Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes
 December 19, 2016

Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on December 19, 2016by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

 Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen, and P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg

 Absent
None

 Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from November 21, 2016 was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 Treasurer’s Report
Income $10,790.02 Expenses $23,765.41 Balance $170,309.98 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

 
General Township Issues
Greg Bartes said that Pheasant Ridge Estates, on the east property line needed a culvert. Holthaus asked if it was called for in the plan. It was.  Ralph (Ralph’s Excavating) will bring the base material to install the culvert. Lynn will look at it and issue the permit. Bartes also thought that a stop sign was needed at the end of Pheasant Ridge Road. The board agreed. Lynn will ask Matt to put up the stop sign. There was a concern that the ground would be too frozen to put the sign in the ground now.
Matt Burg and John Tschumperlin are up for re-appointment to the P & Z Board. With both willing to serve another term, a motion was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring, to re-appoint them to the P & Z Board. Carried 3-0. Fred Lemke will be the P and Z Chair and John Tschumperlin will be Vice-Chair for 2017.

Public Hearing 8:15
At 8:15, the public hearing was opened to consider adding a separate stand-alone ordinance to deal with dogs running-at-large in the township. The board was not happy with the resolution draft. A motion to extend the public hearing until the next monthly board meeting on January 17th at 8:15 PM, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken, carried 3-0. The new resolution will include cats.

 Reviewed Mail

 Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $ 22,808.99, using check numbers 5049-5078.

 Adjourn
At 8:35 PM, a motion to close the meeting was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

 Minutes submitted by:     Boni Behnen, Clerk

 

 Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes
 November 21, 2016

Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on November 21, 2016by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen, and P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg

 Absent
None

 Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from October 17, 2016 was made by Gertken, seconded by, Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

 Treasurer’s Report
Income $7,565.86 Expenses $56,195.85 Balance $183,360.74 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 General Township Issues
Greg Bartes said that the Pheasant Ridge Estates project was nearing completion. North star Landscaping will be doing the seeding when Ralph finishes up. Greg asked the board to allow him to name the road in the development Pheasant Ridge Road. A motion from Willenbring, second by Gertken allowed for the naming of the road. Carried 3-0.
Next month the board will re-appoint two members to the Planning and Zoning Board. Boni will check the minutes from previous years to see who is up for appointment this year.
The board decided to refund the $75.00 rental fee to people that cancel renting the hall if there are extenuating circumstances.

 Reviewed Mail

 Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

Bills were paid in the amount of $ 23,840.78 using check numbers 5023-5048.

 Adjourn
At 9:05 PM, a motion to close the meeting was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

 Minutes submitted by:     Boni Behnen, Clerk

 Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes
 October 17, 2016
Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on October 17, 2016by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

 Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Vice Chair, Fred Lemke and P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg

 Absent
None

 Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from September 19, 2016 was made by Gertken, seconded by, Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

 Treasurer’s Report
Income $30,590.15 Expenses $145,254.32 Balance $231,990.73 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 Interim Use Permit
Brad Schramel was present to request an Interim Use Permit to add secondary a single-family residential dwelling on his parent’s property. (Ralph and Ann) Parcel # 23.13554.0000. They would like to build 35’ x 40’ patio home with a 27’ x 40’ attached garage. The P and Z Board had made a recommendation to the town board to approve the application at their October 6th meeting. The board did not have an issue with it, and Gertken made a motion to approve the IUP. Seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0. The IUP will be signed with the conditions approved, once the document is completed. Brad also had the preliminary plat for approval. A motion to approve the plat was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0. The plat was signed.

Variance
Cathleen Weber- Zunker, Parcel # 23.13602.0050, was present to request a variance to create a new property line 0’ from the existing gravel pit where the setback requirement is 30 feet. The P and Z Board, at their October 6 meeting, had made a recommendation to the township board to approve the variance. A motion to approve the variance, and sign the resolution, was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0. Resolution 2016- 4 will be filed with the county.

 Preliminary Plat
Steve Jennings was present to request signage of his Buffalo Ridge Estates preliminary plat. The lots will be 2 acres each. Jennings answered questions by the board. A motion to approve the plat and sign the document, was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

General Township Issues
Glenn Berkman, Nick Marcus and Mike Wills were present to discuss the feasibility study for the West Ashton Development. They had questions about the drainage problems, school bus turnarounds, and the general cost of the proposed project. Most of the residents thought that the cost was too high. Berkman said that possibly one half of the 28 residents were on board at the time. Possible shortcuts were discussed to cut down on the price of the project but, Holthaus stated that it should be done right or not at all. Berkman had received a letter from Stearns County Commissioner, Jeff Mergen that indicated that there were possible funds being held in an escrow account to deal with the erosion problem in the development. Holthaus had previously called Mergen to see if there were funds available and was waiting for a call back.

(The next day the township received an email from Chad Martini at the Land Management Division of Stearns County. He said that there was originally $68,893 set aside at the State Bank of Cold Spring. The money was never in the care of Stearns County. It was put there specifically for erosion control and the Stearns County Attorney did not pursue a claim against this money because of concerns over the enforcement of the original Letter of Credit. In other words, Stearns County does not have or never had the money to pave the roads. It remains a civil matter between the developer, the State Bank of Cold Spring, and the residents of West Ashton to go after the money if they choose to.)

A motion to open a snow plowing quote from Ralph’s Excavating was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.
The quote read as follows:
2016-2017 Snow Plowing - $98.00 per hour
$1000.00 per month retainer starting November 1, 2016
$6000.00 up front for sand/salt

A motion to accept and approve the quote from Ralph’s Excavating as read, was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

A motion was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken, to appoint the following election judges to work for the November 8, 2016 general election: Boni Behnen, Dick Behnen, Mike Behnen, Carin Schroeder, Rita Schroeder, Karen Buermann, Kris Ruegemer, Butch Gertken, Dan Holthaus, Joe Willenbring, Matt Burg, Berni Doll, Patty Schoenberg, Donna Reinke, Bob Heying and Marilyn Montreuil. Carried 3-0.

 Reviewed Mail

Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $ 56,195.85 using check numbers 5003-5022.

 Adjourn
At 9:15 PM, a motion to close the meeting was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

Minutes submitted by:     Boni Behnen, Clerk

 Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes
 September 19, 2016

Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on September 19, 2016by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

 Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen and P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg

 Absent
None

 Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from August 15, 2016 with one correction, was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 Treasurer’s Report
Income $4,478.50 Expenses $6,719.81 Balance $346,654.90 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 Old Business
Brad and Ralph Schramel were present to ask questions about an Interim Use Permit to add a second dwelling on their property. Lynn explained that they needed to attend the October 6, 2016 Munson Township Planning and Zoning Board Meeting before the town board would hear the issue. The P and Z Board would make a recommendation to the town board to deny or approve the application.
Greg Bartes had asked the town board to waive the letter of credit that was needed to sign the Development Agreement for Pheasant Ridge Estates. With a motion from Gertken, second by Willenbring the request to waive the letter of credit was denied. Carried 3-0.

General Township Issues
Chad Kraemer, Kraemer Excavating, was requesting a permit to install systems in the Elmway Road Right of Way and use the 10’ utility easement. A motion to approve the request was made by, Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0. Boni will email the permit to Chad.
Deb Metz had several complaints about how things had changed since she bought her property on Eastway Road in 1996. She said that cabins have been rebuilt in the same foot print but larger. Driveway slabs are in the road, someone built a speed bump on the road and it is so large that it is causing damage to vehicles. She stated that” the roads need to be 20 feet and how do we do that?” Holthaus told her that it was not a township road and that it is a road dedicated to the public. Holthaus said that the residents on Eastway Road need to form an organization to deal with the road and building issues. Metz said that people are using the lack of concern by the township and county to take over. Holthaus urged her to go to the county and find the original plat. He said that Metz could sue to have the speed bump removed. Removing the speed bump would a civil matter, not a township issue.
In June a Stearns County Deputy had issued a citation to a township resident using the “dog running at large” portion of the Munson Township Ordinance. Munson Township does not have an attorney to prosecute the matter. The board decided to seek a local attorney to deal with the issue, since it would be too costly to have Bob Ruppe deal with it. Boni will find a local attorney.
Steve Jennings had requested that the township build the road in the development he is planning and then assess it back to him. Jennings thought that the township would be able to build the road cheaper than he could. The board felt that that would not be a good idea. Other residents would then expect the same. Willenbring made a motion to deny the request, seconded by Gertken. Carried3-0.

 Reviewed Mail

 Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $ 145,254.32 using check numbers 4975-5002.

 Adjourn
At 9:10 PM, a motion to close the meeting was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 Minutes submitted by:     Boni Behnen, Clerk 

Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes
 August 15, 2016

Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on August 15, 2016 by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen and P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg

 Absent
None

 Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from July 18, 2016 as read, was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 Treasurer’s Report
Income $2,451.50 Expenses $49,547.83 Balance $342,426.12 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 Old Business
Dan Kron and Greg Bartes were present with the final plat of the Pheasant Ridge Estates. The board asked questions and were assured that township specs were being used for the roads. The Mylars and the Pheasant Ridge Estates Development Agreement were approved, contingent on attorney review and approval. They will be signed at a later date. A motion from Gertken, second by Willenbring, to approve.  Carried 3-0.
Larry Lahr had talked with Holthaus about the possibility of the township paying for a feasibility study to tar the roads in the West Ashton Development. Several residents of the development were in attendance. Glen Berkman had received an estimate of $5,150.00 from Jeremy Mathiasen, Stantec Consulting Services to do the study. The cost of the study would be assessed back to the residents if the tarring project moves forward. One resident asked if they could pay upfront for the tarring and he was assured that he could. By paying for the feasibility study, it does not indicate that Munson Township is taking over the roads in the West Ashton Development and are in no way responsible for the roads. A motion was made by Gertken, second by Willenbring, to allow the township to pay for the feasibility study. Carried 3-0.

 General Township Issues
Barry Albright, Barry’s Western Tree Service, had requested to use the orange plastic barricades of the township’s when doing the tree trimming for the township. It was agreed.
Boni had not gotten an estimate for installing new flooring in the town hall. It was decided to wait until next spring and consider it at that time.

 Reviewed Mail

 Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $ 6,719.81 using check numbers 4954-4974.

 Adjourn
At 8:40 PM, a motion to close the meeting was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

Minutes submitted by:     Boni Behnen, Clerk

 Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes
 July 18, 2016

Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on July 18, 2016 by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

 Present
Joe Willenbring, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, and P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg

 Absent
Butch Gertken and Mike Behnen

 Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from June 20, 2016 as read, was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Holthaus. Carried 2-0.

 Treasurer’s Report
Income $212,114.24 Expenses $62,030.15 Balance $390,265.12 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Holthaus. Carried 2-0.

 Old Business
With a motion from Willenbring, second by Holthaus, the board adopted Resolution 2016-3 accepting Crabapple Court as a township road. The township will take over the maintenance of Crabapple Court as of July 18, 2016. Carried 2-0. Rod Gertken asked the board if he could have the culvert on Crabapple Ct cleaned out. They agreed.
Weed inspections were done on July 13th. Six letters will be sent to landowners with thistle infestations. Township ditches along 243rd Street, Dutch Ave, Hilltop Road, Hillview Road, 250th St, 246th St, 210th St, Elkview Rd, Elmdale Rd, and Edgewater Rd will need to be cut or recut. Matt burg will spray the thistles in the ditch along 222nd St.
During weed inspections it was noted that some of the tar on the corner of Edgeton Road was rutting up. Ralph will take care of the repair.
Also noted was tree branches hanging over Jay Ave, Elmway Road, Elkview Road and Becker Lake Circle. Boni will call Barry’s Western Tree Service to have it taken care of.

Zoning Administrator
Brad and Ralph and Ann Schramel were present to request a land split of Ann and Ralph’s property. Brad would like to build a home on a portion of the property. Ann had called Stearns County and they had advised her that possibly an Interim Use Permit would be the way to go since it would speed up the process. Lynn explained the steps that needed to be taken for the process to move forward. A public hearing would be necessary and that requires that a notice must be published 2 times, and the second notice must be published 10 days prior to the hearing. Brad stated that they had an appointment on July 25th to see if water could be found for the new home. Holthaus said that they should wait to see if water could be found before going ahead with the process. If the location of the new home would change due to the water location, everything would need to be redone. Lynn will email the paperwork for the permit to Brad.

 General Township Issues
Holthaus asked Boni to call Chuck Schmitz to see how many feet of culverts he had taken, so he could be billed for it. She will also remind him of the new township policy that culverts must be paid for upfront.
Vandals had smashed flower pots in front of the township hall and pushed the dumpster all the way down to the river spilling garbage all the way down the hill, sometime on Saturday night July 16th-17th. It is Police Case # 16058756.
The township had received a $200.00 donation from the Big Lake Aquatic Association. A motion to accept the donation and donate the money to the Chain of Lakes Fire Relief Association, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Holthaus. carried 2-0.
Boni asked about replacing the flooring in the town hall. It is looking old and worn. Boni will call Cold Spring Carpet and get prices.

Reviewed Mail

 Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Holthaus. Carried 2-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $49,493.53 using check numbers 4938-4953.

 Adjourn
At 9:20 PM, a motion to close the meeting was made by Willenbring, seconded by Holthaus. Carried 2-0.

Minutes submitted by:     Boni Behnen, Clerk

 
Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes
 June 20, 2016

Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on June 20, 2016 by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

 Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg and P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen

 Absent
None

 Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from May 16, 2016 as read, was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 Treasurer’s Report
Income $3,783.75 Expenses $25,285.55 Balance $239,786.03 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

 New Business
Nancy Bartes was present along with Dan Kron, their engineer for the development project on Townsview Lane. Kron explained the proposed project and showed maps of the work that would be done. There would be 9 lots tying 217th St to Townsview Lane. The Township Road Review for New Plats in Stearns County was read, completed, and signed by the Chair, Dan Holthaus. A motion by, Gertken, to approve the preliminary plat for Townsview Lane. Seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.
Rod Gertken asked if the board would be willing to take over Crabapple Court now that it is tarred. The shouldering needs to be finished. The work should be completed by next week. The board will make a decision after a final inspection of Crabapple Court. The board scheduled a special meeting on Wednesday, June 29, 2016 @5:00 PM on site to do the final inspection. A motion to take over Crabapple Court if all was in order, after final inspection was made by, Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0. Boni will call Bob Ruppe to begin drawing up the paperwork
Rod Gertken presented a quote from Kraemer Trucking & Excavating for the shouldering of 243rd Street. The quote was for $14,000.00 plus $1,500.00 for seeding allowance. He asked if the township would be willing to pay half. Holthaus will meet Kraemer on site when the work is started in an effort to change some of the proposed work to reduce the costs. Most of the township roads do not have the slope proposed. The township will do the seeding. A motion to pay half of the shouldering costs was made by Gertken, seconded by, Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

Zoning Administrator

 General Township Issues
Marilyn Pawluk asked about the possibly of the township helping to pay for the paving of Florence Circle. She had received an estimate for $86,000.00. The board and Pawluk all agreed that it was too costly. She is going to get an estimate from Knife River. Holthaus told her to wait until next winter and ask for an estimate, prices are usually cheaper then. The township would need at least 80-85% of the residents on Florence Circle to agree to the tarring project.
The corner of Edgeton Road near Jim Doll’s is in need of repair. A motion to call MN Blacktopping and add that repair to the list was made by, Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Fred Lemke asked if the township would pay half for dustcoating Hedgewood Road. There are 4 residents on Hedgewood and the entire road will be dustcoated. A motion to pay for half of dustcoating Hedgewood Road was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
A motion to appoint election judges and head judges for the upcoming primary election on August 9, 2016, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0. 
Election Judges: Donna Reinke, Butch Gertken, Mike Behnen, Carin Schroeder, Berni Doll, Patty Schoenberg, Mike Egerman, Orville Willenbring, Rita Schroeder, Bob Heying, Joe Willenbring, and Dick Behnen.
Head Judges: Boni Behnen, Dan Holthaus, Karen Buermann, and Matt Burg.
Weed inspections were discussed but, no decision was made about a date or who would do the inspection.
Holthaus asked Lynn to have Matt do the seeding on 243rd St when the shouldering was completed.

 Reviewed Mail

 Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $62,077.15 using check numbers 4905-4937.

 Extend Meeting
At 9:05 PM, a motion to extend the meeting to Wednesday, June 29th @ 5:00 PM was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

 5:00 PM, June 29, 2016
The shouldering on Crabapple Court was not complete, so a final inspection could not be done.
With a motion from Willenbring, second by Gertken, the board would like a 7 ton limit sign with a 5 ton limit during road restrictions placed on 243rd St. Carried 3-0. Boni will call Matt to order and erect the sign.

At 5:12, a motion to close the meeting was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried. 3-0.

Minutes submitted by:     Boni Behnen, Clerk 

May 2016 Minutes
Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes

May 16, 2016
Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on May 16, 2016 by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg and P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen

Absent
None

Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes, with one correction, from April 18, 2016 as read, was made by Gertken, seconded by, Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

Treasurer’s Report
Income $11,969.95 Expenses $7,104.43 Balance $261,287.83 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

New Business
Brian Jennings, representing Stephen Jennings, presented paperwork requesting a rezoning of Parcel # 23.13531.0070. It is a 20.03acre parcel that they would like to rezone from commercial to R1 for possible future development. Brian showed the board a map and answered questions. Holthaus stated that they would like to see two septic systems, in case one fails. The Planning and Zoning Board on a 5-0 vote recommended the rezoning to the town board. A motion to recommend the rezoning as requested, was made by Gertken, seconded by, Willenbring. Carried 3-0.
A variance request was made by Craig and Megan Nester for Parcel # 23.14031.0000. They were requesting a variance to build a 20’x26’ cabin to replace a cabin that had burned down in 2007. The request was asking for a variance for 16’2” from the road right-of-way instead of the required 30 feet and/or 55’ from the center of the existing road, instead of the required 63 feet. Orville Willenbring, at the public hearing, had concerns about keeping the vegetation in place. Matt Burg had stated that that was not an issue for the Planning and Zoning Board. Orville also stated that Nester would need to meet the 100foot setback from the lake. Nester said that he was informed by the county, that he would not need to meet the 100foot setback as long as they stay in the existing cabin’s footprint or smaller. The new cabin will be smaller than previous cabin and the well and septic system were already in place. The Planning and Zoning Board had made a 4-1 recommendation to the town board to grant the variance. (Orville Willenbring opposed) A motion to grant the variance was made by, Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.
A variance request was made by Chad and Deborah Blomgren for Parcel# 23.14057.0000. The variance request was for an 8’1” from the road right-of-way instead of the required 30 feet and/or 20’6” from the center of the existing road instead of the required 63 feet. They would like to keep the existing retaining wall. They were also requesting a variance for 25’8” from the road right-of-way instead of the required 30 feet and/or 32’8” from the center of the road instead of the required 63 feet. They would like to keep the shed and retaining wall around the shed. The previous owners had put up the shed without a permit. The Blomgrens had put in the retaining wall and were informed by the county that there were no permits for any of the work that had been done. John Anderson, 20556 Elkview Road, had attended the public hearing and had informed the P and Z Board that the neighbors were all in favor of the work that had been done by the Blomgrens. The P and Z Board members all agreed that the Blomgrens had done a great job. A 5-0 vote by the P and Z Board recommended the variance to the town board. A motion to grant the variance as recommended by the P and Z Board, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Linda Theis and Duane Janssen were present to ask about adding an approach on 246th Street on the Koetter farm. Holthaus stated that the Munson Township Ordinance only provides for one approach per parcel. After a short discussion Linda provided the tax statements from the county and it was confirmed that the approach that they were requesting was on a different parcel than the existing approach. Lynn will go out and take a look at it and issue a permit for a new approach.
Linda also had questions concerning the zoning of the Koetter farm. If they would want to sell, the way it is, they would only get one building site. They would need to rezone for a development.
Pat Johnson from Twilight Acres Resort was present to ask for a renewal of her 3.2 liquor license. A motion to renew the 3.2 liquor license for Twilight Acres Resort was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Mike Behnen had a question about the Nester variance. There had been a question about the slope being too steep at the Nester hearing. The township board said that that was regulated by the county not the township.

Zoning Administrator
The meeting was closed to discuss P and Z Administrator Lynn Burg’s wages. Lynn reported her hours for inspections, phone calls, paperwork, etc. Lynn and the board came to an agreement on her wages for 2016.

General Township Issues
Orville Willenbring stated that he felt that he wasn’t being treated with respect concerning the town hall rental. He was unable to attend the last meeting and the rental responsibility had been given to the clerk. He felt that he had done a good job in the 18 months that he had been taking care of the building rental. During that time, he had painted the hall, cleaned up the back room and made carts for the folding chairs. He stated that he had put an envelope in the lock box before the last town board meeting with his wage requirements. The envelope had not been found by the clerk or treasurer. Orville insisted that it had been placed the box, by his wife, on Monday morning, along with another envelope containing checks for town hall rentals. He offered to call his wife to verify that. The envelope with the checks had been found in the box on Wednesday. Orville turned over the rental agreements, calendar, and two sets of keys to the clerk. He gave a key for the exterior door to Mike Behnen, as he is now the Chairman for the P and Z Board.
There will be a meeting for the Highway 23 project at the catholic school on May 19th from 4-6 PM. Holthaus thought that at least one of the supervisors should attend. Willenbring said that he was going to be there.
Reviewed Mail

Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $25,285.55 using check numbers 4894-4904.

Adjournment
At 9:30 PM, a motion to adjourn was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

Minutes submitted by: Boni Behnen, Clerk

January 19, 2016
Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes

January 19, 2016
A motion to close the December 21, 2015 meeting was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0. The meeting had been continued to December 30, 2015 but, that meeting was canceled,
Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on January 19, 2016 by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg, and P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen, and Orville Willenbring.

Absent
None

Approval of Minutes
The minutes were read. A motion to approve the minutes from December 21, 2015 was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.

Treasurer’s Report
Income $149,786.84 Expenses $54,496.14 Balance $281,341.57 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

New Business
Orville said that the quilters would like to rent the town hall for three consecutive days in February. It was decided to charge them $120.00 total, not the normal rate of $75.00/day. Holthaus said that they donate the quilts and we should give them a price break
.
Zoning Administrator
No Business

General Township Issues
Boni and Dick had been contacted by Theresa and Jerry Gertken concerning the solar garden that the Ramlers were requesting a CUP for from Stearns County. They were not happy about the placement of the solar panels. They feel that the panels are too close to their home. The Gertkens had attended the hearings at Stearns County. Holthaus had spoken to them after the last meeting and offered to let them use the Munson Town Hall to meet with Sun Edison and the Ramlers to try to negotiate a solution. No negotiations are in the works at this time.
Holthaus asked if Bob Ruppe should be at the Stearns County Commissioners hearing on February 2 to represent the township’s interest in the solar garden. The township roads are involved and the township may receive revenue from the solar garden. Orville said that it looked like the township was paying to represent one person. The supervisors stated that it was for the good of the township. They are not against the Gertkens. A motion to ask Ruppe to attend the February 2nd meeting, pending nothing is worked out, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Boni stated that the township Entity Authorization Form needed to be updated at the State Bank of Richmond. It will be done in March after the elections. One of the keys is missing for the safe deposit box,. Boni will check with Michelle to see if she possibly has it. A $20.00 fee will need to be paid if the key isn’t found. It was decided that the Clerk, Treasurer, and Chairman will have access to the safe deposit box.
Holthaus asked if they should ask for quotes to tar Fellows Road. Last year Holthaus had received a $90,000.00 quote. The township will request quotes from Hardrives, Bauerly Bros, Central Specialities, and MN Blacktopping. Request for Quotes will also be published and placed on the website. The quote should be for:
22 feet wide pavement
3” of tar with two 1 ½” lifts
Reshape and blade
Shoulders will be taken are of later
Use county specs
1foot bump outs for approaches and driveways, except for paved driveways, they need to match up.
Quotes must be in by March 31st
Work must be completed by July 1, 2016
The township has the right to refuse any and all quotes
A motion to request the quotes as listed was made by, Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

A motion to appoint a ballot board and election judges for the March 8, 2016 township election was made byWillenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Ballot Board – Matt Burg and Carin Schroeder
Election Judges – Matt Burg, Carin Schroeder, Kayla, Amy and Mike Behnen, Karen Buermann, Orville Willenbring, Berni Doll, Dan Holthaus, Robert Heying, and Butch Gertken.

Reviewed Mail

Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $25,044.96 using check numbers 4825-4838.

Adjournment
At 9:10 PM, a motion to close the meeting was made by, Gertken, seconded byWillenbring. Carried 3-0.

Minutes submitted by: Boni Behnen, Clerk




April 18, 2016
Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes

April 18, 2016
Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on April 18, 2016 by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg and P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen

Absent
None

Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from March 21, 2016 as read, was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.

Treasurer’s Report
Income $584.75 Expenses $44,395.32 Balance $256,422.31 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

New Business
Greg Bartes presented a map of Townsview Road. He would like to continue west with a 1,723 foot extention of that road for development. He asked if the township would take over the road once it is complete. Holthaus informed him that the road would have to meet Munson Township specifications. Bartes was given a copy of the township specs. Holthaus stated that once all was complete, the board would vote on taking it over.
A group of West Ashton residents had a list of questions that they wanted answered by the board before they felt comfortable signing the tarring petition. Holthaus answered the questions on the list and took questions from the residents. After considerable discussion the residents decided to form a committee to determine how to proceed. Only a handful of residents had signed the petition. Instead of tarring, possibly they would have the roads graded and dustcoated. They also are considering paying for having a feasibility study done to determine the actual cost of tarring, getting the roads up to township specifications and addressing the drainage problems.
Rod Gertken said that the road elevation on Crabapple Court was not correct. It only has 3 feet of ditch, normally it would be 4. Rod asked if he could hire an engineer to bring it up to code. The board did not have a problem with that.
Zoning Administrator
The P and Z Board will have two special meeting in May to consider a rezoning request and two variances.
Lynn had received a call from Linda Theis concerning adding a permanent approach on 246th St near the Koetter farm. Munson Township only allows for one if they already have access. It would require a public hearing to add another approach.
The meeting was closed to discuss Lynn’s wages. She has a list of work performed during the last year. Rate of pay and other options were discussed. Next month the board would like to see her hours per month excluding her time for site and culvert permits.

General Township Issues
A motion was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken, to open the Fellows Road Tarring Quotes. Carried 3-0.
Quotes are as follows:
Knife River Corp - $53,433.00
Tri-City Paving - $63,000.00
Central Specialties - $61,126.70
Hardrives - $70,792.60
Astech - $80,200.00
A motion to grant the paving project to Knife River Corp, was made by Gertken, seconded by, Willenbring. Carried 3-0.
Kurt Kubasch, Central MN Dust Control, called and said that he had forgotten about the meeting tonight. He said that his price for dust control would be the same as last year @.52/foot. Robyn will email a quote. A motion to approve the quote was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Tom Kraemer Inc had emailed and asked for a $150.00 donation for advertising a Cold Spring clean-up day. The board decided to stay with their policy not to donate.
A motion to nominate Willenbring for Vice Chair for 2016 was made by Gertken, seconded by Holthaus. Carried 2-0.
The board discussed the town hall rental. Orville had indicated at a previous meeting that he was not willing to take care of the town hall rental for the $10 agreed upon. Orville was not present at the meeting to discuss the issue. A motion to have Boni take care the town hall rental was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

Reviewed Mail

Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $7,104.43 using check numbers 4880-4893.

Adjournment
At 9:55 PM, the meeting was extended to Monday, April 25 @ 4:00 PM to conduct the annual road inspections.

Minutes submitted by: Boni Behnen, Clerk


Minutes
Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes

March 21, 2016
Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on March 21, 2016 by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg and P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen

Absent
None

Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from February 16, 2016 as read, was made by Butch, seconded by, Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

Treasurer’s Report
Income $2,486.19 Expenses $4,961.75 Balance $272,583.36 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

New Business
Bonnie and Donald Riis, 20837 Elmdale Road, were present to state that Elmdale Road was in need of repair. The residents had paid for half of the tarring in 1992 and the township had agreed to take over maintenance of the road but the Riis’ stated that nothing has been done. Holthaus said that the board would look at it when the road tour in done this spring. Donald said that part of the road had been repaired when it was heaving and that was done wel,l but more repairs are needed. Bonnie asked to be called after the inspection to hear what will be done.

Mark Harren, township building inspector, just wanted to check in to see if the board had any questions or suggestions. Mike Behnen said that he had heard a few complaints about Harren using two sets of books when issuing building permits. Harren said that he only uses the Minnesota State Code Book. He also said that codes have changed and permits are different for residential and commercial permits. It would depend on when the permit was taken out as well.

.
Zoning Administrator
No Business

General Township Issues
Holthaus had talked with Rod Gertken about the condition of the roads in the West Ashton Development. Rod would like a list of the property owners and a copy of the Agreement for Waiver of Objection To Special Assessment Associated With The 2016 West Ashton Addition Improvements, drawn up by Bob Ruppe. Rod intends to get signatures from the residents for a petition to ask the township to adopt a special assessment for the cost. Holthaus had informed Rod that it was possible that the township would assess it under certain conditions. They would need to use our specs and do a feasibility study. Holthaus said that the road is blown apart already and an engineer would need to look at that. The board can ask for 100% participation from the residents.
Matt Gertken presented a quote from Ralph’s Excavating for Class 5 and Blading for 2016. A motion was made by Willenbring to open the quote. Seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
The quote is as follows:
Class 5 Hauling and Spreading $8.25 per yard
Blading Roads $95.00 per hour
A motion to accept the quote from Ralph’s Excavating was made by, Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Boni said that the township needed to purchase a fire safe to be in compliance with the MN Assoc. of Townships recommendations. All minutes and treasurer’s year end reports are to be stored in a fire safe along with many other documents. A motion allowing for the purchase of a fire safe was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
At last month’s meeting the board had authorized Boni to order a credit card from the State Bank of Richmond. A motion to allow a credit limit of $1000.00 per month was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0. Cards will be issued to Boni, Lynn, and Butch.
Boni had to talked to the postmaster and he had suggested that the township buy a first class postal permit for mailing newsletters. It would cut down on the expense of paying for return postage. The permit has an initial fee of $300.00. It was decided to send the newsletters addressed to the resident or current resident then return postage won’t be an issue.
Boni informed the board that Appolis Inc would no longer be hosting the township website and Karolyn Boucher was retiring as website administrator. The board decided that Boni should take care of finding a replacement.
Astech is the only company that has replied with a quote for the Fellows Road tarring project. The deadline is the 31st of March.
Gertken questioned if the township should consider using flashing to repair Florence Circle. The county uses flashing on some of its roads. Flashing is a process of three layers, oil, chips, oil. He had heard that it was 1/5 the price of blacktopping. Gertken will get a price on how much it runs per mile.

Reviewed Mail
The board signed a document updating contact info for the board members.

Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $44,395.32 using check numbers 4849-4879.

Adjournment
At 9:20 PM, a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by, Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.

Minutes submitted by: Boni Behnen, Clerk


March 10, 2015
Munson Township Annual Meeting
March 10, 2015
8:15 PM

The annual meeting was called to order at 8:15 PM by Clerk, Boni Behnen.

A motion to nominate Dan Holthaus as moderator was made by Matt Burg, seconded by Mike Behnen. All in favor. Motion carried.

A motion to approve the minutes from the 2014 annual meeting was made by Jerry Hemmesch, seconded by Mike Behnen. All in favor. Motion carried.

The treasurer's report was reviewed. A motion to approve the treasurer's report was made by Jerry Hemmesch, seconded by, Orville Willenbring. All in favor. Motion carried.

There were no reports of any roads, signs or culverts in need of repair.

2016 Levy Proposed: Motion to accept Second
General Fund $75,000.00 Matt Burg Jerry Hemmesch
Road & Bridge $148,000.00 Matt Burg Robert Heying
Snow Removal $30,000.00 Matt Burg Orville Willenbring
Fire Protection $105,000.00 Randy Buermann Jerry Hemmesch
Building Fund $3,000.00 Mike Behnen Larry Massmann

All of the above motions were voted as listed, all in favor. Motions carried.

A motion to keep Matt Burg as Poundmaster for 2015 was made by Joe Willenbring, seconded by Jerry Hemmesch. All in favor. Motion carried.

Posting of notices: State Bank of Richmond, Plantenberg's Market, Munson Township Hall, Casey’s and the Township Website. Motion to approve, Jerry Hemmesch, seconded by, Orville Willenbring. AIF. Motion carried.


Monthly Munson Township Board meeting remain: 8:00 PM on the third Monday of the month. The third Tuesday if it falls on a legal holiday.

Annual meeting remains: 8:15 PM after the general election on the second Tuesday of the month of March. Voting hours 12 noon until 8:00 PM. Motion to accept these two items: Matt Burg. Second: Joe Willenbring. AIF. Motion carried.

Pay scales:
Labor: Leave at $15.00/hr.
Tractor: Leave at $12.00/hr. Plus fuel charge.
Loader: Leave at $4.00/hr.
Snow blower: Leave at $12.00/hr.
Chainsaw: Leave at $7.00/hr.
Motion to approve all of the pay scales as listed, Matt Burg. Second, Jerry Hemmesch. All in favor. Motion carried.

Old business: None

New Business:
Randy Buermann stated that Roman Schaefer of Evergreen Farms had informed Randy that he (Schaefer) was being sued by the township over a road issue. Holthaus stated that the Township Board was not at liberty to discuss the issue because of the pending litigation. Holthaus told Buermann that he could look at the original contract that Schaefer had signed with Munson Township.


Dean Holthaus, Assistant Fire Chief, talked on the behalf of the Chain of Lakes Fire District. He gave a short synopsis of stats and calls by the COL Fire Dept. in 2014:

Current Members 25
All Members are 1st Responders
5 RN, 2 EMT, 1 Paramedic
All are Fire 1, Fire 2 and Hazmat
12 Ice Water Technicians

Fire Dept. Calls in 2014- 77
Munson Twp. Calls- 43
Medical Calls-34
Balance- Car Accidents and False alarms.
These numbers do not include mutual aid calls.

In 2014 the Fire Dept. was $20,000.00 under budget and all is going well with the dept.

There will be a fund raiser for the COL Fire and Rescue Dept. on May 29th 2015 at River Station in Richmond.

Randy Buermann asked about training for oil trains. The COL will be attending training in Paynesville for oil trains. Dean Holthaus stated that we don’t have rail cars coming into Richmond but, if needed for mutual aid they will have the necessary training.


Election results as follows:

Supervisor: Dan Holthaus- 63
Write In - 0

Treasurer: Dick Behnen- 63
Write In - 0

Total number of voters: 63

A motion to adjourn was made by Mike Behnen, seconded Joe Willenbring. All in Favor. Motion carried.


Minutes
Munson Township Board of Supervisors
Meeting Minutes

February 16, 2016
Opening
The regular monthly meeting of the Munson Township Board of Supervisors was called to order at 8:00 PM on February 16, 2016 by Chairman, Dan Holthaus.

Present
Joe Willenbring, Butch Gertken, Clerk, Boni Behnen, Treasurer Dick Behnen, and P & Z Ad., Lynn Burg.

Absent
P & Z Chair, Mike Behnen

Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from January 19, 2016 as read, was made by Willenbring, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.

Treasurer’s Report
Income $18,762.31 Expenses $25,044.96 Balance $275,058.92 A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report was made by Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

New Business
Boni brought the possibility of the township obtaining a credit card. We are paying a late fee on the Arvig bill every month because the due date falls before the monthly meeting. The gas company gives a discount if the bill is paid within 10 of delivery. The current bill would have had a $56.17 discount. The card could also be used for supplies for the township. Willenbring stated that the church has one for the secretary and we would get an itemized statement to approve each month. A motion was made by Willenbring to approve a township credit card from the State Bank of Richmond, seconded by, Gertken. Carried 3-0.
.
Zoning Administrator
No Business

General Township Issues
Willenbring had attended the Stearns County Commissioners Hearing on February 2, 2016 for a Conditional Use Permit for Marv and Sandra Ramler’s proposed solar garden. Willenbring gave a short synopsis of the proceedings. The Sun Edison representative was not present at the meeting. The Commissioners felt that without the rep being there to discuss the issue they had no choice but to deny the permit.
Gertken had obtained info regarding the Stearns County tarring project near Munson Township. The contractor that they are using is Tri City Paving out of Little Falls. It was decided to send them a Request for Quotes Notice. Possibly the township could get a better price from them, if they are already doing tarring in the area.
Reviewed Mail

Pay Bills
A motion to pay bills, was made by Willenbring, seconded by Gertken. Carried 3-0.
Bills were paid in the amount of $4,961.81 using check numbers 4839-4848.

Adjournment
At 8:35 PM, a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by, Gertken, seconded by Willenbring. Carried 3-0.

Minutes submitted by: Boni Behnen, Clerk

Minutes from township board meetings are placed on the website once they have been approved,

Ex: Minutes from the June board meeting would be placed on the website following their approval at the July meeting.

2016 Munson Township Board Minutes

​ Munson Township