One local boy scout, Scout Liam, approached the Big Lake Town Board requesting permission to use township land as a part of his Eagle Scout project. He wants to create a pollinator garden to help protect bees and other pollinator species. The garden will be located near walking trails at Lions Park.

Liam is working closely with Sherburne County to identify native plant species that will work well to support a pollinator population. He will prepare the land later this summer, and likely begin planting next spring. 

Board member Norm Leslie, who had been discussing the project with Liam, assured the board that it was unlikely the garden would lead to any hikers being stung. The pollinators Liam hopes to attract will likely leave humans and animals alone. 

The board gave Liam their support to move forward with his project. 

Fire Dept. Report

Chief Hansen reported there were 36 calls for the department in April, including 16 for the city, 12 for Big Lake Twp., four for Orrock, and four mutual aid calls. Of those calls, nine were fires, which Hansen called a “significant amount.”

Hansen gave a summary of the recent house burning event, saying it was a very successful training day. 

Finally, he reminded the board and audience members that conditions are very dry right now, and advised them to be careful with any fires outdoors.

Sherburne County Update

Raeanne Danielowski and Bruce Messalt from Sherburne County visited the town board to give an update on the county, as they have been doing for other townships and cities within the county. 

The county is working on a more efficient way to count absentee ballots, since they expect voters to use that method much more after this last election season. Last year, about half of all the ballots the county received were sent absentee. They also want to have better communication with the candidates and better language on reporting. The state reports the results live, and will say that 100% of counties are reporting, when it is more accurate to say that 100% of counties are reporting *something.* Last fall, some candidates were surprised to see the dramatic changes in numbers from the time when they went to bed to the time that they checked the polls in the morning. 

Census data from 2020 should be coming in soon, but the county does have some expectations on what the information will show. The county’s population will likely be just under 100,000. New homes are being constructed, which is great, because it creates a larger tax base for the county and drives taxes down (by virtue of having more houses from which to draw taxes.) On the other hand, Messalt was concerned about the crazy housing market. With everything selling significantly above asking price, it’s likely the county will have to raise home values to match the market. So long as the home values rise at the same rate, it shouldn’t be a huge issue – the county doesn’t plan to tax residents more based on what they *can* tax, but it is still something to watch. 

On the subject of budget, county residents may use a new tool on the county’s website called OpenGov. This tool allows residents to design the county’s budget, including making cuts and additions, and submit it to the county for consideration. Staff will look at the suggestions and consider changes for the 2022 budget. 

The county will be offering fewer vaccination clinics now that the COVID-19 vaccinations are widely available.

Birch Lake Beach Septic

One resident approached the board with a bit of a messy situation. He and his brother recently inherited a property from their mother. Their parents’ old house sits far back on the property line, and the septic field is situated behind the house, on township property. The septic field was put in during the 80s, so it was unclear how the owners at the time managed to do this (the resident’s parents bought the house after the septic field was put in.)

After discussing options, the board agreed to a license agreement, provided the county had no issues with the idea, that would allow the property owner to continue to keep the septic field. The board members also seemed willing to consider selling the land to the property owner, again contingent upon the county’s approval and after getting a proper appraisal. For now, the resident was advised to approach the county regarding the license agreement, and they could explore more options later.