Official Minutes 12.4.12
The December monthly meeting was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. All members were present. Also present was Bill Otto.
The November minutes were read. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the minutes as read, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.
Duane Janssen gave a financial report.

RE: Manana Road Project – The Manana Road project is finished. Discussion was held. It was decided to use $75,000 of the tarring fund for the project with the rest of the cost coming out of the General Fund.

RE: Zoning Administrator – Bill Otto announced that he is resigning from the position of Zoning Administrator effective this spring as he is moving out of the Township. He is looking for a replacement and asked if anyone had any suggestions.

RE: Albany Fire Dept – Neil Franz reported that the Albany Fire Dept had purchased a new tanker at a cost of $195,000. A large portion of the cost will be covered by grants, fund-raising, etc.

RE: COL Fire and Rescue District – The annual Budget Meeting of the COL Fire & Rescue District will be held on December 13, 2012 with the Supervisors of Farming Township in attendance. The clerk will post the announcement.

RE: The January monthly meeting will be changed to Tuesday, January 8, 2013 as Tuesday, January 1, 2013 is a legal holiday. The clerk will post and publish the announcement.

RE: March Township Elections – The clerk announced that filing for the March election will open on January 2, 2013 and run until 5 pm on January 15, 2013. The notices will be published and posted.

The following warrants were examined, verified and ordered paid:
6023 Dan Stommes supervisor wages $ 500.05
6024 Judy Bruemmer election judge 122.50
6025 Bill Otto zoning adm. wages 33.02
6026 Bill Otto site permits 42.00
6027 Neil Franz supervisor wages 226.44
6028 Vernon Willenbring supervisor wages 415.14
6029 Vernon Willenbring election judge 77.50
6030 Judy Bruemmer clerk wages 537.79
6031 Judy Bruemmer reimburse mileage/computer 90.00
6032 Duane Janssen treasurer wages 438.73
6033 Mayers Repair bolts for signs 39.20
6034 Stearns Electric monthly electric bill 64.93
6035 Knife River partial pmt for Manana Road 85,401.39
6036 MATIT Agency workmans comp ins. 239.00

Total $ 88,227.69
Year-to-date Total $ 258,223.50

At 9:07 pm, Neil Franz made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

Official Minutes 11.13.12
The November monthly meeting was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. All members were present. Also present were Dale Lange, John Doubek and Mike Nelson.

The October minutes were read. One correction was made – regarding the Pete Fischer road – the township board stated that they would require a 22 foot base for the road but would not require that it be tarred. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the minutes with the correction, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

A financial report was given by Duane Janssen. The township has a balance of $61,535.44.

RE: Manana Road – Neil Franz reported that the road was finished and nicely done. Mike Nelson from MN Engineering presented the boring tests and stated that all looked good. He will bring the tarring bill to the next meeting.

RE: John Doubek – John Doubek had questions concerning the zoning regulations for Farming Township and his wish to build a second home on his 44 acre property. The board stated that he needed to check with Stearns County as we follow their zoning ordinances.

RE: Snow Removal Quotes – Only one quote was received for snow removal. Sunny Brook Enterprises submitted a quote of $100/hr for truck, $85/cyd for salt/sand, a $5/hr surcharge if diesel was over $4 a gallon and a guarantee of $600 for the months of December, January, February and March. Herdering, Inc. was contacted but did not submit a quote and Lange Trenching said they were not interested in snow removal. Discussion was held. Neil Franz made a motion to approve the quote from Sunny Brook Enterprises, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

RE: COL – nothing to report as no meeting was held since last month

RE: Albany Fire Dept – Neil Franz gave a short report on the Albany Fire Dept stating that they are shopping for a replacement water tanker and will sell the old one.

RE: Albany School District Fifth Monday Meeting – Dan Stommes attended the meeting and said the district’s levy ends next year and decisions need to be made as to what to do next.

The following warrants were examined, verified and ordered paid:
6011 MN UI Fund wage detail late fee $ 250.00
6012 Lange Trenching blading 1470.88
6013 Star Publishing newspaper ads 26.00
6014 Stearns Electric monthly electric bill 64.93
6015 MN Engineering Manana Rd inspections 1950.00
6016 COL Fire District Qtr 4 billing 1153.48
6017 Walter Graham election judge 77.50
6018 Mary Lou Salzl election judge 77.50
6019 Randy Orbeck election judge 75.00
6020 Linda Theisen election judge 75.00
6021 Arnold Wehseler election judge 72.50
6022 Joyce Wimmer election judge 130.00
Total $ 5,422.79
Year-to-date Total $ 169,995.81

At 9:05 pm, Neil Franz made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

Farming Township
Official Minutes 10.2.12
The October monthly meeting was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. Present were Duane Janssen, Dan Stommes, Neil Franz and Vernon Willenbring. Also present was Pete Fischer.
The September minutes were read. Dan Stommes made a motion to accept the minutes as read. Neil Franz seconded. All in favor, motion carried.
Duane Janssen gave a financial report. The Township had a balance of $58,149.00.

RE: Pete Fischer – Pete Fischer noted that the road on his property is built 18 to 18.5 feet wide currently. The township board stated that the road needed a 22 foot base and that they would not require tar. He will present a plat – if the costs make sense.

RE: Manana Road – Reclamation work will begin on Thursday, October 4, first coat on Friday, October 5 and over coat on Monday, October 8.

RE: Sign Reflectivity – A shipment of replacement signs has been received. The sign registry will be updated to show which signs were replaced.

RE: Snow Removal Quotes – Dan will call Leo Gerads, Vernon will call Herdering.

The following warrants were examined, verified and ordered paid:
6008 Stearns Electric monthly electric bill $ 64.93
6009 US Treasury medicare/social security 339.84
6010 M-R Sign Co. signs 2136.13
Total $ 2,540.90
Year-to-date Total $ 164,573.02

A motion to adjourn was made by Neil Franz at 9:15 pm. It was seconded by Dan Stommes. All in favor, motion carried.
Minutes taken by Neil Franz.

Farming Township
Official Minutes 9.4.12
The September monthly meeting was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. All members were present. Also present were Math Schmitz, Bill Otto, Mike Nelson, Pete Fischer, Tony Thelen and Stephanie Jacobs.
The August meeting minutes were read. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the minutes as read, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.
A financial report was given by Duane Janssen.
RE: Manana Road Project – Mike Nelson reported that Knife River was not planning on doing the project until late October. He contacted them and the project will now be done by approximately September 20, 2012. He will take care of the contracting and will oversee the project.
RE: Pete Fischer – Pete Fischer stated that he wanted to sell/plot more of his property. He checked with the County and one of the recommendations they gave was for Farming Township to take over the road leading to his various plots. Discussion was held. The Board told him that the Township had a resolution stating that the Township will not take over any roads unless they are tarred. No decisions were made.
RE: Weed Inspection – The Township Supervisors reported that they had completed their weed inspection and had contacted those who needed to cut any noxious weeds.
RE: GoatRopers Bar & Grill – Tony Thelen and Stephanie Jacobs were present to state that they were working towards a partnership agreement concerning GoatRopers Bar & Grill. They asked if the Township Board had any concerns about the agreement or the possible transfer of the Liquor License. Discussion was held. The Board of Supervisors stated that they were not opposed to the agreement or the license transfer at this time and that they would need to see an application before they would make any motion on it.
RE: Chain of Lakes Fire District – Vernon Willenbring reported all is going well and that they are staying well within their budget.
RE: November Meeting – Due to the General Election being held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, the Board decided to change the November meeting to Tuesday, November 13, 2012.

The following warrants were examined, verified and ordered paid:
5987 Vernon Willenbring supervisor wages $ 509.49
5988 Lange Trenching blading 1435.00
5989 Pat Schmitz cutting road ditches 2175.00
5990 Math Schmitz variance meeting 33.02
5991 Bill Otto site permits/postage/ad 135.00
5992 Bill Otto zoning adm. wages 66.04
5993 Stearns Electric monthly electric bill 64.93
5994 Joyce Wimmer election judge/training 180.00
5995 Walter Graham election judge/training 120.00
5996 Arnold Wehseler election judge/training 123.00
5997 Linda Theisen election judge/training 120.00
5998 Mary Lou Salzl election judge/training 120.00
5999 Ron Kalthoff variance meeting 33.02
6000 City of St. Martin ½ 2012 fire protection est. 5665.17
6001 Neil Franz supervisor wages 283.05
6002 MN Eng. & Const. Serv. Manana road project 560.00
6003 Dan Stommes supervisor wages 226.44
6004 Vernon Willenbring election judge/training 155.00
6005 Judy Bruemmer judge/training/reimburse 375.00
6006 Judy Bruemmer clerk wages 877.45
6007 Duane Janssen treasurer wages 382.12

Total $ 13,638.73
Year-to-date Total $ 162,032.12

Dan Stommes made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:25 pm, Neil Franz seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

Farming Township
Official Minutes 8.7.12

The August monthly meeting was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. All members were present. Also present were Craig Bardson, Bill Otto, Ron Kalthoff, Math Schmitz, Neil Eiynck, Eiynck’s two sons and Mike Nelson.

The July monthly meeting minutes were read. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the minutes as read, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried. The July Special Meeting minutes were read. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the minutes as read, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

A financial report was given by Duane Janssen. The July checks are in and $40,000 was deposited into a CD for the Tarring Fund.

RE: July Special Meeting – It was reported that all papers concerning the Fromm turn-around were signed and notarized.

RE: Neil Eiynck Variance – The Zoning Board presented their recommendation on the variance request by Neil Eiynck. The request was for an entrance stoop with a setback of 94 feet from road center instead of the required 100 feet. The Zoning Board recommended approval of the variance. Discussion was held. Dan Stommes made a motion to approve the variance as recommended by the Zoning Board, Neil Franz seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

RE: Cutting Road Ditches – Math Schmitz requested permission to begin cutting road ditches the last week of August as he would be gone the next week. Discussion was held. Permission was granted.

RE: Manana Road – Mike Nelson was present with the bid info for Manana Road. Hardrives was $100,072.11 and Knife River was $96,589.60. Central Specialties did not give a bid stating that they were not interested at this time – per Mike Nelson. Discussion was held. It was determined that each bid could be reduced by approximately $8500 by eliminating three items listed in the bids. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the bid from Knife River in the reduced amount of $88,055 , Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried. Mike Nelson will take care of the agreement paperwork and overseeing the project.

RE: 911 Sign – It was noted that the 911 sign at the Tony Kotten residence is broken. The township will order a replacement.

RE: Reflectivity Signs – A list of signs that were recommended for replacement because of bad condition and reflectivity was presented to the Board. It was decided to go ahead and order new replacement signs.

RE: Craig Bardson Rezoning – Craig Bardson was present to request the Board’s approval of his application to rezone approximately five acres from AGG to Industrial. The land is east of Mapleview Road and was once a gravel mine. Mr. Bardson presented his plan. Discussion was held. A motion was made by Neil Franz to approve the proposed rezoning plan to the county, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

RE: Albany Fire Department – Neil Franz had attended the Albany Fire Department Meeting and presented the proposed agreement. Discussion was held. Neil Franz made a motion to extend the agreement with the Albany Fire Department for three years (through December 31, 2015), Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

RE: Dog Complaint – Dan Stommes reported that he received a dog complaint from Jeff Johnson. He will speak with the dog’s owner.

RE: Fireproof File – The Clerk and Supervisor Neil Franz have been checking vendors for pricing on a fireproof file for township records. The Board recommended that they go ahead and make a purchase if the price was reasonable. It was recommended that they try and stay under $1000 if possible.

The following warrants were examined, verified and ordered paid:
5980 Stearns Cty Aud-Treas assessing fees $ 6057.50
5981 Star Publications newspaper ads $ 48.75
5982 Wakefield Township COL clerk fees/bond interest $ 742.04
5983 COL Fire & Rescue Dist. operating costs 1153.48
5984 Stearns Electric monthly electric bill 64.93
5985 Envirotech Serv. Inc. dustcoating 10744.35
5986 Lange Trenching blading June/July 8297.19

Total $ 27,108.24
Year-to-date Total $ 148,393.39

At 9:57 pm, Neil Franz made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

Minutes taken by Judy Bruemmer, Farming Township Clerk.

Farming Township
Official Minutes 7.23.2012

The Special Meeting of the Farming Township Board was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said.
All members were present. Also present were Jeff Fromm, Donna Fromm, Skip Halverson, and Brian Brix.

RE: Easement on Herda Addition – Jeff & Donna Fromm requested that the Township road turn-around easement on the southeast corner of their property be moved to the southwest side of their property to allow for a new septic system to be installed on the southeast corner of the property. Discussion was held. A motion was made by Neil Franz that the Town Board by resolution authorize the Board Chairman to sign a resolution to release the temporary easement dated May 19, 1983 that was recorded as Document #554573. The Board Chairman would be authorized to release/vacate the easement when the Board has been presented with an easement of equal size and identical plan located on the southwest corner of the property. Dan Stommes seconded the motion. All in favor, motion carried.

At 8:55 pm, Neil Franz made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.
Minutes taken by Judy Bruemmer, Farming Township Clerk.

Farming Township
Official Minutes 7.3.12

The July monthly meeting was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. All members were present. Also present was Math Schmitz. Tony Legatt arrived at 8:50 pm.
The June minutes were read. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the minutes as read, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.
Duane Janssen gave a financial report.

RE: Manana Road – No update has been received from MN Engineering since the June meeting.

RE: Dustcoating – Neil Franz reported that the dustcoating was finished.

RE: Weed Inspection – Supervisors reported that they were not finished with weed inspection.

RE: Legatt Gravel Mining – A letter was received from Stearns County. Discussion was held. Mr. Legatt stated that he thought Farming Township should drop the $.25 fee per yard of material and should refund what was already paid. Discussion was held. Township Supervisors stated that they thought the fee should remain as it is. No changes were made.

RE: COL Fire District – Vernon Willenbring gave a short report on the Fire District. All is going well.

RE: Sign Reflectivity – Discussion was held concerning replacement of road signs. It was decided that the clerk would go through the list and determine which signs should be replaced first – according to their reflectivity/condition rating. The Clerk will also contact M-R Signs to check the price of the two types of signs.

The following warrants were examined, verified and ordered paid:
5975 Stearns Electric monthly electric bill $ 64.93
5976 Pat Schmitz cutting road ditches 1308.50
5977 US Treasury medicare/social security 515.39
5978 CVT testing on Manana Road 575.00
5979 Karolyn Boucher website domain registration 24.34

Total $ 2,488.16
Year-to-date Total $ 121,285.15

At 9:16 pm, Neil Franz made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

Farming Township
Official Minutes 6.5.12

The June monthly meeting was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. All members were present. Also present were Bill Otto, Dale Lange, Lisa Klaphake, Dewey Klaphake, Patsy Zimmerman, Dave Robertson, Mike Nelson, Craig Bardson and Tony Legatt.

The May minutes were read. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the minutes as read, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.
A financial report was given by Duane Janssen.

RE: Dustcoating – Neil Franz reported that dustcoating is scheduled for June 12, 2012 at a cost of .83/gal. Discussion was held concerning which roads were to be dustcoated and requests from residents who wanted their roads dustcoated. The question was brought up concerning dustcoating over the RAP on Marshfield Circle. This will be checked into.

RE: Manana Road – Mike Nelson from MN Engineering gave a report on the findings of testing done concerning the road surface. Discussion was held. Neil Franz made a motion to have Mike Nelson draw up design specs for Manana Road utilizing his previous estimates and to solicit bids, possibly in conjunction with Collegeville Township’s project, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried. Mike Nelson stated that Farming Township would not have to help pay for repairs on their part of Kriegle Lake Road – Collegeville Township will pay for them.

RE: Weed Inspection – Discussion was held regarding weed inspection. It was decided to do it the same as last year – with each Supervisor taking a part of the Township.

RE: Lindbergh Lane – Neil Franz asked if there was anything the Township should do regarding the changes the county had in mind for County Road 9 and Lindbergh Lane. Discussion was held. It was decided that nothing needed to be done at this time.

RE: Clear Lake Road Public Access – Supervisors reported being asked about the possibility of putting up ‘No Parking’ signs by the public access. Discussion was held. It was noted that they did not see a need for the signs at this time.

RE: Legatt Gravel Pit – Tony Legatt was present to ask for a refund of a payment he made according to the agreement he made with Farming Township concerning his gravel pit. He stated that he was ‘grandfathered’ in by Stearns County and should not have to pay the maintenance fee. Discussion was held. The Supervisors asked him to have Stearns County send a letter clarifying the situation and the matter would be discussed once the letter was received.

The following warrants were examined, verified and ordered paid:
5956 Neil Franz supervisor wages $ 566.10
5957 Neil Franz reimbursement/mileage 37.50
5958 Judy Bruemmer reimburse postage/mileage/wkshop 159.90
5959 Judy Bruemmer clerk wages 934.06
5960 Dan Stommes supervisor wages 594.40
5961 David Willenbring culvert repair 100.00
5962 Wm. Scepaniak, Inc Clear Lk Rd $8363/Class 5 $34,128.20 42,491.20
5963 Bill Otto zoning adm. wages 165.11
5964 Bill Otto permit fee/moderator fee 114.00
5965 Appolis Inc website support to 5/31/13 600.00
5966 Stearns Electric monthly electric bill 64.93
5967 Bardson Excavating Clear Lake Road repair 9687.00
5968 Lange Trenching blading 3418.98
5969 Patti Legatt treasurer wages 56.61
5970 Mayer’s Repair Clear Lake culvert repair 74.85
5971 Vernon Willenbring supervisor wages 787.82
5972 Duane Janssen treasurer wages 551.95
5973 Duane Janssen reimburse mileage/wkshop 77.00
5974 MAT workshop fee 50.00
Total $ 60,531.41
Year-to-date Total $ 118,796.99

At 10:00 pm, Neil Franz made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

Farming Township
Official Minutes 5.1.12
The May monthly meeting was called to order by Vernon Willenbring at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. All members were present. Also present were Math Schmitz, Dale Lange, Bill Otto and Fred Holthaus.

The April minutes were read. Two corrections were made to the Special Meeting minutes: the cost of material from Scepaniak, Inc was “$5” c/yd and the minutes were taken by Vernon Willenbring. Neil Franz made a motion to accept the April minutes with the correction, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

RE: Blading – Discussion was held with Dale Lange regarding blading issues.

RE: Ditch Cutting – Discussion was held concerning ditch cutting. Math Schmitz presented a quote. Dan Stommes made a motion to hire Schmitz to cut ditches for his quote of $60/hr plus fuel for 70 hp tractor, Neil Franz seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

RE: Clear Lake Road Repairs – It was reported that the Clear Lake Road repairs are finished.

RE: 317th/Marshfield – Discussion was held. The roads will be covered with RAP again. A speed limit sign will be put up going into the housing area.

RE: Records Retention – Discussion was held. A resolution adopting the Minnesota Townships Record Retention Schedule is needed to be able to archive important records and to be able to destroy unimportant records. Neil Franz made a motion to adopt the Resolution adopting the MN Townships General Records Retention Schedule, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

RE: Dustcoating – Dustcoating will be done on various roads in the township again this year. A notice will be put on the website for landowners to contact Neil Franz if they want dustcoating along their property.

RE: Manana Road – Discussion was held concerning information received from MN Engineering regarding resurfacing the road. It was decided to do more checking into road condition, etc. and discuss it further at the June meeting.

RE: Non-Intoxicating Liquor License – A request for approval from the township for a Non-Intoxicating Liquor License for GoatRopers Bar & Grill was received. Discussion was held. Dan Stommes made a motion to sign the request, Neil Franz seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

RE: Culvert on Clear Lake Road – Charles Reichert arrived toward the end of the meeting to inform the Board of problems with a culvert on Clear Lake Road. This will be checked into and taken care of.

RE: Zoning – Bill Otto gave a short report on zoning issues.

The following warrants were examined, verified and ordered paid:
5951 Albany Post Office stamps $ 45.00
5952 Stearns Electric monthly electric bill 64.93
5953 COL Fire District Qtr 2 fire protection 1153.48
5934 Lange Trenching blading 6370.12
5955 Fred Holthaus road discing 783.00
Total $ 8,416.53
Year-to-date Total $ 58,265.58

At 9:35 pm, Neil Franz made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Dan Stommes seconded. All in favor, motion carried.

Farming Township Official Minutes – Special Meeting 4.19.12
Vernon Willenbring called the Special Meeting to order at 8:00 pm. The flag pledge was said. Present were Vernon Willenbring, Neil Franz, Dan Stommes, Duane Janssen and Jerome Rausch.

Discussion was held concerning Clear Lake Road repair. Dan Stommes made a motion to hire Scepaniak, Inc to fill in Clear Lake Road to the north of the lake about 1000 feet for $5/cyd plus fabric, Neil Franz seconded. Motion carried.

Discussion was held concerning 317th Street and Marshfield Circle. Dan Stommes made a motion to put on RAP material, Neil Franz seconded. Motion carried.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Neil Franz at 8:40 pm, Dan Stommes seconded. Motion carried.

Minutes taken by Vernon Willenbring.