The board considered a request for a single variance for construction brought forward by Luke Katterhagen Const. for a property on 49th Street SE, which described a plan requiring a 57-foot setback from Lake Julia for a 90-sq. ft. expansion.  Katterhagen told the board the plan would change the roofline of the structure, with the overall goal of converting a summer cabin into a year-round residence.  He also said that the plan met all current Federal Emergency management Agency (FEMA) guidelines.

 

Several board members raised concerns over work that had been done on the property prior to its having been sold in December.  Chairman Mike Ganz questioned how Sherburne County could have issued permits for a new septic system and the addition of fill to raise the structure out of the flood plain without having the former owners appear before the town board for a variance at that time.  

 

Ganz also said adding fill in location may have created a problem with water run-off being re-directed over the adjoining township road.  Supervisor Steve Demeules also raised the question of the property being located in a flood plain, and cited the current legal dispute the township and other agencies are involved in over another property also located in a flood plain area.

 

Following the discussion, Ganz, Demeules and Supervisor Richard Larson voted unanimously to decline to issue a positive comment that would be passed on to the Sherburne County Board of Adjustment (BOA).  

 

The location inside the flood plain area and the fact the township is still engaged in a legal case were cited as the two primary reasons for the negative decision.  Demeules advised the property owner and the contractor that the county would have the final authority in granting or rejecting the variance.

 

Attorney David Meyers also said that the property owner would benefit from having the multiple lots that make up the property combined into a single parcel.  He also stated there had been no movement in the other case involving variances in which Palmer Township and a number of other agencies sued the BOA.  The Palmer board had declined to issue positive comment on seven variances in that case.

 

 

Johnson told the board that he had been in contact with the township’s financial institutions, and their response had been a refinancing of current township bonds would not be “unreasonable”.  The figures discussed included a refinancing at 4 ¼% at a cost of $400,000 which would save the township $54,000 over seven years.

 

Johnson said the township could also contact the financial firm Ehlers, Inc., in regard to paying off the bonds that will mature in 2021-2022, which would save the township more than $50,000 in interest payments whether or not they decided to go ahead with a general refinancing program.  The pay-off of the bonds would cost $155,000, Johnson said, and the township can met that expense from the existing reserves.

 

Following the discussion, the board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Johnson to meet with the financial institutions involved to pursue the refinancing/bond pay-off options.

 

 

Briggs Lake Chain Association President Dan Merchant provided the board with an overview of a proposed lake Improvement District (LID).  He said the BLCA had met with Sherburne County to discuss the proposal, which would create a new tax district in the township that would help raise funds for programs dealing with zebra mussel and other invasive species infestations, weed control, lake level stabilization and water quality testing and improvement programs.

 

Merchant told the board the BLCA, even with MnDNR grant support, is unable to meet the financial burden of all of these programs, making the tax district a viable alternative.  The program would be overseen by the county board, he said, with the LID structure being the “lowest rung” on the local government ladder.  The organization would propose projects, with final approval needed from the township annual meeting or the county board.

 

Responding to several questions, Merchant said the proposed organization is involved in area water quality issues, and has had no involvement in a proposal that would create a pipeline for sewage from Foley to be transported to Clearwater for treatment.  Meyers also said Palmer Township could not be forced to join or pay for the pipeline project if it ever came to fruition.

 

 

The board approved Resolution 2014-1, which established an absentee ballot board for the March 11 election.  The board will be comprised of certified election judges, as required by statute.   The board also set the local Board of Appeal and Equalization meeting for 9 a.m. April 22, 2014, with the spring road tour to follow immediately afterwards.

 

The sheriff’s report indicated a total of 61 calls for service in Palmer Township in December, compared to 76 in the same period last year.  Eighteen traffic stops were reported, resulting in four citations.  Capt. Robert Stanger said that township residents should be aware of an increase in telephone fraud schemes, especially targeting older residents and often involving false claims over “unpaid” utility bills.

 

The township is considering the first Saturday in May for the annual clean-up day, but no final decision was made at the meeting this week.