Meeting Minutes:

Present

Minutes

Discussion of Claims

Claims Approved and Paid

New Receipts

Supervisor Items

Other Items

Road Overseer Items

Clerk Items

Old Business

Treasurer Items

Motion to Continue

Chairperson Duane Deutsch, Supervisor John Wermerskirchen, Supervisor Edward Nytes, Treasurer Nathan Hutton, Clerk Heather Taylor DuCharme, Road Overseer Jeff Haag, Joe Lambrecht (Chair, Cedar Lake Township), Marlene Reineke (Vice-Chair, Cedar Lake Township), Doug Johson (Art Johnson Trucking, Inc.). NOT PRESENT: Deputy Clerk DeAnn Croatt.

Review by Supervisors of proposed April 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes, April MAT Events Minutes, and April Workshop Meeting Minutes. On motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes, all minutes approved as presented; carried unanimously.

Review of claims for approval. After review of claims and on motion by Nytes/Wermerskirchen, all claims were approved as presented for payment, including checks 6834-6846 and one ACH totaling $38,007.77; carried unanimously. Roll call votes: Deutsch – yes; Nytes – yes; Wermerskirchen – yes. Request by Treasurer for Supervisors to approve transfer of $38,007.77 from savings to checking. On motion by Nytes/Wermerskirchen, transfer of $38,007.77 from savings to checking approved; carried unanimously.

Supervisors discussed ditch damage at Alton Avenue/270^th – someone drove in and out. Resident contact Supervisor regarding possibility of guard rail. Discussion of other options to keep cars out of ditch, including replacing missing arrow signs. Road Overseer to replace missing arrows.

1.       Cedar Lake Township Supervisors Joe Lambrecht, Chair, and Marlene Reineke, Vice-Chair, were present to discuss road maintenance costs for Baseline Avenue and Baseline Boulevard.

a.       Contract provides Cedar Lake Township maintains Baseline Avenue and Helena Township maintains Baseline Boulevard but that any gravel costs must be approved prior to application.

b.       Cedar Lake Township applied gravel to Baseline Avenue in 2023 without prior approval and submitted a claim to Helena Township dated 2/5/2024. Helena Township declined to pay that claim based on no preapproval. Helena Township applied gravel to Baseline Boulevard in 2023 but did not seek preapproval or reimbursement from Cedar Lake Township.

c.       Lambrecht and Reineke stated that Cedar Lake Township wants to apply gravel to Baseline Avenue in 2024 and is requesting preapproval for the cost sharing. Lambrecht and Reineke stated additional gravel planned by Cedar Lake Township for Baseline Avenue (1,500 tons) pursuant to Cedar Lake Township discussion with gravel/grading vendor. On motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes, approval provided to 50/50 cost share for gravel applied to Baseline Avenue by Cedar Lake Township for gravel not to exceed 1,500 tons with Cedar Lake Township and its vendor to apply less gravel as needed at their discretion.

d.       Helena Township applied gravel to Baseline Boulevard in 2024 without seeking preapproval from Cedar Lake Township. Lambrecht stated that Cedar Lake Township would be willing to reimburse Helena Township for half of the cost of gravel applied to Baseline Boulevard in 2024 if Helena Township will cost share with Cedar Lake Township for the gravel planned to be applied to Baseline Avenue in 2024. Reineke agreed. Clerk to provide Cedar Lake Township with invoice for half of gravel cost for gravel applied to Baseline Boulevard by Helena Township in 2024.

e.       Lambrecht and Reineke stated Cedar Lake Township provides no dust coating and will not cost share or reimburse Helena Township for any dust coating on Baseline Avenue or Baseline Boulevard. Helena Township already contacted Envirotech and residents on those roads for 2024. Supervisors determined that Helena Township will provide dust coating as planned for 2024 but that may not in 2025 or later years.

2.       Discussion about powerline construction and how Townships will proceed if any damage to roads/ditches. Best option would be to have powerline company/contractors to provide repairs at their own cost rather than Townships repairing and seeking reimbursement.

3.       Lambrecht and Reineke left meeting after these discussions.

Road Overseer presented the following items/report.

1.       Road review. Finishing of road review items is 50-70% done. TJ Deutch removed tree from road. Trees trimmed on Juniper. Saplings removed.

2.       265^th. City of New Prague buried a culvert with gravel and plowed gravel off road while snow plowing. Johnson did what he could to pull gravel back on road, repair, and dig out culvert. Road Overseer to add chevron signs.

3.       Waiting to do blacktop patch on Willow until it is consistently warmer and dry.

4.       Chevron sign added by Naylor.

5.       Updates on weed spraying status and budget.

6.       270^th.

a.       Posts placed for “children playing” signs. Waiting for signs from vendor because they had to be made (none in stock). There was a post without a sign that will have sign added to it.

b.       Resident complaint about dust last week and wait on dust coating. Road Overseer advised resident that dust coating needs to be scheduled with graveling and weather considerations.

c.       Discussion of extra width of dust coating like last year due to additional traffic.

7.       Wermerskirchen discussed with Johnson 260^th and Koeper circle grading touchups.

8.       Discussion of road work and safety of Road Overseer and others during road work, including replacing and placing signs.

Clerk presented the following items/report.

1.       New Prague Fire Department submitted permit for training burn of house. Property owner had also contacted Supervisor and submitted permit for same planned fire.

2.       All reports received from sheriff, code enforcement, and permits forwarded by Clerk to Board.

3.       Clerk emailed Scott County Code Enforcement regarding vehicles parked in right of way on Juniper. No response received. Clerk to follow up.

4.       Discussion of Couri & Ruppe Legal Seminar and Town Law Review. Clerk to attend Law Review because of scheduling conflict with Legal Seminar. Supervisors and Road Overseer may attend either.

5.       Review of recent MAT Township Insider.

6.       Election update, including election judges and conflicts of interest.

Discussion regarding Schoenbauer Farms/AA Endeavors/Kubes misrepresentation to Helena Township Board and Engineer regarding drain tile on Lot 12 which deceived Supervisors and led to not having Supervisors include a requirement to move the Lot 12 drain tile in the Developer Agreement. Nytes advised the Board that Randy Kubes told Nytes that Robb Schoenbauer said they would not be moving the drain tile even though the neighboring properties were requesting it. Supervisors discussed DRT meetings, next steps (if any), and disappointment with how things were addressed with this development.

Treasurer presented the following items for discussion.

1.       There is one outstanding check to Ettlin’s Café. Clerk messaged Ettlin’s prior to meeting and advised that the check was deposited with their bank on 5/1/2024. Treasurer confirmed deposit online during meeting

2.       Review of account balances, deposits, payments, funds balances, expenditures. Road and Bridge fund shows less spent than previous couple of years. ARPA escrow account will be fully expended on elections and gravel in 2024.

3.       Annexation fee received from Rob Yost and deposited.

4.       Upon question by Deutch, Treasurer explained that Willow Lane and other account balances do not necessarily match exactly the assessments due based on actual costs for work completed and allocations.

5.       Discussion of Office of the State Auditor and MAT surplus suggestions as well as town hall grants.

6.       On motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes, Treasurer’s Report accepted and approved as presented; carried unanimously.

At 7:30 p.m. on motion by Wermerskirchen/Nytes meeting continued to 5/15/2024 Workshop with Board to meet at 245^th and Xanadu at 4:15 p.m. to review trees and then convene at Fire Hall for Workshop at 5 p.m.; carried unanimously.