Reimbursement Form due at the meeting after expenses incurred. Motioned/seconded/approved.

Motioned/seconded/approved to pay $0.20 per page for photocopying Township documents; i.e. Treasurer’s Report, Meeting Minutes & Agendas.

To respond to the question what was deducted from wages of Board Members in past years, Kim explained that deductions were for Social Security and Medicare.

Lee asked if the township need to file a Quarterly Payroll Tax Report. Kim said that we do not have to file since the township does not owe more than $1000 in payroll tax to require filing the form quarterly. Kim can report once at the end of the year.

Clerk’s Report

• Minutes from March 10, 2015 was read by Lita. Lee motioned to change the word “budget” to “levy” as it is actually a levy and not a budget. There are no other additions or deletions. Motioned/seconded and approved.

Old Business

• Election result

1. Lee was elected as Supervisor and Kim was elected as Treasurer. Term of office is three years for Supervisor and two years for Treasurer.
2. Number of votes for Supervisor: Lee Kaplan (23), Mark Freeman (4), Bonnie Dressen (1) Steve Call (1), Dona Dressen (1), Dale Brooks (1)
3. Number of votes for Treasurer: Kim Hand (21), Jack Mead (1), John Wilson (2), Bonnie Dressen (1), Keith Stone (3), Sue Johnson (1)

•  Internet Review

Judy Strom, a resident, shared the following information:  There will be two wireless towers — one that serves the Little Lake and one that serves the Big Lake.  Contracts with the landowners of the two properties where the towers will be located should be signed within the next several weeks. Following that, most likely in May, Cooperative Light & Power (CLP)  will go to a meeting with the St. Louis County Commissioner to apply for a conditional use permit. CLP anticipates that the towers will be erected in June. Then, there will be about a month of system testing and upgrades to the “backbone.” Given the above scenario, installation to the home should begin in mid to late July and August. The main towers will have a radius of 1.5 miles so there may be some pockets or areas on our two lakes that might not be reached. It may be necessary to have one or two repeater tower/antennas located on a building to extend the main towers’ reach to those areas.

• Motioned/seconded/approved bills and disbursements as follows:

1. Training reimbursement for new Board members on April 3 in Cloquet for Lee Kaplan, Kim Hand and Lita Wallace.
2. Salary for March meeting for Lee Kaplan, Kim Hand
3. Mileage for April Smitke for trip to Pequaywan Fire Hall to assist with absentee ballot.

• Committee Reports

1. Road Review on part of West Branch Road owned by the township – Rick stated that half of the road is in good shape and half is lumpy and bumpy. To fix it, about a mile of the road needs to be dug out, replaced with gravel and then asphalted which will cost a lot of money that the township does not have. The last asphalt was put in 1991-1992. Unfortunately, there is no state or county funds available to fix it either.
2. Scott mentioned that in 2016, Highway 44 will be worked on from the intersection of Briar/Barrs Lake to approximately two miles north of Rossini Road.

• Township Website

Lee finalized the draft of the new Township website that looks very professional and user-friendly. With the new website, each Board member will be able to access the site and be able to post, make corrections or additions.

• Logging at Rossini Road

The logger, Carson Timber and Land Clearing, had a contract to log 34.6 acres that the township owns off at Rossini Road. There is no activity up to this time but they had sent the township $300.00. Scott will follow up on the status.

New Business

• April Smitke resigned as Township Clerk during the March meeting.
• Lita Wallace was offered the position of Township Clerk and agreed to serve for one year. Motioned/seconded and approved for Lita to be appointed and sworn-in as the new Township Clerk effective April 14, 2015. Lita does not live in the township. According to MAT (Minnesota Association of Townships), Treasurers and Clerks must live in the township to be elected for a term of two years. Treasurers and Clerks may be appointed for an unlimited term and do not need to live in the township.
• Lee, Kim, and Lita completed the MAT orientation in Cloquet.
• Rick announced that he is resigning as one of the Supervisors. His last meeting will be October 2015. However, if a replacement is found before October, he is willing to step-down sooner.
• CTAS (City and Town Accounting System) program – Ray Barnes, Treasurer with North Star, explained the advantages of purchasing CTAS specifically for the use of the Treasurer and Clerk to better manage recordkeeping requirements by the State Auditor’s Office. Motioned/seconded/approved to purchase the program at a one-time cost of $300.00. Rick requested Kim and Lita to meet with Ray for further discussions.
• Online banking – Kim explained the advantages of using online banking such as transferring funds from one account to another and paying bills online.
• State Auditor’s Office requires that there be three signatories on the check: Supervisor, Treasurer and Clerk. To comply, Lita will be added to the account.

Next meeting: Tuesday, May 12, 7:30 p.m. at Pequaywan Fire Department building

Motion was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Lita Wallace

The annual meeting was convened at 8:15 pm.

17 residents were present.

Clerk Smitke called the meeting to order. Volunteering to be citizen monitor is Brian Landstrom.

2014 annual meeting minutes read. No treasurer’s report was given.

Road report: Patching is continuing to be done on the road.

The levy for taxes was motioned/seconded to be set at $13,500 for the year. Motioned/seconded/carried.

The annual elections were reported on that Lee Kaplan was elected for a 3-year term as supervisor and Kim Hand was elected for a 2-year term as treasurer.

The voting hours motioned/seconded/carried for Primary, General and Special Statewide election hours to be 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. The annual township election hours are to be 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

The monthly meeting time and day shall be 7:30 pm on the second Tuesday of each month, and the annual meeting shall be the second Tuesday of March after the annual township election.

Local notice postings can be made at the Pequaywan township bulletin board, PVFD bulletin board, pequaywan.com Website and pequaywantownship.org Website.

Meeting adjourned.

The meeting was called to order at 8:45 pm.

Present: Rick Fry, Scott Mead, April Smitke, Lee Kaplan, Kim Hand

Kim Hand and Lee Kaplan were sworn in as new officers prior to the meeting.

Next meeting is set for April 14, 2015.

Assignment of duties: Chairman — Rick Fry, Road report — Rick Fry, Assistant Chairman — Scott Mead.

Monetary rates set: Monthly meeting $25; Election Judges hourly $15; Outside meeting hours $15. Motioned/Seconded/Approved.

Proposed levy for 2016 is $13,500. Motioned/Seconded/Approved

Scott Mead proposed to have Lee Kaplan maintain the pequaywantownship.org Website. Motioned/Seconded/Approved.

Meeting adjourned.

 

 

Called to order at 7:30 PM

Present: Mark Freeman, Scott Mead, April Smitke, Keith Stoneburner

Absent: Rick Fry

Next meeting set for February 10, 2015

Old Business:

New business:

Roads: Motion made and seconded for a letter to be sent to St. Louis County to paint the double yellow stripe on the Pequaywan roads.

Treasurer annual report was given.  Motion made and second to approve.

Meeting adjourned

Called to order at 7:30 PM

Present: Mark Freeman, Scott Mead, April Smitke

Absent: Rick Fry

Next meeting set for January 13, 2015

Old Business:

Tower: No update

Logging: No update

No new business

Meeting adjourned

Meeting called to order at 7:30 PM.

Present: Mark Freeman, Scott Mead, Rick Fry

Absent: April Smitke

Next meeting set for December 9, 2014.

Minutes from the last meeting were not read.

Old Business:

Internet Tower:

Subdividing the township property has issues concerning the size of the parcel to be sold. The property is RES4, which requires 4.5 acres minimum parcel size. A private landowner has come forward offering land for the tower. The township property will be put on hold for now.

Logging has not been done yet.

Demonstration of the ARM-LOC water rescue device was presented. Motion was made and seconded to purchase the ARM-LOC for the fire department.

Meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.

Meeting called to order at 7:30 PM

Present: Mark Freeman, Rick Fry, April Smitke, Keith Stoneburner

Absent: Scott Mead

Residents in attendance: 12

Next meeting set for November 11, 2014

Minutes from the previous meeting were read and approved.

Treasurer report:  No updates

Old Business:

Internet: Per township’s attorney, the township cannot lease or sell unless at Fair Market Value. Need to determine what FMV is.  No feedback from CLP regarding this.  Resident has proposed purchasing the land from the township with contingencies. Motion made and seconded for the review by township attorney to sell the property to a private citizen.  Motion made and seconded to sell said property for CLP’s tower to private township citizen, providing it meets all legal requirements.  Purchase order may be developed and signed prior to next meeting.

Logging: No action yet.

New Business:

November 4^th is general election day.

Meeting adjourned 8:25 pm.