TOWNSHIP OF CLAY
CLAY TOWNSHIP BOARD MEETING
NOVEMBER 17, 2021, 6:00 PM
18650-290th STREET
PARK RAPIDS, MN

• 1. CALL TO ORDER: The November 17th, 2021, Meeting of the Clay Township Board was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chair Andy Kietzman, and those present recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
• 2. ROLL CALL: Present: Chair Andy Kietzman, Supervisor Norm Leistikow, Treasurer Del Holz, and Clerk Margie Vik. Supervisor Jeff Haukebo attended via telephone. Absent: None. Others Present: Alice Holz, Marty Leistikow, and Kristine from Emmaville Store.
• 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: A motion was made by Kietzman, seconded by Haukebo, and unanimously carried to approve the agenda as presented.
• 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
  A. Clay Township Regular Meeting Minutes-September 22, 2021: A motion was made by Haukebo, seconded by Kietzman, and unanimously carried to approve the Clay Township Regular Meeting Minutes for September 22nd, 2021, with the following changes: Page One, Line 4, change word “into” garage, to “goes toward” garage. Change on Page 2, the spelling of “Bruins”, to “Bruns”.
• 5. NEW BUSINESS:
  • A. Emmaville Store Liquor Licences: A motion was made by Kietzman, seconded by Haukebo, and unanimously carried to approve the renewal of the on/off sale 3.2 beer and wine/strong beer licenses for the Emmaville Store/Inn.
  • B. Family Campground: Haukebo stated the property owners of the Brad Zinnel Family LLC parcel are inquiring if they can create a family campground by making individual camping sites for each hunter. There would be one shower within the main house. The property is located south of the Lake George line on the east side of County Road 4. There would be no change of ownership. According to our zoning ordinance, campgrounds are an allowed, permitted use in the rural district. The ordinance prohibits individual cabins, but does allow camping sites. There is no action needed on this until we receive a zoning application.
  • C. Minnesota State Demographer Report: Vik reported that, as of April 1, 2020, the population of Clay Township is 76, total housing units are 120, occupied housing units are 28, and vacant housing units are 92, according to the Minnesota State Demographer.
  • D. Hubbard County Road Report: Kietzman stated he would file the 2022 certification for the Clay Township roads to the Hubbard County Engineer.
  • E. Meeting Schedule: The township meetings for 2022 will remain unchanged from year 2021, and Kietzman will continue to serve as the board’s chairman in 2022.
  • F. Townhall Checks: Holz requested permission to order more checks for the township. A motion was made by Kietzman, seconded by Haukebo, and unanimously carried to order bank account checks in 2022, as necessary.
• 6. OLD BUSINESS:
  • A. Jackfish Drive Road Issues: Kietzman stated he was contacted by Jim Mertz who was unhappy because the township is not fixing his driveway. He said we would be fixing it after all is said and done. I consulted with Jon Olson from Apex Engineering, Howard’s Driveway, and Cumber Construction. They all told me that the township is not responsible for private property. It is illegal for public funds to be used on private property. This issue could have been caused by poor site preparation by the driveway installer. Additionally, the lifespan of a paved driveway is only twenty years, and this driveway is beyond that age. Kietzman stated we received an estimate to remove trees on Jackfish Drive. Mertz is not in favor of this because he claims the trees are his privacy screen. We have to follow a legal process to remove the trees, including notifying the affected property owners. I suggest the township does nothing there until spring. The township took no action on this issue.
• 7. APPROVAL OF TREASURERS REPORT: Holz stated he read an article about the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which indicated that only 60% of Minnesota Townships applied for funds. They said that the purchase of computers was a qualified expense. I contacted MAT and asked about the computer purchase and the increase in the cost of the building materials for the town hall. MAT was very helpful with the submission of the grant application under some very short deadlines to receive signatures, securing a Dun and Bradstreet number, and downloading the documents. The township received a $3,968.14 reimbursement from the ARP grant monies with MAT’s assistance. Holz presented his written treasurer’s report to the board (see attached). A motion was made by Kietzman, seconded by Haukebo, and unanimously carried to approve the treasurer’s report and to pay the outstanding invoices.
• 8. ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made by Kietzman, seconded by Haukebo, and unanimously carried to adjourn the meeting at 6:35 p.m.