Chad Nelson of the Clear Lake City Council stopped in to the local Palmer Twp. meeting to discuss the fire contract with the board. 

Nelson said going forward there will be separate service contracts for each of the townships and for the city, and the cost that each municipality pays will remain about the same. He also wanted to assure the board that the funding for the new fire hall will come exclusively from the city and will not be funded in any way by the contributions of the townships. 

Supervisor Michael Ganz noted that the fire board recently discussed that their budget was too small for what the department needed. Supervisor Steve Demeules agreed and suggested it would be nice to be able to pay the firefighters more. Currently, Clear Lake Fire Department is on the low end of the average hourly rate for the state for firefighters and they are starting to see that reflected on their recruitment efforts. 

The department has been getting by so far by receiving grants to pay for big-ticket items such as the new engine, but Nelson stated the goal is eventually to get the department funded so it can cash flow these items without needing to rely on grants. 

There will be a 10% bump to the budget this year, but going forward into 2026 the fire board will have to look at how they can increase the budget more while keeping taxes affordable for residents. It may take several years to get to that point. 

One resident in attendance suggested that a fee or tax be placed on the solar fields Xcel Energy is putting up, since it is possible they could cause fires with their lithium batteries. Nelson and the Palmer Supervisors agreed and said it had been discussed previously and they would continue to look into the possibility.

Sheriff’s Report

There were 82 calls for service to the Sheriff’s Department for Palmer in 2024, which is up from 65 calls in 2023. The reason for the uptick was an increase in traffic stops. 

During the slow months of December and January, the department has mainly been completing security checks on local residences, for snowbirds who are away for the season. 

Parks Report

Palmer Park has not yet seen enough snow to open up the ski trails. One of the park’s porta potties was recently vandalized.

Palmer Township staff has posted a list of plants that will be planted at Two Inlets Park in the town vestibule at town hall, and those interested are welcome to stop by and view the list. Tons of debris from the demolished buildings at the park site have been hauled away. The dairy barn on site will be cleaned out soon, and there may possibly be an auction of items inside the barn, depending on their quality. The park is also in the process of being set on the national registry of historic places. 

Lakes Report

Geo fencing was put up recently around the lakes. This technology will be able to message people’s phones when they are 100 feet out on the ice to alert them of the ice situation, but it should not ping the phones of the residents who live on the lake shores. 

The Lake Association was recently discussing the Briggs’ Chain carp problem. They were told that a healthy amount of carp in a lake would be about 89 lbs of carp per acre of lake, while each lake in the chain was found to have approximately 411 lbs. So the association will be applying for a couple of different grants - one through the county which they have informally been told they have a good chance at getting - to help pay a Minneapolis-based company, Carp Solutions, to come out and help with the issue. 

Membership forms for the association were sent out recently, and residents should look for them in their mail. 

The Three-Lakes Improvement District (T-LID) noted they are considering laying a blanket of alum on the bottom of the lakes, which would help the lakes to clear up over the course of a few days. The treatment can last up to 20 years, but only if the alum is left undisturbed. They plan to get the information on the process out to members before voting on the treatment this summer. The treatment would cost roughly $233 per member. 

In Other Business, the Board: 

• Discussed road striping and sign replacement;

• Talked about submitting reimbursement forms for Palmer Clean Up Day;

• Heard that the fire department responded to 18 calls for service in December;

• Sent positive comments to the county on splitting a plat;

• Approved election judges for the upcoming township election;

• Discussed the town parking ordinance and considered distributing warnings to offenders;

• Discussed Ice Day parking and how vehicles should only park on one side of the street.