Alice Pickering
Linwood Area Reporter

It is election time in Linwood Township and the filing period for the town board is open.

Seat C on the Board of Supervisors is up for election Tuesday, March 8. The term of office is three years. This seat is currently held by Mike Budde.

The office of treasurer is also up for election. The office is held by Vikki Erickson, who filled the position after a resignation.

The treasurerís term is for two years. Interested residents may file as candidates through 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 11. Cost of filing for either office is $2.

Budget plans

Township budget planning for 2006 begins in January. Meetings to prepare the preliminary budget were scheduled at board meeting, Dec. 28. They have been scheduled for Wednesday evenings beginning at 5 p.m. Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 9 and Feb. 23.

Supervisors anticipate discussion of the general budget and possibly the fire department budget on Jan. 19. On Jan. 26 plans are to review and prepare a proposed road and bridge budget.

Budgets of the other departments and a review of the entire budget are slated to be discussed on Feb. 9 and 23.

Meetings are open and residents are invited to attend, even if they arrive after the 5 p.m. start time. Official notices of the meetings are also published.

Clerk Judy Hanna said the preliminary budget should be ready by March 1. Copies can be obtained from the township office then and at the annual meeting, scheduled to begin at 8:15 pm, Tuesday, March 8.

Supervisors have struggled with variance requests for a number of small lots, most created in earlier subdivisions, but which do not meet building standards. The crucial criteria are adequate sites for septic systems and good locations for safe wells. With small lots, the location of these on one lot is affected by similar features on adjacent ones.

Attorney Gerald Randall and the board discussed two parts of the township building code that appeared to be in conflict. The board voted 5-0 to consider variance requests that are supported by documentation and expert opinion related to acceptable setbacks on lots of record prior to Oct. 5, 2000.

New developments must meet the ordinance requirements of 20,000 square feet for the building area one foot above mottled soil, with 11,000 square feet of the area three feet above mottled soil.

Related to this action, was a change in the board's position in regard to a variance request by Jeff Pfeffer and Terrance McTeague to build on a small lot Pfeffer owns in the Fawn Lake area, which was platted in the 1950s.

The lot size is 10,000 square feet, and Pfeffer presented plans which showed a home on the site could be built meeting setbacks. The variance was approved by a vote of 4-1, Budde cast the no vote.

The board was reminded written findings of fact must be presented to the petitioner any time there is a variance denial.

By a 5-0 vote passed a resolution that no environmental impact study is necessary for Shadow Ridge Overlook development.

Street planning and construction are designed to leave 143 acres (78 percent) of the area undisturbed. Cluster housing was considered. There are restrictive covenants on the land that will prohibit cutting trees unnecessarily.

Supervisors approved the recommendation of Engineer Craig Jochum, the street and storm water improvements for Typo Creek Estates and to return the letter of credit to the developer once all bills related to the development have been paid.

Also on Jochumís recommendation, supervisors accepted improvements in Evans Estates, a development on the north side of Viking Blvd. west of Carlos Avery Wildlife Refuge.

Final layers of asphalt and the wear course for the streets have been laid. Acceptance begins the two year warranty period for the work.

After discussion, the board approved up to $750 for a paper folding machine for the township. Supervisor Rudi McCurdy has completed research on these, but wants to be certain the one selected is a model that will stand up to heavy use.

Other business

In other business, the board:

ïLearned from a letter from Douglas Fisher, Anoka County engineer, that if/when road right-of-way acquisition is necessary near Kingley Wooded Shores, the township is included in the cost sharing.

ïApproved unanimously the purchase of an additional 500 recycling bins at the cost of $4625, with the money to come from the approximately $17,000 recycling funds.

ïApproved payment of the bills totalling $35,930.27.

ïApproved standard mileage rates at $.40.5 per mile for business mileage. This is an increase of $.03 a mile.

ïBy a vote of 4-0, with Budde abstaining; approved the contract for OSHA compliance training for both Budde and Ray Broadbent.

ïLearned the bill from Lauren McCollough Well Drilling, Inc., to cap the old well at the cemetery is $275.

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Forest Lake Times
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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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