January 2003
Annual Election and Town Meeting • Burn Permits Available
TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT ­ Crisis or Opportunity? • Snowplowing
Annual Road Tour • Annual Clean-Up Day & Recycling Info

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ANNUAL ELECTION AND TOWN MEETING
Tuesday, March 11, 2003

All Township residents will vote at Big Lake Town Hall located in Lions Community Park, 21960 County Road 5. The polls are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on March 11, 2003. Should weather conditions be severe and local schools are closed, the election and meeting would be postponed to March 18, 2003.

Absentee Ballots are available at the Town Clerk's Office located in Lions Community Park beginning February 7, 2003. Absentee Ballots are available during regular business hours and on Saturday, March 8, 2003 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, and extended office hours on Monday, March 10, 2003 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Pre-registration for voting closes at 5:00 p.m. on February 18, 2003. Registration is permitted at the polls on Election Day, but certain forms of identification or a registered voter in the precinct to vouch for the registrant will be required.

The Election will be held for two, three-year terms for Town Board Supervisor and will fill the expiring terms of Larry Alfords and Jim Sanford.

The Annual Meeting will begin shortly after the polls close at 8:00 p.m. The Clerk will convene the meeting, which is open to all citizens of the Township 18 years and older. This meeting belongs to the citizens of the Township to recommend various needs for the Town and to set the levy for
each of the Town funds. Note the page two article: Township Government ­ Crisis or Opportunity. The electors will receive various reports, including those of the Treasurer and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Discussion will be brought to the electors on issues that the Township faces currently
and issues that the Board of Supervisors see in the near future. See the page two article: Township Government­ Crisis or Opportunity. Current issues will include, but are not limited to the ongoing maintenance of Town roads, economic development, & operation of the fire department.

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BURN PERMITS AVAILABLE

Burning permits can be obtained from the Clerk¹s Office during regular business hours. There is no fee for the 10-day permit. Burning of piled, vegetative material can be done between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. Please remember that spring restrictions and possible burning bans are an annual event. All residents are urged to do the majority of their burning when we have snow cover if possible.

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TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT ­ Crisis or Opportunity?

Townships are given jurisdictional powers through Minnesota Statutes. State government grants powers and, from time to time, may adjust those powers or diminish them. Aside from the statutory powers from the state, Sherburne County governs Big Lake Township to a significant degree. The County has
all zoning, planning and building jurisdiction and supplies law enforcement and prosecution to the Township. In many situations, Big Lake Township maintains an advisory role to the County. Township responsibilities include road maintenance and construction, fire protection, the opportunity to participate in the electoral process, and other approved services requested by its citizens such as recycling, dog control, address assignment, participation in area and regional planning and cooperative projects with
neighboring cities. To assist the nearly 1,800 townships in Minnesota, the Minnesota Assoc. of Townships (MAT) was organized. The association provides many functions and services in support of the Townships in Minnesota. Among the services provided are: Training of elected supervisors, clerks, and treasurers; seminars regarding legal obligations and elections; legislative work including lobbying for legislation which would benefit the ability of townships to serve their citizens interests more fully; general legal advice to assure all townships ability to function according to law; insurance coverage for some functions and guidance to companies which will provide other necessary insurance coverage; and communications addressing issues of importance as they arise.

The MAT is an important asset to Big Lake Township. Our Town Board uses the services provided on a regular basis and benefits from those services to better serve our citizens. The association keeps us informed of proposal changes in Minnesota law and asks our Supervisors to assist by working with legislators and state agencies when changes are proposed.

In the past 5 years many significant changes affecting townships have occurred. Among those changes are: moving jurisdictional disputes to the Minnesota Planning Agency; tax reform, which changed the structure of the real estate tax and effectively transferred most state funding of townships to the local taxpayers; jurisdictional control of areas 2 miles from city borders to the cities and increased ability for cities to annex township areas with little input from the citizens affected; and proposal for further erosion of township responsibility and powers (including a proposal to eliminate all townships).

The Minnesota State Planning agency has effectively pursued a policy of not allowing further incorporations by townships to become cities. They have supported consolidation of townships and cities to form larger cities. In other cases, they have ordered annexation of townships to cities. The issue of total annexation does not provide comfort to Townships such as ours.

The MAT has kept Big Lake Township informed of the various manipulations affecting townships. While they have not recommended a plan of action, they have advised Big Lake Township to consider a plan to study the issue of consolidation. A study, which would ultimately involve citizen participation, could take as long as 10 years or as little as 2-3 years.

Consolidation would provide an opportunity to set the "ground-rules" for a new government. It could provide requirements for election of its officials, which would be beneficial, when ordinances would be required for such issues as hunting and the use of firearms, ordinances that would affect agriculture interests, zoning and platting, and other statutory benefits. While consolidation may not be the ultimate opportunity, it certainly would be in the best interests of our citizens when compared to total annexation. City government would immediately impose all ordinances, taxing authority, zoning and enforcement without regard to citizen input.

The City of Big Lake has requested the opportunity to discuss the idea of consolidation several times in the past 4 ­5 years. The Township has a good working relationship with the City regarding our fire department and industrial park.

Because of uncertainties regarding the direction the state will take regarding jurisdictions such as ours, the Town Board has decided to make this an agenda item at the Annual Town Meeting in order to get input from Township citizens. A decision will be made after that time to either open discussion about consolidation or to delay that process pending further state actions.

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Snowplowing

The Town Road Committee and contracted plowing company make every effort to provide a high level of service when it comes to snowplowing. Residents are reminded that it is a violation of Town Ordinance #7 to park on or along any Town Road after a snowfall. Parking on the street or in the right of way is prohibited for the purpose of snow removal. Any vehicle owner in violation of this ordinance is subject to misdemeanor charges and fines. Lawn Irrigation System Damage The Town will not be responsible for damage to any underground lawn sprinklers that are located in the town road right-of-way (33' from the centerline of the road.) Homeowner's are responsible for their irrigation systems and should consider relocating the irrigation heads within their property lines.

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ANNUAL ROAD TOUR

The purpose of the tour is to examine the condition of road surface, ditches, signs and striping if applicable. The road tour is conducted preferably after the frost is out of the ground. The tour will cover in excess of 75 miles of town road.

The annual road tour gives the road committee the opportunity to review its road priorities and to determine if there should be changes in those priorities. The tour also is used to set a schedule for various road projects. With the investment the Township has in its road system, all efforts are made to do the maintenance needed to get the maximum use before major overlay projects are done. Road safety continues to be the township's top priority.

Again, this year during the road tour, the committee will note those properties that do not have an address sign. For those properties without a sign, arrangements may be made to have one installed and costs will be charged to the owner of record. If you do not have a sign and have not been notified by the Clerk's Office to pick up a sign, please call the Town Clerk at 263-8111 and a sign will be ordered for you. You will then be notified when the sign is ready for installation.

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ANNUAL CLEAN-UP DAY & Recycling Information

Annual Clean-Up Day will be held Saturday, May 3, 2003 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Mark your calendars! More information to follow in the next newsletter.
Volunteers, are needed to make this a success, call 263-8111 to sign up!

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE
If you have paint, solvents, pesticides, or other various household cleaners, they can be brought to the Tri-County Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off site in St. Cloud. This service is free for households (no business hazardous waste is accept).

The facility is open: Tuesdays, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.; Wednesday - Friday, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.; and every third Saturday of the month 8 a.m. until 12 noon. For information call: 1-800-450-6140.

BATTERY RECYCLING NOW AVAILABLE
Battery recycling for all residents is available thanks to Sherburne County Zoning Office. Although it is permissible to discard alkaline batteries in a trash container, Cadmium, lithium, and mercury containing batteries should be recycled, not thrown away. Some of the disposal sites for these types of batteries in the City of Elk River are Cub Foods, Target, Home Depot, Kemper Drug, the Elk River Recycling Station, and the atrium area of the Sherburne County Government Center.

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~ TOWN of BIG LAKE ~
Street Address: 21960 Co. Rd. 5, Big Lake, MN 55309 • US Mail: P.O. Box 75, Big Lake, MN 55309
Phone: 763-263-8111 • Fax: 763-263-3660 • Contact Us

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