Joint Meeting/Minutes /Planning Commission and Town Board of Supervisors

SYLVAN TOWNSHIP

JOINT MEETING/MINUTES /PLANNING COMMISSION AND TOWN BOARD OF SUPERVISORS JUNE 13, 2013

Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance/Roll Call: PC Chair Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and the Pledge of Allegiance was said. Roll Call: Planning Commission: Brenda Silgjord, Arlene Schmit, Dave Johnson, Board Liaison Yvette Adelman-Dullinger and Colleen Putnam Deputy Clerk. Town Board Supervisors: Roland Anderson, John Wulff, Greg Booth, Lee Shade and Faith Broberg, Clerk. Excused Absence: PC Member: Greg Bennett

Agenda: Brenda Silgjord moved to approve the amended agenda, seconded by Arlene Schmit and the motion carried.

Minutes: PC Regular Meeting Minutes May 9, 2013 Amend/Approve – Arlene Schmit moved to approve the minutes as presented, seconded by Brenda Silgjord and the motion carried.

Public Input – None

Correspondence Received: Letter from John Ringle – Director of Cass County Environmental Services- Mr. Ringle commented on the good selection of septic inspector bids the Township received. Mr. Ringle went on to explain that since the bid for inspecting the septic systems of residents came in so low that the Township could do twice as many systems by hiring two inspectors. After discussion it was decided that since the Town Board had voted to accept the low bid of Maschler Septic Consultants out of Brainerd, Minnesota that we should talk with them first to see if they are agreeable to the Township hiring two inspectors each taking one half of the Township and paying them both $45.00 per inspection. (Maschler had gotten the bid at $40.00 but since the second lowest bid was $45.00 the Township would pay them the same amount). The second lowest bidder was Aaron Kellerman. Supervisor Shade moved to contact LuAnn Marschler to see if LuAnn would agree to split the inspections in the Township into east and west and paying $45.00 across the board with the possibility of getting twice as many inspections done, seconded by Supervisor Adelman-Dullinger. This would mean a total of 500 inspections completed each year. The question was called and the motion carried.

Old Business: Review Survey Results – the overriding theme of the survey taken last fall in 2012:  Keeping the “rural feel” and protect the lakes.

Joint Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors Meeting June 13, 2013 Page 1  Appreciate and protect our water resources. This was a high priority.  Keep and protect our natural environment.  Keep the small town “feel” yet pave all the roads. The responses now in 2013 are not that much different then back in 2004 in the first Comprehensive Plan.

A couple of contradictions that were noted are; leave my property rights alone but regulate everyone else so as not to mess with my plans and I want to have the water resources and natural environment protected but I want to cut my trees down.

It was mentioned that terminology means something different to different people such as; rural setting, country setting, agriculture. The definition depends on where you were raised or what you have experienced.

An overall concern of full time residents is annexation.

Student’s Survey Responses – Listed their highest concerns down to less concern.  Rural Living --hunting- woods, fields, water, wildlife  Proximity to Brainerd/Baxter  Outdoor recreational activities  Agriculture Community involvement and cleaning up the neighborhood were also listed as important to the students. History did not rank very high with the students as well as government. Their preferred method of communication is social media.

Visioning Session Results –  Residents want the Township to take care of both the residential and commercial permitting –instead of traveling the distance to Walker.  Regulating lot sizes as a means to protect the rural character of the Township.  Cluster Development to promote more open spaces.  Township has a lot to offer in the way of parks, green space.

Things that surprised us: Again the definition of rural –to urban people—that could be trails, golf course, cluster development with green around them, manicured lawns.

Private roads will need to be addressed in the Comprehensive plan. More than tarring people want the road taken over by the Township for maintenance. Include measurements on private roads in the Plan. Again terminology plays a part. Public roads are not necessarily Township roads. The public uses them but the Township does not maintain them.

Another feature that stood out is cooperation between the school, City of Pillager, Townships, old and young. Several entities share services such as,  Maintenance of roads- townships have shared road agreements.  Law enforcement between the local entities and with Cass County.

Review of 2004 Comprehensive Plan –

Joint Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors Meeting June 13, 2013 Page 2 The PC and the Board of Supervisors went through the Plan page by page noting where information needed to be updated, where maps needed to be either updated, or to include more information or not needed at all. The page by page comments are not listed here but were marked in the Comprehensive Plan for when the actual changes will be made.

It was decided that the Planning Commission will check in July to see if they are ready for a joint meeting in August.

New Business –

Becky Rassler Home Occupation Business – it was decided that PC members Dave Johnson and Arlene Schmit will meet with Becky on Monday, June 17th, 2013 between 2:00 – 3:00 PM. They will meet here at 1:45 PM.

Linda Steffens Resignation Letter – Linda submitted her resignation to take effect immediately. She had too much work at this time. Arlene Schmit moved to accept with regret her resignation and to recommend acceptance of the resignation letter to the Town Board of Supervisors, seconded by Brenda Silgjord and the motion carried.

Town Board Chair Booth expressed thanks to Linda on behalf of the Board for all her work with the Planning Commission.

Board Accepting PC Members Letter of Resignation – Supervisor Wulff moved to accept Linda Steffen’s letter of resignation with regret, seconded by Supervisor Adelman-Dullinger and the motion carried.

Advertise for PC Opening – Supervisor Adelman-Dullinger moved to advertise the opening on the Planning Commission seconded by Supervisor Wulff and the motion carried.

Adjournment: Supervisor Anderson moved to adjourn the Board of Supervisors Meeting, seconded by Supervisor Wulff and the motion carried with the meeting adjourning at 9:34 PM.

Minutes submitted by,

______Faith C. Broberg, Clerk/Treasurer Chair, Greg Booth

Supervisor Wulff moved to approve the minutes as presented/as amended, seconded by Supervisor Adelman-Dullinger and the motion carried.

Amendments: Page 3 under Becky Rassler change the l to 1.

Joint Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors Meeting June 13, 2013 Page 3