Author: Glen Williamson

The Spring Meeting of the Pine County Township Officers’ Association was held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the Hinckley Community Center, in Hinckley, MN. The meeting was called to order by Chair Katy Overtoom at 9:00 a.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chair Katie Overtoom. The Invocation was provided by Katy Overtoom. 

Roll call was taken with 22 townships present, establishing a quorum.

Motion made, seconded to approve the minutes from the Fall Meeting, Saturday, October 22, 2022.

We had several speakers:

State Senator Jason Rarick District 11 said this has been a different legislative session. They just came out with a budget target; the largest area is the K-12 education, and how they spend the money in the school district. He believes that we didn’t need free meals for all kids, at best 50%. Now we are spending $450 to do so.  He’s not for NLX (trains) and would rather the money go into bussing.  He doesn’t believe the current gun bill will pass because of so many concerns about it.

Nathan Nelson, State Senate Representative, District 11B – thanked the township officers for being involved on the local government level.  Roads are really bad this year, especially the one he lives on. The legislative target spending is $72 billion dollars that’s an increase of $17.9 billion over the last bi-annual.  For rural MN, he serves agricultural, work force and children and family committees.  He’s working hard on daycare early education, especially for the rural area. It’s been harder and harder for home based daycare to stay in business. He’s trying to make sure a portion of the funds goes to outer Minnesota.   ECE is trying to get broadband out to the areas they serve. ECE had to apply for smaller projects to fit within the grant limit.  He is hoping for them to increase the cap, so they can work on bigger projects, and still be under the cap.  He’s got a concern about a bill trying to limit school classes to 17 students.  This could affect everything including how many rooms to have students in that could lead to a bond issue.  Please contact him if you have any concerns about anything coming up.

Steve Hallan, District 1 Commissioner said Pine County is only one of five counties in Minnesota that owns their own land fill in Arthur Township, west of Mora.  The landfill after struggling is doing really good now.  They have good equipment and staff.  It has to follow a million rules to make sure it’s not violating any laws, i.e., polluting ground.  Every county had to pitch in originally to get the landfill going.  Last year the landfill gave back to those counties almost $1 million, and Pine County got about $200,000.00.  Some day this landfill will not have any room for expansion. It’s getting filled up really fast because we throw away so much garbage.

 The county board has gotten really serious about Broadband.  You will not get it overnight, but Broadband will be coming to your area in the next three years or so.  ECE has 94 miles of fiber sitting on reels ready to go.  Also, SCI and Minco are working on Broadband around Pine City and the Rock Creek area.

The county now has a full-time Economic Director, Lezlie Sauter. 

Pine County took some of its ARPA money to give scholarships to students graduating from a local school to attend Pine County Technical and Community College, at no cost.  They have 49 students who are taking part in the program this year.  Many of those students are first generation, post-secondary students.  Many of the students when they graduate are getting high wages; we need electricians, plumbers, mechanics, etc.  They are trying to figure out how to sustain this scholarship in perpetuity.

He went on to state that they are branding the county from Pine County “We are in the middle of nowhere” to “We are in the middle of everywhere.”  We can be in the middle of the wilderness in an hour, or we can be at the Twin’s games; in an hour we can be testifying in the capital. 

We also have an opioid crisis.  They have had six overdoses in the county since January 1.  That’s two a month.  These are not terrible people, but rather people who have made one big mistake.

Terry Lovgren, District 3 Commissioner said we won’t be getting the
Stauber grant.  It’s been put off for another year.  The CBDG Grant won by SCI Cable for those with low income in the townships of Dell Grove, Sandstone, Barry, Arlone, and Glover.

If you’re a township with over $3,800 is damages, call Denise at 320-438-0309 to find out about a 75% reimbursement due to the December snow storms.  You must apply by March 30, 2023.

Lovgren said that she’s on the National Association of Counties Technology & Telecommunication Committee.  This year, they are presenting a resolution concerning the lack of cell service to many areas in our nation.  Pine County has many dead spots, making this a great opportunity to help our residents.

Another resolution they are working on is making sure providers are honest in their pricing.  If you believe you been scammed report it to ReportFraud.FTC.gov.

Jeff Nelson, Sheriff- Pine County – said to get a hold of him, if there are issues.  Call in if you see anything suspicious. There are issues with hiring law enforcement officers and a couple different levels.  Candidate pool is getting shallower, and they are competing with the metro for pay issues.  They get a lot of support from the Pine County community.  They have had three overdoses over the last week or so, but all have recovered.  It’s been 16 or 17 so far this year, with six deaths this year.  All except one was from the Pine County area.  They have put a lot of money into trying to find the sources for those overdoses and chase down the dealers.  That takes resources.   He said we cannot arrest our way out of it.  It will take education.  This drug issue is from all economic and social backgrounds. There is an opioid conference coming up Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Grand Casino Hinckley.  Details are on his website. He talked about the potential for flooding, especially if you have it previously.     Veterans get a substantial discount with their Conceal and Carry permit. Honorable discharged veterans only pay $10 instead of $100.

Jordan Zeller, ECRDC Economic Developer – they are working with Pine Tech to get a grant for them.  They do bank visits to promote economic development.  They are also collecting data on where to build new houses in the area.  They have a bunch of financing programs that can make things happen.  If you’re interested in childcare, talk with him.  They also have their revolving loan funds. They have funds to lend out.  They are a government entity, so they are not competing with banks from $10K to $60K.  They have 27 loans outstanding, nine of which are in Pine County; three are in Pine City, one in Sandstone, one in Askov, one in Banning, one in Denham, one in Hinckley and one in Henriette.  He said if you forget who he is, talk with Glen Williamson because he’s the Vice Chair of the loan committee. 

Barb Fischer, Pine Area Hospital District Vice President – said she’s the newly elected Chair of the hospital board .  Bill passed about seven weeks ago.  There are three questions.   1.  What is the Hospital District? 2.  Now that the hospital is built, why are you still active? 3.  What are you doing with the money?

1. The organization was created by statute… it was originally created in 1959.  When MN realized that hospitals in the rural areas were going away.  They had a county hospital, county nursing home and a county clinic. As hospital and medical issues became more complex, it took a lot to maintain it.  So they decided to take advantage of the statute.  So, the decision was made to build a new hospital.  It opened in 2017, right after she moved to the area.  They build the hospital, they own the hospital, but they don’t run it. They don’t have the expertise.  The hospital is leased to Essentia; Essentia sub leases Gateway Clinic and Thrifty Pharmacy.  The bond they took out in 2017 is paid by Essentia.  So that leads to the next question.
2. Why are you still active? The hospital district holds the loan for the mortgage on the hospital.  Not Essentia. Essentia has the right to leave if they want. The district would still have the mortgage. Sandstone hospital is grandfathered in.  It’s the law in the state.  It’s required by this area for the citizens to have access to a hospital.   It is a triage hospital.  They hold over people in the hospital, until they can find a bed to send them to.  The clinic feeds the hospital.  But the clinic is independent of the hospital and ask the patients where they want to go… i.e., to Duluth.  The clinic lets you go wherever the patients want to go.
3. What do you do with the money you get from the levy?  They offer forgivable loans to those who train in Pine County and if they work a couple of years for the hospital, then their loan can be forgiven.  They offer EMT training; they pay for new medical technology.  The district receives about $250,000 from the levy.

Mindy Sandell, Veterans Services – The stats are from 2021 because 2022 has not come out yet.  We have 2,165 veterans in Pine County.  That’s a decrease of 50/55 veterans from the year before because a lot of Vietnam veterans are dying. The veterans’ compensation coming into the county are $14, 468,000; medical care is $15,927,000; education money $4486,000; insurance and indemnities $130,000.  They also have a van program that goes to Minneapolis on even number days, Twin Ports on Mondays, and St. Cloud on Tuesdays.  Any veteran can use the van.  They are down on drivers, but they still run the van program.  They just purchased a new high-capacity passenger van. They are about 20 veterans’ appointments a week and about 10 walk-ins a week.  They average about 60 phone calls a week. They have coffee talk in Sandstone the first Monday of the month in her office (in Sandstone); the first Thursday of the month in the evening in Pine City.  She’s also in Pine City every Thursday in the evening to serve the southern part of the county.  They have income-based grants available.   Sandell said, she’s also the chair of the Pickem Up Suicide Coalition which includes Pine, Kanabec, Isanti, and Mille Lacs County to help prevent veterans from committing suicides.  For more details visit https://www.co.pine.mn.us/departments/veterans/index.php

Jeff Krueger, MN Association of Township Director – speaking on behalf of Tammy Carlson who is the new District 7 Director as of January 31, 2023.  The next annual MAT Township Conference is December 7 – 9, 2023 at River’s Edge Convention Center.  He’s urging all township officers to attend because they will be cleaning up their bylaws and it’s important for you to be there.  They have over 9,000 members, but only 200 attended last year for various reasons, including having it in October.  October was too early because many of the officers are farmers and were still in the field. November is not a good month because of the hunting season. By moving it to December they are hoping to have a lot better turnout.   They have a staff of 15 and he’s been there for two years, but he’s third longest employee there.  They have a lot of turn over because of wages;  they will also be voting on dues increases.  The short courses for those in Pine County will be April 7 at the DECC in Duluth.

Some other info:  The association was originally formed in 1933 as MATO.  It was originally formed after Iowa lost its townships.  It was formed to make sure that townships continue to exist in Minnesota.  We have 55,000 miles of roads. MAT’s goal is $100 Million for townships.  Wisconsin has 60,000 miles of roads and are getting $168 Million for their roads. We got less than a 1/3^rd last year than what Wisconsin received. In 2023 the townships are expecting a 28% decline in state aid. There will be a 7% decrease in gas tax because of higher efficient cars and EVs.  In the 70’s and 80’s the association use to have 800 to 1,000 officers at Lobby Days   For details visit https://www.mntownships.org/

Mike Couri, Couri and Ruppe Law Office – spoke about his upcoming Township Legal Seminars which will include

• CARTWAYS
• TOWN LINE ROAD AGREEMENTS
• CEMETERIES
• FIRE CONTRACTS
• TOWNSHIP JEOPARDY
• CLERK & TREASURER DUTIES; REORGANIZATIONAL MEETINGS
• TECHNOLOGY
• OPEN MEETING LAW
• STUMP THE CHUMPS

For details visit https://www.couriruppe.com/township-legal-seminar

Motion made, seconded to nominate Dan O’Flanagan, Dell Grove Township and Glen Williamson, Wilma Township to the Executive Board for another three years.   Both officers were re-elected by the attendees to three years until March 2026.

Motion made, seconded, and passed to adjourn at 10:45 am.

Respectively submitted by

Glen Williamson Sr.

Secretary/Treasurer

Pine County Township Officers’ Association

Date Approved: ______________________

Chairman___________________________

The Fall Meeting of the Pine County Township Officers’ Association was held on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at the Hinckley American Legion, in Hinckley, MN. The meeting was called to order by Chair Katy Overtoom at 9:00 a.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chair Katie Overtoom. The Invocation was provided by Katy Overtoom. 

Roll call was taken with 16 townships present, establishing a quorum.

Motion made and seconded to approve the minutes read by Stefanie Williamson, Deputy Clerk, Wilma Township from the Spring Meeting, Saturday, March 27, 2022.

We had several speakers:

Jen Schultz, Candidate for US 8^th Congressional District – She has been a MN State Representative for District 7A, Duluth area and is an economist at the University of MN. She knows that Broadband is essential for the district.  Her phone number is 218-340-5686.

State Senator Jason Rarick District 11 said he’s an electrician and talked about energy future and that he works a lot with Pine County Technical and Community College.  There are two big issues in this area, Broadband for townships and Roads. He also talked about the ECE $300 million project.

Michelle Boyechko, State Senate Candidate, District 11 – said she’s a small, pig farmer from Carlton County.  She’s pro legal abortion and for gun control.  She would work on getting small and medium farmers into the market.  Also, will work for affordable day care.

Eric Olson, Candidate, State Representative, District 11B – Phone number 320-279-1858 – Said there is a division between rural and urban areas. He said the government close to the ground makes better decisions for the people.  He would like to see an Energy District like the Soil and Water District.  Education is important.  He’s a teacher and has been in the Peace Corps.  He says we need to adjust the way we pay for education.  He grew up in Pine County, been a park ranger and a teacher.  He said Pine County has the second lowest Broadband penetration in the state.

Terry Lovgren, District 3 Commissioner said that Pete Stauber helped to secure a Federal grant to help the county construct fiber broadband.  She spoke more about Broadband issues and went on to say that they have to file another grant application to get more money.  She stated that Pine County has the second lowest income, per capita, in the state.

Steve Hallan, District 1 Commissioner said as of this meeting, he’s been to 31 or 32 county officers’ meetings.  He advocates that there are no state surpluses until the state goes back to what’s owed to small government.  The county budget is $21 million.  50 to 55% goes to public safety, i.e., the Sheriff department. The value of land has been going up.  We are 86 out of 87 counties in MN for Broadband access.  However, Pine County is leading the change in family issues.

Skip Thomson, District 5 Candidate for Commissioner – said Pine County is the 16^th highest tax county out of 87.  He stated that bigger government doesn’t mean better government and the process of housings are coming down.  He’s running so that the people in the 5^th district should have a choice and little government handles money better than bigger government.

Kelly Schroeder, County Auditor said they are working on Truth and Taxation Statements, and it should be going out about a week earlier.  She and Leslie are available if you need help.  20/21 high school graduates can go to Pine Tech free.  Also, if they are taking law programs at Fond Du Lac College.  Her office is reaching out to townships to what their voting needs are.  The county commissioners are responsible for redistricting.  3500 acres are a part of the Memorial Forest Ordinance this summer. The county got a grant to build a Household Hazardous Building in the north area.  Hopefully construction will start Spring 2022.

Since 2016, the county opened two transfer stations and they will be opening a new hazardous waste station in Willow River.

Jeff Nelson, Sheriff – has been here for eight years and only missed one county association meeting.  He has also been trying to get to as many townships as possible.  Housing prisoners has been very interesting, that includes keeping those with Covid away from the general prison population. They currently have four canines, and they can ask them to do stuff that humans wouldn’t do.  Technology is wonderful.  They currently have four drones now.  All school districts now have an SRO.

Fran Levings, Pine Area Hospital District Vice President – said the hospital board was created by the MN Legislature in 1986 to provide quality health care access in this area.  They just approved a grant of $250,000.00 for the Sandstone hospital.  Also, for those going to school to be in the medical field, they have a $7000 loan to help with education.  If they work in the hospital district for two years, their loan will be forgiven.  Property owners in the hospital district are taxed $31 per $100,000.00 of property owned, per year.

Conservation Officer, Ben Karon, DNR – said that he’s now covering this area because CO Bret Grundmeier is now the acting supervisor. Karon states that he’s the only game warden in Pine County now.  Mandatory testing is still required on deer for Chronic Waste Disease (CWD).  There haven’t been any positive results in the wild.  He went on to state that farmers cannot shoot wolves anymore, even if they are eating their cattle.  You can only shoot them if your life is threatened and in danger.

Curt Kalk, Area Relations, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe – said that there are 4800 people in the Mille Lacs Band and the government structure is the same as the Minnesota legislature.  His primary job is government affairs.  Pine County officials have a good relationship with the band.  They spend about $136 million a year of which $100 million is federal and state grants.  Also, the clinics are directly funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Jeff Krueger, MN Association of Township Director – said that he’s been director of the association for 18 months.  MAT was started in 1933 and in 1979 became a 501-c organization in 1979.  The association has over 9,000 members.  He said that townships have over 55,000 miles of roads, and it’s more than any other government entities in Minnesota. They helped 425 townships to get ARPA funds.  Mike Miller is no longer District 7 (our district) director and there will be an election January 31, 2023, for a new director.

Tammy Carlson, Clerk, Pine City Township – will be running for District 7 Director, January 31, 2023.  Her phone number is 651-621-4049.

Motion made, seconded and passed to adjourn at 11:00am.

Respectively submitted by

Glen Williamson Sr.

Secretary/Treasurer

Pine County Township Officers’ Association

Date Approved:______________________

Chairman___________________________

The Fall Meeting of the Pine County Township Officer’s Association was held on Saturday, October 23, 2021, at the Hinckley Community Center, in Hinckley, MN. The meeting was called to order by Chair Katy Overtoom at 9:00 a.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chair Katie Overtoom. The Invocation was provided by Katy Overtoom. 

Roll call was taken with 15 townships present, establishing a quorum.

Motion made and seconded to approve the minutes from the Spring Meeting, Saturday, March 23, 2021.

We had several speakers:

State Rep. Nathan, 11B  talked about Chronic Waste Disease (CWD) and how they can test live deer.  They don’t need to be dead.  The state has approved $70 million for Broadband.  SCI is having difficulties getting junction boxes for Broadband.  The supply chain is a problem.

Steve Hallan, District 1 Commissioner, said Matt Ludwig’s wife has leukemia and she has been in Rochester for about 100 days.  Broadband is a top priority.  The more people who engage; the more the carrier will move in the area.  MINCO is putting in fiber near Rock Creek.  If you shoot a deer, get it tested.  Deer hunting is a huge economic thing in this county.   Because of Covid, about 70 employees are working from home.  And productivity has gone up with a savings of almost $3 million.  According to the recent census, they have lost 800 people from 10 years ago.  ECE is working on a partnership to bring broadband to us.  He urges that citizens get more involved in Broadband participation by attending meetings.

Kelly Schroeder, County Auditor said they are working on Truth and Taxation Statements, and it should be going out about a week earlier.  She and Leslie are available if you need help.  20/21 high school graduates can go to Pine Tech free.  Also if they are taking law programs at Fond Du Lac College.  Her office is reaching out to townships to what their voting needs are.  The county commissioners are responsible for redistricting.  3500 acres are a part of the Memorial Forest Ordinance this summer. The county got a grant to build a Household Hazardous Building in the north area.  Hopefully construction will start Spring 2022.

County Attorney Reese Frederickson said they just moved to a new home in a township.  This year his office has been very busy and are backlogged. If your township needs help, give him a call. He talked about a child abuse case in which the father was abusing his son and daughter.  However more victims from this father are coming forth from those living in different states now.  This father, after the first day of trial, ending up shooting and killing himself, rather than stand trial.  This predator operated under the radar for about 30 years.    

Scott Grice, Chief Deputy, Sheriff Department:  They have started a drone program and are used an ankle GPS to track a suspect.  They used a drone to track this suspect who had a rifle and they heard wanted “suicide by cop”.  They are having a hard time find law enforcement candidates.  However, they found four good candidates who are currently in training.

Lenny Bonander, Hospital Board and NLX: It took about 10 years, but with community support, they were able to build a new hospital.  It’s taken about 15 years to get the railroad maters to where it is now.   He read a proposed City of Sandstone resolution to have politicians support NLX.  It was adopted 7/21/21.  It will cost between $350 to $500 million to get train services in this area.  The majority of the money is to straighten out intersections on the railroad lines.

Mindy Sandell, Veterans Services said they are 2326 veterans in Pine County.  They are bringing roughly $29 million in services to these veterans. 

Michael Miller, District 7 Director, Minnesota Association of Townships:  Spoke about MAT and it’s work that it’s doing for the townships at the Capital.  If townships need any help, to contact him.

Motion made and seconded to adjourn at 10:15am.

Respectively submitted by

Glen Williamson Sr.

Secretary/Treasurer

Pine County Township Officers’ Association

Date Approved:______________________

Chairman___________________________

The Spring Meeting of the Pine County Township Officer’s Association was held on Saturday, March 27, 2021, at the Hinckley Community Center, in Hinckley, MN. The meeting was called to order by Secretary/Treasurer Glen Williamson at 9:00 a.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Secretary/Treasurer Glen Williamson. The Invocation was provided by Paul Raymond. The Chair Katy Overtoom later came in and took over the meeting.

Roll call was taken with 18 townships present, establishing a quorum.

Motion made and seconded to approve the minutes from the Fall Meeting, Saturday, October 27, 2020.

We had several speakers:

Jason Rarick, State Senator 11 said the state is back to a surplus. Gas tax is not the long range solution. He believes this country will be going to electric cars in 25 to 30 years.

State Rep. Nathan, 11B said there will be a special session if they agree on the budget by June 30. He mentioned that the governor has a lot of discretion on funding. Chronic Waste Disease (CWD) is a topic and what to do with the carcasses. Kanabec landfill didn’t want them. About 600 samples were taken, but don’t believe there is a big problem with CWD. There is a lot of funding for broadband, however there is a discrepancy on how to allocate it.

Steve Hallan, District 1 Commissioner, said he and Commissioner Terry Lovgren will speak for the County Commissioners. There is a plan on broadband around Hinckley and Rock Creek this summer. The county is getting money from the American Rescue Plan Act and they have until 2024 to spend it. As townships get money they will get guidance on what to do with it. CWD is a big deal in Pine County because a lot of lives revolve around hunting. Economic impact of deer hunting in this county adds up.

Terry Lovgren, Commissioner District 3 said she went to the National County Meeting via Zoom. She has a list of how much money the townships will get directly from the American Rescue Plan. Townships will be getting 10% less on tax forfeited land this year.

Kelly Schroeder, County Auditor said election last fall took incredible effort. She thanked the clerks and election judges a fantastic job. Tax statement will be mailed on Monday. Vacant land value went way down. With houses will go up. Property is selling higher than usual. She’s concerned because this will drive value up. A lot of baby boomers are moving to the area.

County Attorney Reese Frederickson said there is now a Veterans Court Initiative with Chisago County. The court will be having two graduates soon. Zoom court has been interesting. Overall, it’s doing great. People are still being held accountable. Meth is still a problem in the county with lots of overdoses. Burglary is related to the addiction problem. They have put a lot of drug dealers in prison. Drug dealers like to snitch on each other.

Caleb Anderson, Planning and Zoning said the county adopted a county wide zoning ordinance January 2020. It’s an opt in program. They use Beacon to see wetlands in the county. There isn’t any fee for informal reviews of what you can do near wetlands. The constituents care a lot about recycling. There is recylcing three days a week in three different areas of Pine County.

Jordan Zeller with East Central Regional Development Commission/ECRDC doing housing familiar tours. If you have housing property for sale or development, let him know. Also doing it for commercial and industrial land. Has funds for small business development. Can do COVID loans for 0%.

Brett Grundmeier from the DNR said hunting has the highest economic impact in this county for the state. A lot of money is spent here. No CWD has been found in the wild. This year it’s a requirement to get deer tested for CWD. The goal is to test at least 1,000 deer. You still cannot feed deer, but you can still do salt blocks. There are two wolf zones in the states and you can remove wolves if they are a threat to you and your cattle. North of Highway 48/18 is more lenient. South of that line they must be a threat …i.e. stalking cattle, but you need to call them.

Mindy Sandell, Veterans Services said roughly 2500 veterans came into her office. They have COVID relief grants and gave out 50% of them. There is a van ride program available for veterans to go to the VA, etc. They are averaging about 60 phone calls per week. The office is now open at North Pine Government Center.

Katy Overtoom and Paul Raymond were re-elected to the PCTOA Executive Board to serve until March 2024.

Motion made and seconded to adjourn at 11:00 am.

Respectively submitted by

Glen Williamson Sr.

Secretary/Treasurer

Pine County Township Officers’ Association

Date Approved:______________________

Chairman___________________________