A standing-room-only crowd gathered at the new Lutsen Town Hall for the March 10, 2015 annual meeting, which began at 8 p.m. with Paul Nelson elected to moderate.
Most, if not all, of the resident attendees were expecting a lively discussion regarding the donation requests for the Birch Grove Foundation and Birch Grove School.
The 15 agenda items were ticked off in a very business-like manner. Attendees all had paper copies of everything on the agenda. The audits and treasurer’s reports were clear and concise, which generated few questions.
The proposed 2016 budget showed each line compared to the past four years. This was easy to follow, well explained, and generated just general clarification questions. The mood of the crowded room seemed to be well satisfied that township taxes have been well managed and there is likely to be little to no tax increase for 2016.
The 2014 tax levy was $187,882.36; 2015 was $172,120.36; and proposed 2016 amounts to $164,370.36.
However, the 2016 budget proposed amount does not address an amount for donations.
Approximately half of the meeting centered around the legality of donation amounts. Emotions were in check as the room discussed the Birch Grove request(s), and it was concluded that solid legal advice was needed before any vote could be taken.
To that end Supervisor Tim Goettl made a motion that the donation requests be tabled until the continuation of this annual meeting on Aug. 18, when the legal questions will be resolved by township attorneys. This motion passed on a verbal vote with only a single nay.
The community present seemed to be well satisfied with how strongly the fire department and EMS department are managed and function. Equipment is amortized for replacement, and is for the most part in compliance with state of the art.
An example of this was with the EMS department. Many small communities are struggling to maintain an EMS department. EMS Chief Fred Schmidt reported that the Lutsen EMS had 50 callouts in 2013 and 65 in 2014. Members have grown from seven to 14 in the past year.
Charlie Nelson asked if the EMS charged money for call-outs? The answer is no, and the only invoicing for emergency in the county is by the hospital ambulance service.
The election results showed Treasurer John Groth being re-elected with 47 votes and appointed Supervisor Larry McNeally being now elected with 43 votes cast. Neither position had opposition and each received a few write-in names.
The annual meeting lasted one hour and was attended by 46 residents.
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