Sherburne County Attorney Kathleen Heaney appeared before the board to request approval of a resolution from the township in support of the county Economic Development Authority (EDA).  The program is designed to create a network of partnerships with cities and townships throughout the county that will work together on a wide variety of projects, including plans to attract new businesses and support existing ones and to advance the development of a Broadband network to enhance the business climate in the county.

 

The authority is not seeking any money from local governmental units at this time, she said, but is seeking to create a framework through which all sections of the county can work in partnership to their mutual benefit.

 

Following the presentation, the board voted unanimously in favor of the resolution to support the activities of the EDA in the future.

 

The board voted unanimously to approve re-adoption of two resolutions extinguishing sections of township right-of-way in the plat of Lake Julia Park.  The board had approved the resolutions at the July meeting, but had submitted them to the Sherburne County Auditor’s Office for consideration.  The new resolutions contain two minor changes, but the extinguishment is now official.

 

The right-of-way extinguishment had been a source of contention between the Westby family and other local property owners, as David Westby sought a formal guarantee of either a driveway license or cartway access to property to property in the Lake Julia Park plat that the family is seeking to sell.

 

The board had granted a driveway license at the July meeting, and the parties are currently working on a private agreement regarding the matter, according to township attorney David Meyers.  The cartway petition is on the December board agenda, in the event an agreement cannot be reached, though Meyers said that the township’s involvement in the matter “should be done at this point.”

 

The board agenda included a notice of a potential closed session to discuss a recent court ruling that upheld several variances granted by the county Board of Adjustment, but the board decided against holding the session following a brief discussion during the regular meeting.

 

Chairman Mike Ganz said that the board will “see how it all plays out” before considering any further action on the decision.  The BOA had approved five variance requests on the property last year, and denied two.  The court ruling denied the appeal by Palmer Township, Sherburne County and the MnDNR that sought to overturn the five approved variances, and another appeal from the property owner to re-instate the two denied variance requests.

 

Meyers said that the court decision can’t be immediately appealed due to state statutes limitations, but could be in the future if the township or other parties chose to pursue the matter further.

 

Treasurer Roger Johnson reported that the township had received a SCORE grant of $5,249 from Sherburne County for the 2014 Clean-Up Day project.  Total cost for the event was $9,612.11, with the township cost being $2,253.11.

 

The sheriff’s report indicated 86 calls for service in Palmer Township in July, including 39 traffic stops leading to 13 citations, one burglary, five theft reports and four reported boat stops on township lakes.

 

The fire department reported six calls for service in Palmer Township in the same period.