BOARD OF AUDIT: Chairman Glen Williamson called the Audit Meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present: Supervisors Mike McCullen and Alden Shute, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond and Micah J. Murray and Daniel Calder. Paul and Patrice had coordinated and cross-checked their books before the audit. Supervisors checked and compared the records. Alden moved and Mike seconded to approve both the clerk’s and treasurer’s records and and to sign the Schedule 1 Reports. Passed.

Proposed Budget and Levies for 2026 to present to voters at Annual Meeting. Clerk proposed no changes for 2026. We have not needed to increase our taxes and levies for over 10 years. Alden moved to approve the budget and levy proposal with no increases in any fund for 2026; Mike seconded. Passed. Paul showed the board the changes in Wilma Finances in the past 10 years, and also since 2007 (when we first used the CTAS Accounting System). In 2014 we had a total of $92,407 in all of our funds. Today, we have $176,337. In 2007, the first year of CTAS, we had $39,401 total in all of our funds.

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING: Alden moved to adjourn the Board of Audit; Mike seconded, passed. Glen called the regular meeting to order with the Clerk’s Record of January Board Meeting: Paul read the record. Alden said the Eagle Head culvert is 30” x 30 feet, not 20”x24′. With this correction he moved to approve the record; Mike seconded; passed.

Road Report: Alden gave his report for January. He plowed all the roads and drives twice so far, and it looks like more snow is coming. He hopes he can wait for the two waves of snow before plowing again. Randy Michael told Patrice he had not been plowed; Alden said he had a closed gate. Alden can’t get off the grader to open gates.

Major Grader Repair: Alden said the shins on top and bottom of the rotation pivot need to be replaced. He ca’t do this but wants to call Nortrax and hopes they will send a mechanics’ truck with the equipment to repair the grader. It would cost a lot to ship it.

Treasurer Issue: Patrice sent a check to MAT for the L&R meeting in October for $90. They say they never received it. She asked if we should pay the $40 stop-pay fee. The board agreed that the risk is low and not to stop payment. Paul and Patrice will need to void the check in their October accounts.

OLD BUSINESS: OLD BUSINESS: Township Website Wilmatownship.com is now Wilmatownship.org. It it the same site, but is now powered by the Town of Wilma and the Wilma Township Board. Chairman Glen Williamson told the Board of Supervisors that he wanted to get out of the site, and has given it to Wilma Township. Meeting records and Financial Reports for the last several years are on the site. If anyone wants to review earlier records or financial reports from prior years, they are public records. Make an appointment with the clerk (320-245-2579) to see them. All town websites are required to get a .gov address, so we will also eventually. Webmaster Erv Kleinschmidt says it will cost the town about $200 to host the site. Town Safe: All of our records from 1907 are in the safe. Alden said his gun safe had some dampness and he and Paul opened and checked our safe; all was high and dry.

Minnesota Association of Townships 2025 Township Day at the Capitol: The Minnesota Association of Townships met at the Capitol and at the Capitol Radisson in St. Paul to lobby for township issues, especially transportation funding for town roads, taxes and state aid, EMS services, and bringing cell phone service to unserved rural areas. Glen and Paul attended. We met with Senator Jason Rarick and Representative Nathan Nelson and urged them to pressure MN Dot to allow cell phone repeaters on the Eagle Head Tower. District Director Tammy Carlson and Paul got to see the tail-end of the House session which the Democrats again boycotted. Glen reported on the Starlink Satellite Cell Service which is just starting. He gave Paul the info and Paul applied when he had cell service in Minneapolis last weekend. You need text to sign up. At first the trial is free, if one is accepted. We don’t know the cost after that. Starlink Internet is $100 month. https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/satellite-phone-service

NEW BUSINESS: Assessor, Board of Review and Equalization: To appeal property assessment for 2026 taxes. Lori Houitsma and Karen Stumne, our appraiser, will attend. Her phone is 320-591-1639. Paul will post the meeting. The Supervisors cannot appeal their assessments at the meeting but have to go to the county. Will be on Monday, April 15, Wilma Town Hall, 1 p.m.

New 2026 – 2028 Assessment Agreement, Pine Co: $5 per parcel for 2026; $4 per parcel for 2027; and $3 for 2028. Mike moved and Glen seconded to accept and sign this agreement for the next 3 years.

MBA Life Insurance: Minnesota Benefit Association is requiring boards who want to keep MBA Life Insurance to get $5,000 life insurance coverage per member; $1,000 no longer offered. Cost is $80 per officer per year, up from $35 for $1,000 coverage, for six officers. Discussion if it is a good use of taxpayer money. We have always subscribed for our officers. Glen asked Micah and Daniel for their opinion, and then moved and Mike seconded to keep the insurance at the higher rate for far more insurance. Passed.

Wilma Township Election, Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Patrice and Glen are up for re-election and both filed, along with Maureen Rioux for Supervisor. Paul, Cindy Klienschmidt and Lori Shute will serve as judges, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Absentee Ballot Board: We are required to have a Board of Absentee Ballots to open and verify any absentee ballots. Two judges are required; Paul and Cindy are trained for the board and Mike moved to appoint them; Alden seconded; passed. Per Auditor Kelly: “You need to meet periodically through the absentee period.  For the beginning part, the ballot board needs to accept or reject the ballots within 5 days of receiving them.  And then within 2 weeks of the election, that decreases to 3 days. Example: Ballot comes in February 9th.  You can wait until February 14th to meet and see if you get any others. If you get a ballot on March 3rd, you have to meet by March 6th.”

Board of Canvass and Annual Town Meeting: Will follow the election.

Board of Reorganization: To swear in newly elected officers and set wages, bank and posting sites for 2025. Usually done before the April Board Meeting.

Board of Audit for 2024 Books: Usually before February board meeting.

Treasurer’s Report and Claims: Total bills: $2416.73. Mike moved to approve her report and transfer $2,400 from savings to checking. Alden seconded; all aye. Passed. Mike moved to adjourn; Alden seconded. Adjourned at 8:30. Paul Raymond, Clerk

Chairman Glen Williamson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Also present: Supervisors Mike McCullen and Alden Shute, Treasurer Patrice Winfield, Clerk Paul Raymond. No public attended.

Clerk’s Record of December Board Meeting: Paul read the Clerk’s record of December’s Board meeting. Alden said the name of the retired Hopkins mechanic is Greg Mravik, not Morris. With this correction, Alden moved to approve the record; Mike seconded; passed. Mike asked that we retain Mravik’s contact number, 715-733-0426.

Road Report: Alden gave his report for December. No plowing. Alden said to to bill Danforth Township for half of the new culvert on Eagle Head Road and the gravel. Hinckley Trailer and Culvert Sales, two culverts, 20 feet by 24”, $1,705. Hopkins to remove and replace culvert, $1,475. Summerland for gravel, pit run and class #5, $2,650, Danforth pays half.

Treasurer Issues with Northview Bank: Northview has a new owner and the website is much more difficult to navigate, and they don’t give monthly statements but staggered months. She said it took her several hours of phone calls and trying to reconcile the bank statement with our records. She said she may move our accounts to the credit union, but we’d need new checks and everything.

OLD BUSINESS: Wilmatownship.com Site: Erv Klienschmidt says he can take over our Wilmatownship.com website and make it a .gov address and all of our records will be intact. 

Erv’s latest update: “I downloaded the WordPress backup file Glen made a couple times and both times it says invalid backup file. I just need access to be able to remove posts from any users just for what is posted on the township page and would keep everything for the last 4 to 5 years and trim down the size and then I bet the backup would work much better as I think it’s a size issue.”

Erv said that he can then restore and see what changes need to happen and save five years of minutes without reloading. Once he has this cleaned the final step when he can get the .gov domain it’s just pointing it.

Glen said that Erv had not contacted him and he has not had any discussions with Erv on the transfer. The board said that if he has to reduce our files to the last five years in order to transfer them, OK. Paul said all of our meeting and financial records from 1907 are in the safe and open to the voters.

MAT Annual Conference and Annual Meeting. Annual conference of the Minnesota Association of Townships with officers from all across the State of Minnesota, was December 13 and 14 in St. Cloud. Paul attended.

They unanimously adopted a resolution by Wilma Township asking the association to advocate with the State Legislators for universal cell-phone service in rural Minnesota.  There were break-out training sessions with attorneys speaking on cannabis and solar power; MNFire on services and benefits for firefighters and responders, LTAP on weight limits, and MAT Trainers on important dates and monthly clerk duties, and Mark Albarado from the State Auditor’s Office on CTAS. Another resolution adopted was to monitor transfer of state lands to tribes, and to designate EMS as an essential service so they can be reimbursed for assisted lifts and emergencies that don’t require ambulances. Glen asked about solar, and Paul said he didn’t attend that session but gave Glen and the board the handout. It’s for big solar farms. Mike said we need to prepare for things like this, but without zoning there is little we can do.

On January 27 the Association will lobby for our resolutions at the Capitol in St. Paul. Paul said he plans to meet with Senator Rarick and Representative Nathan Nelson about the steps that Arrorney Graham Berg-Moberg said they could make to facilitate cell companies putting a repeater on the Eagle Head Tower, plus working with MN Dot to allow cell repeaters.  Photo album of conference: https://photos.app.goo.gl/eSNjs7udrRUw4qGD9 The resolutions presented at the annual meeting are now available for review at https://www.mntownships.org/annual-meeting under the documents tab .

NEW BUSINESS: Assessor, Board of Review and Equalization: Will be on Monday, April 15, Wilma Town Hall, 1 p.m. Here is the link to obtain the training for board members. The training must be taken by February 1, 2025, for this year’s meeting. Mike and Glen are certified. Registration, usernames, and passwords are no longer required. Visit our Board of Appeal and Equalization Training website and follow the instructions. Voting members of the local or county board must certify to the department that they have taken the training.

Minnesota Association of Townships 2025 Township Day at the Capitol: REGISTER HERE: https://bit.ly/TownshipDATC2025. NOTE: Pre-registration closes Monday, January 20. 

SCHEDULE: Monday, January 27, 2025, 10:00 AM: Registration and social time – meet at the Radisson Hotel St. Paul (Capitol Ridge). 

10:30 AM: Welcome, and Legislative Briefing at hotel

12:00 NOON: Lunch (provided)

12:30 PM: Buses/travel to Capitol (3 blocks away, transportation provided)

1:00 to 4:00 PM: Legislative meetings at the State Capitol with your specific House and Senate members, Open House and Speakers in the Capitol.

4:00 PM: Last bus back to the hotel

4:00 to 5:00 PM: Debrief and door prizes at the hotel

5:00 PM: Conclusion

COST: NEW THIS YEAR: There is no cost to attend this event! MAT encourages as many township officers to attend as possible. Additional logistical details will be sent to registered attendees. MAT will provide all materials and make your appointments to meet with state legislators. 

Wilma Township Election, Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Candidate Affadavits available tonight. File for the Treasurer’s or Supervisor’s office until January 14. $2 fee. Patrice and Glen are up for re-election and both filed. The board appointed Paul, Cindy Klienschmidt and Lori Shute to serve, from 5 to 8 p.m since Patrice can’t serve. Election Judge Training: For online Election Judge training, Email elections@co.pine.mn.us to signup. Takes two hours, per Kelly.

Board of Canvass and Annual Town Meeting: Will follow the election.

Board of Reorganization: To swear in newly elected officers and set wages, bank and posting sites for 2025. Usually done before the April Board Meeting.

Board of Audit for 2024 Books: Usually before February board meeting.

2025 Garbage Pickup Schedule: Available at meeting tonight or online

Treasurer’s Report and Claims: Patrice had problems with the town printer and she said she will use her own for now, if the town pays for cartridges. The CTAS program had problems and she could not get the bill total. Mike moved to approve her report and transfer whatever she needs from savings to checking. Alden seconded; all aye. Passed.

Mike moved to adjourn; Alden seconded. Adjourned at 8:20.

Paul Raymond, Clerk