January 9, 2024, Township Board Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order by Chair Kuettel at 7:03 p.m.

Attendance:

Town officers Present: Chair Charles Kuettel, Vice-Chair Douglas Dressen, Supervisor Douglas Nelson, Clerk Lita Wallace,

Town officers Absent: Treasurer Carol Nelson, Deputy Clerk Shane Stolp, Deputy Treasurer Ed Potter

Guests: Todd Abernethy, Ray Barnes, Bonnie Dressen, Dorothy Galinski, Thomas Getchell, Scott Gronseth, Stephen Jones, Steven Mueller, Mike Nilsen, Nancy Nilsen, Deb Pomroy, Darylle Waldriff, Ted Wallace

Clerk’s Report

Copies of the minutes were distributed to attendees and they were given time to read it. Discussion to remove the statements: “This is because the vote would not change the nature or character of the town road, other than improve existing status quo.  By that I mean, we are not going from a minimum maintenance grassy trail to a 4 lane paved roadway.  Instead, we are merely replacing something that was already there.I understand this response does not present a “one size fits all” answer to your question. Because there is no hard and fast rule in Minnesota, the answer depends on the facts and circumstances of each specific matter being voted on. More information on Conflicts of Interest can be found at the Minnesota Association of Townships website under Chapter 10.” Motion by Nelson to approve the Clerk’s Report as amended, second by Dressen, motion carried. Kuettel yay, Dressen yay, Nelson yay.

Treasurer’s Report

DECEMBER 2023
Total Funds on Hand 12/1/2023 $230,188.28
Plus: Deposits $25,646.09
-Interest on Accounts 496.33
-St Louis County Auditor 24,339.26
-State of MN 810.50
Less: Disbursements $1,338.50
-Payroll 888.10
-MATIT – WC 285.00
-Other Expenses 165.40
Total Funds on Hand 12/31/2023 $254,495.87
Checks Written #1955 – #1966

JANUARY 2024
Expected Receipts None
Checks Written #1967 – #1975 $2,222.86
No transfer to checking needed

Motion by Dressen to approve the Treasurer’s Report, second by Nelson, motion carried, Kuettel yay, Dressen yay, Nelson yay.

Old Business 

New Business

  • Discussion regarding our area by the county sheriff’s department – St Louis County Sheriff’s Office would like to let the community know that they would like to get more involved with the community. Todd Abernethy of the Sheriff’s Office lives in the neighborhood and mentioned that he will try to start coming to some of the township meetings. He also mentioned that Pequaywan Township is a safe neighborhood; only had seven calls since January 2022; call 911 or him in case of an emergency; and if residents are away on vacation, they can call the Sheriff’s Office and they can do drive-by check.
  • Review of past minutes on the township website – a review by Dressen and Kuettel on the website does not show any missing minutes since 2006.
  • Weed inspector discussion – Deb Pomroy suggested that Luanne Lake need to be revisited. King Lake is a smaller lake and needs attention as well. She confirmed that she is acceptable with the $15.00 per hour with mileage. The board approved.
  • Pequaywan Firehall & EMS request for 2025 levy – Tom Getchell, Fire Chief requested a Fire Department Levy in the amount of $25,000.00 for 2025 which is the same as 2024. He added that they have $10,000.00 in their budget right now but need to use it for training and other expenses. Even though they are getting a $5,000.00 matching grant from NRRI, they are required to spend $10,000.00 by June and thus, they are requesting an advance of $10,000.00. The board decided to put it on hold until February meeting to check fund availability.
  • Important Dates (meetings, elections & Public Accuracy Test are held at Pequaywan Firehall)

1/9   – Pequaywan Town Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
1/16 – Open supervisor position Candidacy Filing ends at 5:00 p.m., contact clerk for the form or questions at 525-4068
1/16- Board of Audit Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
2/9 -2/20  – Absentee Balloting starts: (1) contact St. Louis County to register for Presidential Nomination Primary Election at 726-2385; (2) contact Pequaywan Clerk to register for March Town Election at 525-4068
2/13 – Pequaywan Town Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
2/13- Budget Meeting, after Town Board Meeting
2/27- Public Accuracy Test, Firehall, 11:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
3/5  – Presidential Nomination Primary Election Day
Pequaywan Firehall, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
3/9  – Absentee Balloting for Town Election, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Pequaywan Firehall
3/11- Absentee Balloting for Town Election, 1:00-5:00 p.m., Pequaywan Firehall
3/12- Township Election Day, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., Pequaywan Firehall
3/12- Annual Town Meeting, 8:45 p.m. or after ballots are counted whichever is later
3/12- Pequaywan Town Board Meeting, after Annual Town Hall Meeting.
3/12- Board of Canvas Meeting, after Town Board Meeting

Wallace reported that as of date: (1)  nobody has contacted her for Candidacy Filing for the supervisor position; (2) voters can submit an application for Absentee Balloting until February 20; (3) for Presidential Nomination Primary, St. Louis County will send them three ballots for each major political party but they should only return a ballot for their party affiliation; (4) for the March Town Election, the town clerk will send them a ballot;  in-person Absentee Balloting are offered on March 9 and March 11, contact the clerk (peqclerk@gmail.com) for location and time.

Correspondence

Received:

  • Email from St. Louis County Elections re- disposal of Automark Machine and to be replaced with OmniBallot.
  • Email from MATIT for key dates to submit Workers’ Compensation Surveys.
  • Email from the State of Minnesota GID (Government Information Division) that deadline to submit CTAS (County, Township Accounting System) financial reports to the state is April 1, 2024.
  • Invoice from Hanft Fride Law Firm in the amount of $550.00 for legal consultation.
  • Invoice from Daisy Wallace for January 2024 web maintenance in the amount of $25.00.

Sent:

  • N/A

Public Comment: The Public Comment section is a courtesy extended to persons wishing to address the Board. If you wish to comment during the Township Meeting, follow the protocol below:

  1. No more than one public comment per citizen.
  2. Submit your comment information to peqclerk@gmail.com with your full name.
  3. Deadline to submit your request is the first Saturday of the month.
  4. Your presentation will be limited to two minutes.
  5. What you said will be on file, and the board can either address the issue, assign someone to address the issue, or do nothing.

Next Meeting, February 13, 2024, 7:00 p.m., Pequaywan Firehall

 Nelson motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:40 p.m., second by Dressen, motion carried. Kuettel yay, Dressen yay, Nelson yay.

Respectfully submitted by,
Lita Wallace, Clerk