Approval of a new joint powers agreement with the county township association, a plat review for a property in the Home Place subdivision and a request for comment on the current county “contractor yards” regulations were among the items on the agenda at the regular meeting of the Haven Township Board Monday night.

 

Chairman Jeff Schlingmann told the board the current joint powers agreement with the Sherburne County Township Association would require modification.  Following a brief discussion, the board voted unanimously to authorize Schlingmann to sign the new version, which would automatically dissolve the previous version.

 

The board also approved a positive comment for a plat review of a property in the Home Place subdivision, which involves separating a dwelling and surrounding area from agricultural land contained in the same plot.  Vice-Chairman Mark Knowles moved that positive comment be forwarded on to the county with a request for clarification regarding a former trucking operation on the site.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

Schlingmann informed the board the Sherburne County Zoning Office was asking for an opinion on the current language regarding the regulation of contractor’s yards in the county which will come before the county planning commission in November. Schlingmann stated the matter comes down to asking whether or not townships want to eliminate contractor yards from agricultural lands.  He also stated that any such operations in place before 1994 are “grandfathered in” under current practice, but operations that arose after that time require either an interim use permit (IUP) or a conditional use permit (CUP) from the relevant zoning authority.

 

Knowles moved the board send a positive comment on the current language with a stipulation that they would like to see the language governing small family-run operations as it stands now, which was approved unanimously by the board.

 

Haven resident Gloria Plombom informed the board that she intends to retire after a long career in the nursing profession, and will no longer be serving with the Sherburne County Health and Preparedness Committee. Supervisor Kathy Sims-Kosloski asked her if she would still be willing to serve as a safety officer at the annual township clean-up day in the spring. Plombom smilingly stated that she would “have to give the matter some consideration” in her retirement.  Schlingmann thanked her for her many years of service to the township as the conclusion of her comments.

 

The sheriff’s report indicated 63 calls for service in Haven Township in September, including 12 traffic citations issued and a number of thefts from mailboxes. 

 

Schlingmann stated Sherburne County is proposing a new ballot scanner for township election sites.  The new devices would cost $6,400, with the county paying $3,400 and the township paying $3,000 for the machine, plus picking up other incidental expenses that could total $4,284 when concluded.  The matter was referred to the township clerk for further study.