DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS...

A few details from the Town Board meeting of June 11th:


Meetings with Lakeville and MAC will continue for a possible orderly annexation of the airport. Be interesting to see if they want to "play ball." Yes, they would be able get the entire airport in one shot under a friendly annexation, but are they willing to provide what the Township is asking for this accommodation? Jody Arman-Jones, editor of the newsletter, was told not to include any details discussed at the meeting in the current issue, so I won't here either, but it IS public information because it was discussed at the public meeting. Evidently, Hansen had wanted to discuss it at a closed meeting, but was advised that the Board cannot close a meeting for that purpose.

Maybe he should try reading the Minnesota Association of Townships handbook for statute references as to when a closed meeting can legally happen. This has come up so many times, I would think he would know that by now just by hearing it so many times, but he apparently still doesn't. This a little concerning that he wanted to close the meeting to the public when he can't even do so legally. Thankfully, he was corrected on this matter. Why does he want to keep the discussion out of an open meeting and thus out of your reach? This has been freely discussed at Annual Meetings, so what's the problem? Lakeville and MAC are either going to go for it, or they won't. Is this the accountability and openness you expect from one of your supervisors?

Concerning the incorrect advice two Board Supervisors (guess who?) gave Sibley Aggregates about bringing in outside concrete for crushing all summer long, Hansen seemed to excuse himself by stating that he had "called the Attorney the very next morning (after the Commission meeting)" about it. He then "discovered" that this requested use is not allowed under the Ordinances. I asked "Why didn't you already KNOW this?" He had no answer. I made the point that had the attorney been in attendance at Commission meetings as requested by the Commission but denied by the Board, there would not be any additional charges to receive information Hansen should have already had.

Not to mention that I had explained to Hansen at the Commission meeting that this use is not allowed and was purposefully not allowed by the Task Force and Board when the Mining Ordinance was written. In order to have a chance at doing so, Sibley Aggregates would have to apply for a Text Amendment and a public hearing would have to be held. Yet the two representatives from Sibley were told otherwise by these two supervisors. Are they so intent in trying to be "Go-To Guys" who will "get it done" for you that they are willing to ignore the Ordinances!?? Or are they just that ignorant of what proper procedures are? Either way, it's not good. (My opinion.)

Hansen seems to have a problem in accepting input from a person who was on the Planning Commission twice, on the Board, who has attended MANY trainings and public hearings, and who has actually read the Ordinances. What he is afraid of? No, instead of realizing that the person MAY know what she is talking about, he calls the attorney (Did he even have the go-ahead from the Primary Attorney Contact to do so?) to be told the exact same thing he was told the night before and  which he should have already known anyway. Where has he been at meetings? Does he even listen to others? And he had the audacity as Board Liaison to tell the Commission that they "should read [their] Ordinances!" Perhaps you could practice what you preach, Mr. Hansen.




When asked at the Board meeting whether any requirement for the clerk to be someone who lives outside the Township is in the Ordinances, Hansen immediately stated "Yes, it is!" NO, it is not. And yet he said it with such authority...

Thank heaven we have the Board Chair we do. He has very evenly and respectfully called on everyone wishing to contribute. At the last meeting (9:07 pm) Hansen said to Chair Murphy, "If you can control her (meaning me and my comments or questions as a citizen), good luck with that." I replied, "Nice way to talk to a citizen, Butch." So citizens are to be CONTROLLED? And whatever happened to that respect that he keeps saying he must be treated with? One-way street, I guess.



Further on that point, at the April Board meeting, Hansen, as a Supervisor, said to me, "Nancy, you are just a citizen now. You won't get your way." JUST A CITIZEN? Really? That's what you are supposed to be all about, Mr. Hansen,----the citizens! On what basis is the decision being made as to whether you, Reader, as "just" a citizen, are being heard or not? I find this attitude toward people Hansen just doesn't like to be troublesome...

On other occasions, Hansen has actually stated publicly as a Supervisor that this blog is "full of slander and lies." He has also stated that we blog authors "have claimed to be the official Township website." ALL OF THIS IS SIMPLY UNTRUE! We are a citizen blog and are labeled as such. Everything we report here is backed up by disc recordings, minutes. If we have an opinion it is stated as such. Why do he and Ceminsky dislike this blog so much that they have repeatedly tried to have it shut down? Ask yourself that; would this unconstitutional censorship be a good thing for our Township?

Hansen raised an objection that people were "getting information" from the blog. Is not more information a good thing? Did you know that Hansen and Ceminsky want to have a "policy" of reducing minutes to bare-bones motions and votes ONLY, not even including the discussion or the rationale for the votes?  Hansen has abstained from votes on many occasions recently, yet does not give any reason for his abstention. Makes me wonder what's going on...

It is difficult to sit through meetings when even a couple of the Supervisors seem to have so little regard for the proper and respectful way to do things. It seems to me that the personal agendas they have are what is important to them and drive their actions-not the good of the Township. But that is my opinion...and that of many others as well.

Other bits of info:
The Board approved another $5,500 in addition to the $4,000 from last year to remove trees along 235th.

No Clerk hired yet. Feelers out. The Township needs to find someone who understands the Ordinances and the Clerk's role as Zoning Administrator.

The RFP for a Building Inspector has apparently not gone out yet. In fact, it wasn't even brought up at the meeting. Darrel Gilmer was okayed as a short term fill-in, nothing longer. We need to act on this NOW and get in place someone who can professionally and fairly do the job for the longer term.