TAKE A NOTE, PLEASE...

Just a quick Update on the Clerk:

The Town Board most recently hired Mira Broyles as Town Clerk.  Mira has some government background, having worked, for example, as clerk for the city of Eagan. She has had a lot to learn on the job as Township Clerk.  Her role involves many different aspects of Township government.  The different procedures don't come up every day, so the "practice" in learning them is intermittent. This makes feeling comfortable with them more difficult.

Former Clerk/Treasurer, Nanett Sandstrom did spend two days with Mira, going over her duties and has continued to be of help over the phone most recently.

 At a recent Board Report at the August Planning Commission meeting, Supervisor and Chair Kenny Miller disclosed that Ms. Broyles had lately desired to resign, but decided to keep on, at least for the time being. (I would expect that feeling somewhat overwhelmed in spite of her background and skills and being the sort of person who wants to do a good job was behind the resignation idea.)  Supervisor Miller indicated that he has been stopping in a couple of times a week to answer questions, which Mira has told me she has had plenty of!  Miller asked the Planning Commission to "work with" Ms. Broyles as she becomes more familiar with her position.

Commissioner Lu Barfknecht offered that, even when a person is hired for a part time job, it is typically full time as the person is trained in.  This, I believe, would have been a good way to go, but was dependent on the availability of Ms. Sandstrom, which was limited by that time, unfortunately.

I have found Mira to be a very pleasant person with a professional demeanor.  Stop in and introduce yourself if you are driving by.  Welcome her to the Township.  Be patient with her as she tries to serve you. Hopefully, she will be here for a long time to come.

OF IMPORTANCE:  As Clerk, Mira is empowered to hire a Deputy Clerk.  Supervisor Behrendt and Supervisor Budenski are aiding her in this respect, having passed on interview information with original applicants.  The hope is that one of those applicants might be interested in the assistant job, which pays up to $16.00/hr.  It would include night meetings, taking notes for the Planning Commission and writing their minutes for approval, in addition, I believe, to daytime office hours. Once a Deputy Clerk is hired, then permits can be handled more easily and so on.  The position of Clerk has been advertised in the newspaper, and the Deputy Clerk position may have to be as well, if no one "comes to the surface" soon.

If anyone out there missed the ad, is qualified and interested or might know of someone who is, might I suggest as a citizen, that you let the interest be known to Ms. Broyles?  We wish her luck in finding a suitable assistant.

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, JULY 7, 2014. BUSINESS AS USUAL?

On July 07, 2014, the Planning Commission held its monthly meeting and conducted the business of the Township.  As was stated in past blogs our longstanding Clerk/Treasurer, Nanett Sandstrom, resigned and over a period of time the Deputy Clerk, Linda Wilson, became the Township Clerk.  Linda Wilson resigned but agreed to stay on and train in our new Clerk, Barb North.  Barb North quit, Linda left and as of the Monday meeting the Township was without a Clerk.  Commissioner Cleminson agreed to take the minutes of the meeting and Commissioner Novacek indicated that anyone in the audience could offer to take minutes.

The Township Clerk is responsible for preparing the information packets for all of the Commissioners

a few days before the meeting for their preparation in addressing issues.  Because there was no Clerk, what information was given to the Commissioners by Chair Hansen was during the meeting, which made it difficult to address the printed agenda items. At the Town Board special meeting on July 1, Commissioner Novacek was asked by the Board to contact Commissioner Hansen and let him know of the partial Planning Commission agenda drawn up by the Clerk before she left. Commissioner Hansen was to have completed the agenda and have copies of the materials for the meeting.

Westwind School representatives came before the Commission requesting a "temporary building"

to be utilized as a classroom throughout the school year as plans for additional space and code issues

were in question regarding their building application.  The Township Commercial Building Inspector was present to discuss issues of concern. After consulting the ordinance and engaging in a discussion, the Commission agreed to pass the discussed concerns regarding a "temporary structure" on to the Board for further discussion with the Township attorney.

Alan Storlie came before the Commission for clarification regarding transfer of a building right and grandfathered lots.  Commissioner Jennings suggested the information Chair Hansen had be shared with all Commission members in order allow them to be a part of the discussion rather than the Chair having a "private conversation" with Mr. Storlie. Commissioners Jennings, Hansen and Barfknecht discussed the above information with Mr. Storlie utilizing the appropriate Township maps.  Commissioners Novacek and Cleminson did not participate. Mr. Storlie was not on the agenda which was Chair Hansen's responsibility in the absence of a Clerk. Commissioner Jennings suggested that Mr. Storlie be officially added to the agenda for the official recorded record. Mr. Storlie was asked to attend the Town Board meeting the following Monday for further discussion. 

A citizen spoke with Mr. Storlie when he was ready to leave the Town Hall to offer information regarding questions and concerns about his (Leine) properties.She had raised her hand prior to the end of the Commission discussion, Commissioner Hansen refused to allow her to speak. She spoke with Mr. Storlie because she had been the attorney liaison on the Town Board for the Leine issue in question. Supervisor Madden, the liaison to the Planning Commission, was quick and curt in stating "Mr. Chair, I am trying to concentrate on the meeting."  Chair Hansen (boisterously) stated "Yah well, you deal with her." Mr. Storlie and the citizen moved outside the meeting area. (Supervisor Madden added the incident to the Town Board agenda to be discussed. What was his point? Is he not aware that there is a Town Board input policy that addresses this?)

Living Waters Church representatives were present to discuss their permit application and address inspection issues. The Township Commercial Building Inspector weighed in on the discussion with comments regarding the Commercial Code and felt the application "looked good."  The permit application was reviewed and passed on to the Board for discussion and approval.

Town Board liaison, Supervisor Madden, reported to the Planning Commission. He stated that Mr. Joey Miller has a misunderstanding and that "everything was not going well with him, I don't think."  He reported that the Enright Airplane Hangar is "moving along, going well." "Most permits were passed; 2 were missing; we did not pass. The permits that did not go through were Joey Miller and Dan Adelmann." Supervisor Madden went on that the new on-site mailbox " has been installed and works. The address is being worked on. The clerk position is totally unknown. Might have one the end of the next 6 months, hopefully. I don't know but it is soon. Very qualified applicants." On the Power line update he said - "working on ditches and they (GRE) are making bigger problems than we had before. The signs have not come down yet and we are discussing keeping the bond as they are not cooperating with us." Road Contractor  "Otte is the new road contractor," Madden stated,"which............. No Comment." A question was asked as to what happened to the previous road contractor. Chair Hansen stated that the contract was up in July. He (Mark Henry) would not sign the new contract. Madden stated "I (Madden) know the reason, but it does not matter." They (Town Board) picked one of two applicants. IT Issues - Supervisor Madden  reported the Township " has computer problems, but Supervisor Behrendt is working on it." Then Chair Hansen asked what happened to the IT Company the Township had hired. Madden stated that "he had no idea; Cory (Supervisor Behrendt) is taking care of all of that."

Commissioner Jennings commented that copies of permits from the Building Inspector were to have been distributed to Planning Commission members by Supervisor Ceminsky ahead of the meeting.This did not happen. Liaison Madden stated, "I don't know; we had an idiot sitting in during the week (at the Town Hall). He does not have a key to the office or anything." (The issue is now resolved as the Town Board hired a Clerk at their July 14 meeting.)

Liaison Madden "wanted to pay the Town Board a compliment from him personally (for) trying to set things a little quieter with 'somebody,' because it really turned out well as some things that were being said were really outlandish."

Supervisor Novacek wanted to "discuss E-mail Protocol. E-mails normally go through the Clerk and are then distributed according to the policy." He stated that this had not been followed by Commissioner Jennings on Watershed information and he asked her why. (Is Commissioner Novacek setting up the "Gotcha Moment?")

Commissioner Jennings explained to Commissioner Novacek (about three times) that at the Round Table Meeting she had offered to reach out to Travis Thiel of the VRWJPO requesting information to be distributed to all Planning Commission members to utilize as they researched the possibility of the Township implementing and enforcing the VRWJPO Ordinance. Mr.Thiel indicated a web site link. Commissioner Jennings felt passing on the web site link was not a violation of any protocol or Open Meeting Law as it was an information request. At the Round Table Meeting, Chair Miller had approved and no one objected. Commissioner Jennings indicated that she was only doing homework on the Commission's behalf and resented Mr. Novacek's accusation of impropriety. He commended Commissioner Jennings on her abilities but "feels her ability is not always used in the way that he thinks is constructive. The e-mail is one of those." He felt the e-mail "was not sent as a mistake," but was a "willful, in your face, I am not going to follow policy and this is DANGEROUS!" (This is the same Commissioner who has in the past stated that he believes Eureka government is too intrusive and that citizens should be able to do what they want to.)

Commissioner Jennings stated that she had indicated at the Round Table Meeting that the Commission needed the documents to proceed in their research of the VRWJPO Ordinance. Supervisor Miller had supported her and asked for a copy.  She had tried to download documents that evening but there were IT problems during the Meeting and she was unable to do so. The following day Commissioner Jennings had contacted Travis Thiel and he sent the information link to her. She followed  the correct procedure and sent the information to the Town Hall to be distributed to all Commission members. The mailer-daemon returned the e-mail. (This reporter also sent an e-mail to the Town Hall and the e-mail request was returned stating " Auto-response. At this time we are unable to respond to e-mail messages until July 15." This was because there was no Clerk to respond to requests. In my opinion, Commissioner Jennings distributed the information to the Commissioners in the most appropriate manner available to her.) Commissioner Jennings explained to Novacek that she showed the returned e-mail to Supervisor Miller and that "he said it was okay to distribute given the circumstance." (Apparently, Commissioner Novacek could not let it go. He appeared to continue to badger Commissioner Jennings.) He stated, "the policy was made to prevent sending e-mails that are biased." (Why is sending a web site link biased?) Chair Hansen stated that it was "very plain and clear that e-mails were not to be sent without going through the Clerk. He stated he had documents that he wanted to distribute but he did not do that because there was no Clerk. "Instead I brung them with me tonight." Carrie stated that he had brought them but he did not distribute them to the Commission. Chair Hansen questioned why Mr. Miller had had a discussion with Commissioner Jennings and not with him as Commission Chair.

" Jerry Springer?"   "No it is a Township meeting."

Pressing on, Commissioner Novacek asked Commissioner Jennings, "so from now on are you saying you will send an e-mail to anyone you feel like or are you going to follow the policy?" (Novacek did not ask any other Commissioner if they were going to follow the policy. This exchange started to feel like an interrogation of Jennings.) Novacek said "again in the future are you going to follow policy?"  Supervisor Jennings asked Commissioner Novacek if he is the Chair stating "I do not feel that you have any authority greater than I do on this Planning Commission." Commmissioner     Novacek stated, "You do not have to answer if you don't want to."  Commissioner Jennings stated she would not answer.(Remember that "rabbit hole," Al, when you publicly and falsely accused Commissioner Barfknecht and Clerk Sandstrom of improprieties? See Blog, Alice (Al Is?) Down the Rabbit Hole? 10/06/2013?). Commissioner Novacek stated that he would like to make a motion. He was interrupted by loud laughter from Chair Hansen who then stated (sarcastically) to Commissioner Jennings, "I don't know if anyone has authority greater than yours."

anyone who has authority greater than yours." He then explained that" it is very plain and clear that e-mails need to go through the Clerk." Commissioner Jennings reminded him that "there is no Clerk." Chair Hansen raised his voice and admonished her stating "it would be very nice of you to let me finish."

VRWJPO ORDINANCE was discussed by the Commission.  Commissioner Jennings questioned the appropriateness of discussing the issue when they had not received information prior to the meeting. Because of this they were unable to come prepared and she suggested they table the agenda item until they had reviewed the information. Chair Hansen stated that "they" were tasked by the Board to do research to see how difficult or possible it is to "take this back." Commissioner Jennings asked for clarification for the record as to what "take this back" meant. Eureka had not adopted the ordinance at any point so there was nothing to "take back." Chair Hansen stated that he meant "policing" the Water Resource Management Ordinance. (Policing? Really? I thought the Township would do the review, permitting and enforcement.) Commissioner Jennings stated that she was a part of the Dakota County group who met with Mr. Dean Johnson to help develop the ordinance language. The Township declined to adopt the ordinance language.  Chair Hansen stated "let me make it real clear to you so you can understand it. At the Round Table Meeting, the Board asked us to be the researching body to do research on whether or not we (PC) should take this and adopt it." For clarification Commissioner Jennings reiterated "to adopt this ordinance." Chair Hansen stated " this the last time I am going to play the game with you." (In my opinion Commissioner Jennings was only asking for precise language to be reflected in the legal record of the meeting.)

Three of the Planning Commission members agreed to invite the current enforcement authority to attend a Planning Commission meeting to explain how the VRWJPO enforces the ordinance. Commissioner Novacek was opposed and Chair Hansen abstained.

Commissioner Cleminson made a motion and it was seconded by Commissioner Novacek. It was then agreed that Brian Watson, of the Soil and Water Conservation District, would also be invited to attend. This motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Jennings suggested a deadline for the Commissioners to read the ordinance in preparation for their next discussion as the Commissioners cannot agree or disagree to enforce the ordinance if they have not read it. Chair Hansen stated "if you want to read it, read it. I don't think you have the authority to tell the rest of us to do anything with it." He then restated his position that he would not tell everyone they would have to read it;" they do not need a Mom." Chair Hansen then asked everyone to read the ordinance language.

The meeting was adjourned. (Following the meeting I heard Chair Hansen make a statement to Commissioner Jennings."Remember, you are not Chair anymore; you lost that vote." I left the meeting wondering if the Chair is frustrated perhaps because of a lack of command of the language or lack of knowledge regarding the issues. I wonder does he feel the need to diminish the knowledge that Commissioner Jennings has to share based on her relationship to and involvement on issues? In my opinion the treatment of Commissioner Jennings was childish, disrespectful, condescending and at times tinged with bullying and badgering. Perhaps knowledge, experience and preparation by some can only be recognized as arrogance by those with less knowledge and ability. Citizens have a right to attend meetings and observe business conducted with respect.)

A follow up note to ponder - Three Planning Commission members submitted complaints regarding Commissioner Jennings.  Coincidence? Was there a mutual meeting and discussion outside of public view to come to the conclusion that complaints were justified? Commissioner Barfknecht was not one of the complainants. A special meeting will be held by the Town Board to discuss the complaints with Commissioner Jennings present.

Information was gleaned from an Audio/visual taping. A CD copy of the meeting can be obtained from the now current Township Clerk.

"MINORITY" REPORT(S), BUT NO TOM CRUISE!

Agritourism Task Force Chair Cory Behrendt reported to the Board at its June meeting on the Task Force's "end product," as far as it went.

The Task Force had had its final meeting and voted on their draft Ordinance language to submit to the Board, although it wasn't entirely agreed upon by any means.  There was a vote of 4 to 2, with noted exception by two members, Fritz Frana and Chair Behrendt.



The Ordinance provides for members of any Special Committee (or "Task Force") to submit a "minority report," which Yours Truly thinks would be the responsible way to take if one had serious reservations about where the majority of the group was headed.  Apparently Behrendt and Frana had strong reservations as they submitted such a report.  (This has happened before: with the Citizens Advisory Committee a few years ago, for example, two members submitted a minority report objecting to an action with which they disagreed that had taken place in their absence .)

Others on the Agritourism Task Force became aware of this minority report and, at the Board meeting, expressed a desire to submit their own reports, one five pages in length according to its author, Mark Parranto.  Atina Diffley stated that she would like to submit her own individual views to the Board as well, one being that perhaps the Board didn't want/need to have an Ordinance at all on this use. The Board then invited all Task Force members, including Butch Hansen and Phil Cleminson, to submit what they might wish the Board to consider.


In my opinion, this parting of the ways just shows what many have said all along-- that this topic is rather complex and that people approach it from very different viewpoints. There is no simple answer.

One item that concerned some was that the Ordinance language suggested relied heavily on a complaint being filed in order that an individual property owner operating at a certain level, but without a permit, be made compliant. This would be at a level of intensity and scope that, under the Performance Standards, would rise to needing an Interim Use Permit (IUP). Other Interim Use Permits and Conditional Use Permits are typically required at any level of those uses, e.g., churches. Since the committee, working from community feedback at the December Open House, was interested in allowing lower-intensity agritourism activity as a use by right, this begged the question of how does the Township get people beyond that level of use to come in and apply for the necessary IUP when the time is right?  Because of limited resources, the Township functions on complaint-based enforcement of its Ordinances. Some citizens would be diligent and apply for the necessary permit; others perhaps not. It is important to note that IUPs are a tool whereby the Township can impose reasonable and related conditions on a particular use in order to mitigate any negative impacts on surrounding properties.  This actually protects all involved, including the permit holder. (Some, however, have argued that requiring an IUP is "restrictive," rather than being "protective," an opinion I don't agree with.)

Many have expressed discontent with the complaint process and how it has been handled by certain Boards. Many have expressed concern about the Ordinance being applied evenly to all, not to just a few. To add another use when these concerns are seen as not being satisfactorily dealt with might be considered to be problematic.

POINTS TO PONDER:
1) There are still no Task Force meeting minutes or materials posted on the Township website for you to read.
2) This may not happen soon as the website is still being updated and there is again no Town Clerk. (The Board dismissed the recent hire, and Linda Wilson is about "out of here," having stayed around much longer than she planned.)
3) It would be beneficial for citizens to have another opportunity for receiving information and asking questions before a public hearing would be held. Another Open House could accomplish that. The Task Force members would be the likely people to conduct such a gathering, at least as far as their discussions have covered the topic. Citizens could weigh in on how the Task Force has addressed their concerns expressed at the first Open House. Ideally, a public hearing is not the time to be first finding out the details of a proposed law.

   

                                           STAY TUNED!   

THE LINEUP HAS CHANGED...

At the last Town Board meeting various appointments and hirings took place:

At the last Township election, you voted to separate the position of Clerk/Treasurer.  This has been enacted.

A new Town Clerk was hired: Barb North.  I cannot give you any more information about her such as past work experience, as the Board did not share this with the public.  Introduce yourself next you're in.

A new Town Treasurer was also hired: Marsha Wilson.  Again, I cannot give you any more info than that as the Board did not share such details as past work experience with the public. "Welcome" to Marsha.



If you have followed the blog, you are aware of the "upheaval," and I would say controversy, regarding the Building Inspector position.

Darrel Gilmer, Township Septic Inspector, was hired as the Township Building Official.  Darrel has been active in this field for quite some time.  He did ultimately agree to the two-year term of the contract, instead of only the 90 days he was willing to commit to previously.

The Township can have only one Building Official, by statute.  Mr. Gilmer does not do commercial inspections.  The Board hired Greg Staber as Deputy Building Official, in charge of commercial inspections. Greg asked for a one-year contract term, with an option to renew for the second year.  This is due to Eureka's low volume of such inspections and his accompanying insurance cost increases.


Two Planning Commission seats were up for appointment, those vacated by Commissioner Jennings and Commissioner Frana. Many thanks for the time and commitment over the past three years! 

There were four applicants for these two postitions: Philip Cleminson, Fritz Frana, Bob Frederickson, and Carrie Jennings.

Dr. Carrie Jennings, geologist and former Board Supervisor as well as Commissioner, was reappointed.  As a geologist, she has valuable background, knowledge, and experience that is unusual in a Township Planning Commissioner.

Phil Cleminson, former and current Task Force member (Transfer and Agritourism), was appointed to the other position.  During his interview, Phil stated that he has "absolutely no agenda." 



And the pitch...

YOUR EUREKA SCORECARD:

I write this as one Eureka citizen concerned about the state of the Township.

Clerk/Treasurer:  We had a veteran of fourteen years who left us.  You can ask her why. When she was persuaded to return at least for a couple of months just as Treasurer, she was then, in my opinion, insulted by the then-Board's offer of a much-reduced hourly salary, even though she would be doing the same amount of work as Treasurer and just not as Clerk any longer. See "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight?" post.

Interim Treasurer:  A person from a neighboring township agreed to fill in for a while, but only temporarily.  My question about her stay here: Did any Board member (How about the Chair?) make sure she knew for which meeting they needed the budget from her so they weren't "scrambling" the night before the Annual Meeting? In my opinion it is the Board's responsibility to be well-prepared for the Annual meeting, and personally I wouldn't take it for granted that anyone filling in would know exactly what was expected. This person has now found full-time employment elsewhere

Deputy Clerk who became Clerk: At the last Planning Commission meeting and at Monday's Board meeting there was/will be an announcement that she is resigning her post. She has had enough. She has also stated that she stayed on as long as she did because she "felt sorry" for the townspeople who were trying to get permits and didn't want to leave them in the lurch.  She doesn't even live here, but she cares about you!

Building Official: As a Commissioner who waded through all of the former Building Inspector's files, the Board at the time asked me to help interview new people, which I was happy to do.  Of the three candidates, it wasn't even close. Scott Qualle was definitely "Qualle-fied" and very professional. I remember describing him as "a breath of fresh air." You can refer to earlier posts for more detail, but I then sat through a number of meetings in the last year or two during which I was actually embarrassed for the Township at the way in which Scott was treated.  Board members didn't even understand for a while where their authority ended and his began. (One citizen had actually stated at a meeting that, "The Building Inspector (Mr. Qualle) should be 'reined in.' " Clearly, he did not understand the Building Official's authority either.)

When the time came that Mr. Qualle's contract expired, the Board put out a call for applicants.  Scott was the only one who responded by the deadline.  But the deadline was extended.  One more applicant eventually responded, but he was willing to commit to only 90 days, not the 2 years asked for.  This time problem was going to be "negotiated."  That individual still was willing to sign for 90 days only.  Could the Board's earlier treatment of Mr. Qualle have weighed in on his decision, I wonder? (Newly-elected Supervisor Behrendt has asked to see all the paperwork that was involved in this matter. We'll see where we end up.)

Again, it is just my opinion, but I don't think someone should be "let go" for doing his job according to his sworn duty and his license. I also think that if qualified persons apply and are willing to serve for the time period asked for, someone should probably be hired.  Ask yourself why this didn't happen.

Township Attorney: At the Reorg Meeting, at Supervisor Ceminsky's instigation, the Board will continue with Kelly and Lemmons for the short time being, but will again look at other firms. We are talking about a "Superlawyer" law firm here (Mpls./St. Paul magazine), but apparently that isn't good enough for Eureka? (This isn't the first time for that, either.)  Ask yourself why.

Former Board Supervisors, including me, have often discussed how, because Commissions and Boards come and go, the Attorney is the logical source for institutional memory.  Once we have a good firm that has become familiar with our Township, as we do once again now, it actually costs the Township more money to change and bring any new law firm "up to speed."  And to what end? Could it be that the appropriate advice isn't always what "some" want to hear perhaps?



Well, I hope that this is a "seventh inning stretch," and that we will have our act together before the end of the ninth.  I just wish we hadn't worked ourselves into such a deficit.

EUREKA'S "BOX OF CHOCOLATES," AS IN YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL GET!

First some of the more positive news:
The Board approved $4,000 for a planner (Sherri Buss of TKDA who has worked well with the Township before) to work with the agritourism task force and also $1,000 for them to consult the Township Attorney with their questions thus far. The money will come from the professional services escrow funds. Surprisingly, the Board has also left it open for possibly more money if deemed needed. (Other task forces have cost more.) The current six task force members were willing to continue their work, so the Board approved their doing so. Sherri has been doing work on agritourism in other communities and so will bring valuable information and experience to the group.

The less positive aspect: those of you who have been following this know that not once, BUT TWICE, a Planning Commission majority of 3 had asked for this very thing: a task force with planner and attorney assistance, but was denied twice by the Board! At that time, the Board repeatedly expressed a desire to "move this along".  In fact, Chair Storlie, as you might recall, wrote a definition only with a couple of regulations embedded in it that was presented at a public hearing. Some of the Board also voiced that having a planner would just "slow things down" --as if that were necessarily a bad thing.  (Act in haste: repent at leisure?) Had they granted the Commission's requests in the first place, it would have saved a lot of time which they find such a precious commodity.

Indeed, they recently allowed a bare 60 days for the committee to come back with a recommendation. Other than a break at the holidays, the committee has been meeting for two or more hours every week. Having served on  the Transfer Task Force which did the same thing because of the Board's "sense of urgency," and having attended the agritourism meetings, I know that that is a lot to ask of citizens.  (I sincerely doubt the Board itself would agree to meet that often!!!) Even now, the Board wants results for the Annual Meeting.  I think it is good to have at least a report of progress for the Annual Meeting, but do not understand the big rush to conclude this so quickly.  Or perhaps I understand it all too well...

Older, but an important piece of information, is the fact that the polls for the March Election will be open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. This will allow citizens to vote on their way to work just they can during the November elections. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 11th.



Another "mixed confection": At the January Board meeting, the Board approved hiring a tech person to get the website going again. Not a moment too soon for somebody to do so!  I communicated with one citizen who attended this meeting simply so he could find out what was happening. He typically receives an agenda via email, but hasn't since Nanett resigned. When he got to the meeting, he told me that there were no agendas to be had at the table where one enters. If this ever happens to you, immediately ask the Clerk for more agendas.

I applaud his dedication, but not everyone can physically come to a meeting just to find out what is going to be discussed.  That is why it is so important that the website get up ASAP so that you can read agendas, minutes, agritourism info, etc. This is taking way too long, folks!

The light bulb went off and Chair Storlie (finally) proposed that an ad be placed in the newspaper to start the process of finding a new Clerk/Treasurer. He said he recalled that in the past, it took a couple publications to get some applicants. No kidding!

Not as sweet... Do you think that a Supervisor should be paid for the time he will spend to go through his earlier charges with the Clerk so that they can be allocated to the proper budget line?  If you were a Supervisor, wouldn't you "tag" those charges as you submitted them, so that the accounts would be correct as possible at all times and escrow or other accounts that are involved could be billed as necessary? Granted, supervisors can spend a lot of time doing their jobs and, strictly speaking, I guess can charge for each minute and each and every mile, but I don't believe that to do so would be in keeping with the generous sense of volunteerism that carried the day in the past.  It used to be that no one charged for mileage except for Township road reviews or in isolated cases where one had to travel a fair distance for a training, but many did not charge even then. As reported before, the payment for  "special meetings" ($70) was applied for those supervisors attending, say, an NCRWMO meeting as part of their responsibilities, though, again, some did not charge for this either.  The intent  when it was passed (and I know this because I was there for the discussion) was that these extra meetings can take a few hours each, just as a special meeting of the Board locally can, and supervisors are paid for that.  The idea was not to pay for, as an example, a fifteen-minute discussion with an agency rep, but was for a full-fledged meeting with the VRWJPO or NCRWMO bodies and the like.

Now, this is just my personal opinion; you may disagree.  All citizens should know that what each Supervisor is paid and what for is public information which can be accessed at any time via a request of the Clerk.  Stay tuned for more information...

THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT?

As reported earlier, the Township Clerk/Treasurer, Nanett Sandstrom, resigned not long ago.  The Deputy Clerk, Linda Wilson, was made Clerk, but was not able to do the CTAS bookkeeping as she hasn't been trained in that.  There were TWO Special Meetings on this topic. The Board at its December meeting, or more precisely, Supervisor Brian Budenski, asked Linda what she needed to help her
.

Linda replied that she had talked to Nanett and Nanett was willing to stay on for a couple of more months and perhaps might even stay on after that.  Linda had already sworn Nanett in so that the December Financial Reports could be done. She said she would like to work with Nanett for at least this transitional period.


However, three Supervisors, Storlie, Ceminsky, and Madden, appeared to have a problem with that. Chair's Storlie's "impeccable" logic presented publicly was that, since, Nanett had been both Clerk and Treasurer before, and would now have reduced responsibilities as just Treasurer, she should take a cut in pay!  She was paid "x" to do "a" and "b."  She did either "a" or "b" at one time, right; she didn't do both at once?  So now she could do just "b," thus having fewer hours and thus earning less money, but Storlie wants to also dock her hourly pay by, as I recall, roughly 20%!

So you have an employee who has been here for 14 years.  Is she suddenly less experienced to do "b?"  Has she suddenly forgotten all her training on CTAS? Has she suddenly not been here at Eureka for as long as she has? What real justification does Mr. Storlie have to reduce her hourly pay? How insulting is that!? Personally, I think the three Supervisors who voted to reduce her pay figured she wouldn't accept their "New Deal," and this was a way to seem "reasonable" (?), leaving her to make the call.  

Well, she did.  "No Way!" was her reported answer.  Can you blame her? I surely do not.

So now we have no Treasurer.  A very nice person (I have met her) from Castle Rock has agreed to fill in in that capacity for a while, but she does not want the job.  Linda Wilson does not want the job; in fact, she is looking for another job. She has stayed on for now because of concern for the citizens of Eureka. She doesn't even live here, but SHE has concern for the citizens of Eureka!  Where is the Board's concern, I wonder?

Oh!  Lest I forget! Who told Nanett she no longer has a job here after the Board's vote?  NOT CHAIR STORLIE!  NOT SUPERVISOR CEMINSKY!  NOT SUPERVISOR MADDEN!  Not even Supervisors Budenski and Miller who would have liked to see her stay.  Oh no, not the Fortitudinous Five! They let Linda be the bearer of the bad news!  Isn't that nice? Really stand-up.



In fact, as of one o'clock on New Year's Eve, it was believed that not one of the five has yet even called Nanett to get the password for the website from her.  They HAVE called another citizen who did work on the website in the past, but not the logical person, Nanett! This is the reason the Agritourism Task Force minutes have not been posted as requested and as has been done for other task forces! No call to Nanett: no password!  Is the Board doing its best to inform the public here?  I would say, no, definitely not.

Also, as of one o'clock on New Year's Eve, there still has not been an ad placed in the newspaper seeking a replacement even though that request has been made a few times.  The current temporary replacement doesn't want the job! There are end-of-year reports to be done as well as the usual monthly work.  Shouldn't we start looking for someone new since we have chucked away the person who has served us well for the last nearly decade and a half?


Related but different: You recall the Conditional Use Permit for Living Waters Church on Dodd Boulevard? You might recall that I reported on that public hearing, including Commissioner Hansen's testifying as a member of the public AND serving as Planning Commissioner!

Hansen was to assist Linda with drafting a letter to the applicants, explaining what else they have to submit for a complete application. There has to be another public hearing.  The Township is picking up the tab for that. Well, as of one o'clock on New Year's Eve, Hansen has not been by to get this letter finished and sent.  This made me wonder has ANYONE contacted the applicants or the realtor at all? The answer was that to the best of knowledge, no one had yet called them  to let them know where they stood on the matter. If that is true, how are you being represented?  Remember, the first public hearing was on December 5th.  New Year's Eve was three and one half weeks later!

Put yourself in the applicants' shoes.  What would be your impression of Eureka Township? Sure you still want to be here?
Put yourself in the realtor's shoes. She has already expressed real concerns regarding the Board's actions at the November meeting. She would like the sale to go through.  Time is money.
Put yourself in the bank's shoes.  You finally have a buyer for the property.  Is the Township going to handle this so poorly that your buyer decides it's not worth it and goes to look elsewhere?

The gang that couldn't shoot straight?  I think their aim is straight--straight into their collective foot!