During their October meeting, the Lynden Twp. board approved the fire contract and discussed certificates of compliances and association covenants.

Fire Contract

The board reviewed the final fire contract approved by the City of Clearwater, which agreed to one of Lynden and Clearwater Twp.’s revisions – to provide a quarterly call report – but denied the other two; to allow two of the three entities to call a special meeting and to a 10% cap on their 2022 budget.

Supervisor Dave Johnson stated he remains concerned about paragraph 5 – Service Area and Exhibit B, which is the service map area to be provided by the township. Supervisor Tom Plaggerman said he felt they needed to move forward and sign the contract; Supervisor Dennis Niemi said huge steps have been taken and he doesn’t believe only having one meeting per year should constitute not signing it.

After more discussion, a motion carried to approve the contract 2-1, with Johnson opposed.

The fire study group charged with researching the potential of beginning a new fire department in the future has continued to compile budgets for estimating purposes. A resident has sent out a letter to the group outlining thoughts and concerns.

CARES Act

James Kantor provided the board with a spreadsheet containing proposed technology expenditures in response to the pandemic that would allow staff and board members to work remotely when necessary. The IT project includes streaming, audio, TVs, and laptops.

The expenses were incurred between this spring and now with an estimate of approximately $31,000. Any remaining funds will be allocated to the Annandale Fire Dept.; a resolution will be considered at the next meeting.

A motion carried to authorize expenditures of the CARES Act funds as presented, not to exceed $50,300.

IUP Refund

This spring the board sent an administrative warning to the Richard and Wanita Niebolte residence on Danforth Cir. regarding a camper that was being lived in without sewer hookup, a violation of county ordinance. The owners’ son Shawn Niebolte, who lives outside of the area, had been staying in it occasionally because his parents need his assistance.

An interim use application had been submitted for review, which included a $400 fee. The township recently received notice stating the application was being withdrawn as the camper will now only be stored on the property, not lived in. A discussion was held on whether to return the applicant’s entire fee amount, half the amount, or none of it. As no public hearing will need to be held, Plaggerman and Niemi stated they can’t justify keeping it.

A motion to accept the withdrawal and return half of the fee failed 1-2. A second motion to accept and return the full $400 then carried 2-1.

CoCs

Jason Stowe approached the board on behalf of Victor Spears regarding a certificate of compliance (CoC) for his Co. Road 143 property. He owns .08 acres and has a 1,200 square foot accessory building Stearns Co. has indicated is non-conforming to his size lot.

Stowe is purchasing .11 acres from Spears so his building can be in compliance. Stearns Co. Environmental Services issued the original permit and deemed it an administrative split. As a result, Stowe requested the township issue a certificate of compliance.

A motion carried approving the certificate.

Michael Michalski approached the board to request a CoC; he owns 29 acres and wants to give his two sons 10 acres each, retaining the remaining nine acres himself. He would like a building entitlement to be given to the 10-acre parcels; the request also includes a request to rezone the property to residential.

The request was tabled until the next township meeting to give board members time to review.

Plat Review

Last month the board approved the Nick Dickson preliminary plat on three conditions, which included Basswood Road being elevated and compliant with Stearns Co. requirements. Niemi indicated that to his knowledge the road has never flooded and had been accepted by the township years ago when Wilkens Addition was created; the road was not required to be elevated at that time.

The new plat creates two additional lots with minimal traffic expected and will be going before the Stearns Co. Board of Adjustment. A motion carried to rescind the approval of Sister Shores Addition Preliminary Plat sections receiving proof the road complies with Stearns Co. requirements, that a financial guarantee for the estimated costs in the form of a letter of credit is provided, and to issue a letter to the county stating the township will not require Basswood Road to be elevated per county requirements to qualify for a site permit.

Covenants

Hidden River Assoc. President Scott Wroblewski and association member Josh Trotwin approached the board to discuss the Hidden River Assoc. covenants and building permit process. They explained when the lots were initially sold the builder referred each contractor and owner to the association to ensure the structure was compliant with the covenants, however, that process isn’t currently being followed so they’re requesting the township’s building inspector refer contractors to them during the permitting process.

Johnson advised them the township doesn’t administer covenants on private property for associations; it’s dealt with between the developer and the landowner. The township’s permits are posted online and can be viewed by any member of the public.

Other Business

A motion carried to not require a CUP for office space that is a direct accessory use to the principle use of the property, office space used in the operation is considered part of the permitted operation, not as a separate use.

The fall road tour will be Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.

The next Lynden Twp. meeting will be Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.