March 2023 Annual Meeting

Town of Morse Annual Meeting

March 8, 2022

 

 

The Board of Canvass was called to order at 8:05 p.m. with Supervisors Len Cersine  and Bob Berrini.

 

The number of votes cast was 49 with 48 votes for Bob Berrini and one write-in vote received.

 

A motion was made by Soderberg, seconded by Berrini to approve the election results with Len Cersine receiving 38 of the 38 votes cast. Motion carried unanimously. 

 

Present at the annual meeting were Bob Berrini, Len Cersine, Mary Ann Lekatz, James Devine, Devvie Cersine, Catie Clark, Bill Erzar and Nick Wognum. 

 

Clerk Nick Wognum called the meeting to order at 8:06 p.m. 

 

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

 

Wognum then called for nominations for moderator. Len Cersine nominated Nick Wognum and Mary Ann Lekatz as moderators.

 

Wognum called two more times for nominations and with none received the nominations were declared closed. 

 

A motion was made by Len Cersine seconded by Bob Berrini to nominate Nick Wognum and Mary Ann Lekatz to serve as moderators. Motion carried unanimously.

 

A motion was made by Len Cersine, second by Bill Erzar to approve the minutes of the 2022 annual meeting. Motion carried unanimously.

 

Mary Ann Lekatz read the Treasurer’s Report for 2022. The general fund started with $362,432.03 and ended with $286,621.60; the road fund started with $14,878.34 and ended with $60,597.72; the gas tax fund started with $26,362.

 

A motion was made by Len Cersine, seconded by James Devine to approve the treasurer’s report as read by Lekatz. 

 

Erzar asked about the Reserve Fund and interest of $47.67 received. Lekatz explained that the township had three CDs at low interest rates. Those have been changed to new interest rates.

 

The motion was carried on a unanimous vote.

 

Lekatz went through the General Fund for 2024 noting and increase in salaries and the cost of elections with a presidential election in 2024 for a total of four elections that year. Berrini noted the gas tax has fallen in 2022. Lekatz said it dropped $5,000 from $18,000 to $13,000. Berrini noted the $150,000 decrease in funds was from purchasing the building for the ambulance. Morse, Fall Lake and the City of Ely each put in $150,000 to buy the building with Winton contributing around $11,000. Berrini said each entity (except Winton) also put in $60,000 to help keep the ambulance afloat. 

 

A motion was made by Len Cersine, seconded by Bob Berrini to approve the proposed General Fund budget of $229,300.00 at 8:29 p.m. The motion was approved unanimously. 

 

The Road and Bridge budget was dropped to $114,300 with a drop of $5,000 in brushing and chloride. The budget was previously $131,800. Erzar said his roads don’t need to have chloride applied to it. He said the road could be re-aligned. Berrini said the township paid $10,000 to have the road surveyed. Devine said he would be in favor of keeping brushing work done. Berrini said he had five or six calls from people who complained about brushing done in front of their houses. 

 

Berrini noted the taconite tax should continue for the next couple of years.

 

A motion was made by Devine, seconded by Len Cersine to approve the Road and Bridge budget of $114,300. A vote to approve the Road and Bridge fund was unanimous at 8:36 p.m. 

 

Lekatz explained there are three more years of payments on the fire truck. She said the three CDS are at 3.85% and our savings and checking account rates are up as well. She went through each of the receipt line items. 

 

The proposed levy for 2024 is $181,036.43 for the General Fund and $184,693.73 for the Road and Bridge fund. 

 

Berrini said the board is working with Treehouse Broadband. 

 

A motion was made by Len Cersine, seconded by Bill Erzar to approve the 2024 levy of $365,730.16 with $181,036.43 for General Fund and $184,693.73 for the Road and Bridge fund. A vote to approve the 2024 levy was approved unanimously at 8:40 p.m.

 

A motion was made by Len Cersine, seconded by Bob Berrini to set the voting hours of the township election from noon to 8 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.

 

A motion was made by Len Cersine, seconded by Berrini to set March 12 for the annual meeting and election in 2024. Motion carried unanimously.

 

Berrini noted the local board of appeal and equalization will be held on April 25 at 9 a.m. 

 

Len Cersine said roads are in good shape but are showing some icy spots. He noted another storm is predicted for later this week. 

 

Berrini noted the township acquired 160 acres on the Taconite Trail and in the end grant monies covered the cost of the acquisition. Wognum noted the section of trail is very pretty to ride through and could lead to possible other recreation opportunities. Berrini said the goal is to sell a 100 foot wide easement through the four parcels. He said the board is looking to meet with the county on putting more land up for sale for development.

 

Erzar discussed the adoption of county road specifications for township roads in the mid 1990s. He said there should be 66-foot right of ways and that the roads should be located in the middle of the road right of ways. He said on Hallmark the road is located on the edge of the right of way. Erzar said he would like to see 18 foot road widths. Cersine asked when the Romberg Acres plat was approved. Erzar said it was likely in the 1960s. He said the roads were built when it was survey and developed. He said the meeting in the 1990s where the county road specifications were adopted the minutes did not include that the specifications were adopted. Erzar asked for less salt and more sand in the mixture used in the winter. Erzar asked about the broadband service for his area. Berrini said the township has talked to Treehouse and Midco about providing service in Romberg Acres, even putting up $10,000 for a grant application for Midco. Erzar said he might as well put two tin cans on a string for how bad his internet service is right now. Berrini said the township also looked at partnering with Frontier in the past. 

 

Wognum read a letter from the Highway 169 task force. Erzar explained at milepost 267 by the state park entrance east of Soudan, a rise in the grade would be removed to create a passing zone; the next would be the west corner of Robinson Lake at Camp Lake Road on the bad corner instead of cutting to the lake right away the railroad grade would be used to make the corner less sharp and staying away from the lake and the public landing on Robinson then at Wolf Creek Pass that section would be elevated, banked and corrected along with turn lanes to Wolf Lake Road; then past Wolf Lake Road to the east the sharp corner and rise would be flattened, filled and banked. The cost was $13.1 million and now is $14.3 million. Erzar said this is the third try for the CDS spending. He also advocated for increasing the gas tax. 

 

A motion was made by Len Cersine, seconded by James Devine to adjourn the meeting at 9:09 p.m. Motion carried. 

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