Duluth Town Board Meeting
October 13, 2005

Meeting was called to order at: 7:02

Members Present:  Wendy Anderson, Jeff Cook, Stephen Dahl, Dan Tanner, Corlis West.

Members Absent:  None

1.  Approve the Minutes

• Corlis West made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted by the Clerk, Wendy Anderson seconded.  Motion passed. 

2.  Concerns from the Audience

• John Bowen:  The Duluth North Shore Sanitary District is sending a letter to Mr. Bille notifying him that improvements made to his property will be removed.   All discussions regarding Mr. Bille will be coordinated with the Towns Planning and Zoning Commission. 

McGladrey and Pullen Audit Report – Randy Johnson

• Clean Financial Statement
• “The Minnesota Legal Compliance Audit Guide for Local Government covers five categories of compliance to be tested:  contracting and bidding, deposits and investments, conflicts of interest, public indebtedness and claims and disbursements.  Our study included all of the listed categories.  The results of our tests indicate that for the items tested, the Township complied with the material terms and conditions of applicable legal provisions.” (Page 15 McGladrey & Pullen Financial and Compliance Report). 

3.  Approve Agenda

• Claim’s list following the Treasurers report
• Dan Tanner made a motion to approve the agenda, Stephen Dahl seconded.  Motion passed

4.  Correspondence

            a.  State of Minnesota - State Mandate Reform/Waiver Program: Keep on file

            b.  Coastal Council –

o        Jeff Cook made a resolution to support Mary Ann Sironen for the Coastal Council Board, Stephen Dahl seconded.  Resolution passed

·         Wendy Anderson will contact Mary Ann and request a brief monthly report. 

            c.  State of Minnesota – D/NSSD (Duluth North Shore Sanitary Board) Audit

            d.  WLSSD – District Wide Allocation

            e.  Local Board of Appeal and Equalization Training

o        Wendy Anderson, Jeff Cook and Dan Tanner have the training. 

o        Jeff will need a refresher in 2006

            f.  Johnson Controls – proof of Insurance

            g.  County Planning – CDBG Infrastructure Projects renewal.

o        Jeff Cook will review

5.  Treasurers Report

            a.  Beginning Balance    $527,505.25

            b.  Receipts                               $  27,222.04

            c.  Expenses                             $  56,867.10

            d.  Ending Balance                     $497,786.19

            e.  CD is coming due October 19, 2005.

            f. The Treasurer will be on vacation in November until the day before the next meeting.

            g. Claim List for Approval review.

o        Claim Number 1035 will be denied.  Wendy Anderson, Wayne Dahlberg and John Kessler will meet to discuss the claim. 

6.  Programs of Work tabled from September

o        The board went through the “Program of Work” summary created at the Special Meeting held April 22, 2005.  Completed items were marked off, incomplete items were discussed, time-lines were set. 

7.  Department Reports

            a.  Police Report

o        Read and Approved

            b.  Fire Report

• The Relief Association notified the Town Board of their intent to increase per year of service member retirement from $600.00 to $700.00.  Following the State Auditor guidelines the fund could support a per year increase to $1000.00 per year of service however the Fire Department would like to remain on the conservative side. Corlis West made a motion to approve the increase in Relief Association payout from $600.00 to $700.00 per year of service, Jeff Cook seconded.  Motion passed
• Roll Call on the Motion
• Abstained:  Wendy Anderson
• Approved:  Jeff Cook, Stephen Dahl, Dan Tanner and Corlis West 
• FEMA Grant has been received.  The fire department was awarded $90,186.00 towards the purchase of: turn-out gear,  an air compressor and SCBA’s

c.  Community Center

• Community Education
• Jeanne Anderson has been putting in a great number of hours getting the Community Education program up and running, 10% has been added to the class fees to cover the extra hours. 
• Solar Panels have been installed but are not fully functional. 
• Insurance has been increased to cover the solar panels.
• Firewise – The fire department does not want to be a part of this project at this time.  The school does not need the grant to move forward with the sprinkler project. 

d.  Legal

            No Report

e.  Town Hall

• Jeff Cook: Increase of Federal Mileage
• Increased to .485 per mile

f.  Planning and Zoning

• Wendy Anderson: Continue Administrator Assistant Hours
• John Kessler will have office hours one day a week instead of two. 
• Update the building permit
• Planning and Zoning has their first occurrence in the senso district.  A form will need to be created to assist homeowners who live in that district. 
• Wendy Anderson: Adult Use
• Wendy handed out a preliminary copy of the Adult Use.
• Wendy Anderson: Reference Guide
• Add the community center information
• Remove the bottom three County and State references but  leave the Gopher State One Call phone number.
• Add Police Department Cell Phone number.
• Add cemetery information

o        County Planning Meeting in Biwabik:

• Maps were distributed outlining the zoning differences between Duluth Township and the County.  The Meeting is to be rescheduled in the Duluth area possibly in November.  

o        North Shore Management Board –

• Jeff Cook gave a brief discussion of the meeting. 

o        Grant Application to the Coastal Program

• Sue Lawson requested permission to apply for a grant to purchase a computer and printer for the Planning and Zoning Department.  With the purchase of the computer we will be able to have the County GIS Mapping program installed to assist township residents in making planning decisions.  Sue was given permission to move ahead.

o        Harassment

• The home owner next to the Talmage River is trying to rebuild her home on her property, which she has the legal right to do.  She has a legal permit and is doing a very good job cleaning the area and complying with the current zoning ordinance. 

o        Planned Unit Development and fee structure.

• There will be an open house in November and a public hearing in December. 

o        Sue Lawson would like to request the Town Board write a letter to the Duluth North Shore Sanitary District and request a written copy of their policy for the Planning Commission.  Jeff Cook will take care of this issue.

            g. Recycling

            h. Road and Bridge 

            i. Cemetery

o        The roof has been repaired. 

8.  Old Business

            a.  Denied Claim 947 – Planning and Zoning Insurance

o        Wendy Anderson called the insurance company, this year the insurance will be paid out of General Fund, in 2006 the insurance will be paid out of the Planning and Zoning Fund.  With this discussion the insurance bill is no longer denied. 

            b.  Denied Claim 909

o        Wendy Anderson contacted Sprint and has repaired the bill.  The new bill with its adjusted amount will be approved and paid at this meeting.

            c.  Jeff Cook:

o        Mr. Charles Bille/Grinder Pump on Property.  Discussion has been completed under Concerns from the Audience.

9.  New Business

o        Letter from Jeff Cook representing Duluth Township and the McQuade Joint Powers Board to Senators Coleman and Dayton urging passage of HR 2864, the Water Resources Development Act of 2005. 

o        McQuade Joint Powers Board alternate is Dan Tanner

o        Don McTavish has obtained a high speed internet installation for the township at little to no cost.  The Township might have to pay for some hardware but installation is at no cost. 

10.  Pay Bills

11.  Motion to adjourn at 9:45 p.m.