Meeting Minutes:

Call to Order

Present

Minutes

Claims/Receipts

Treasurer Report

Art Johnson Trucking, Inc.

Supervisor Items

Clerk Items

Deputy Clerk Items

Annual Audit

Motion to Continue

Regular monthly meeting was called to order by Chairperson Wermerskirchen at 5 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Chairperson John Wermerskirchen, Supervisor Edward Nytes, Supervisor DeAnn Croatt, Treasurer Nathan Hutton, Clerk Heather Taylor DuCharme, Deputy Clerk Kimberly Carlberg, and Tom Johnson. Not present: Deputy Treasurer Patricia Peterson and Road Overseer Jeff Haag.

Review of proposed 1/9/2026, 1/14/2026, 1/21/2026, and 2/4/2026 minutes. On motion by Croatt/Nytes, minutes accepted and approved as presented; carried unanimously.

Review and discussion of claims. On motion by Croatt/Wermerskirchen, adding life insurance through Minnesota Benefits Association for Peterson approved; carried unanimously. Taylor DuCharme to complete form and mail in with claim payment to have Peterson added. Review of SWCD claim pursuant to Haag notes to Taylor DuCharme. Discussion of Quality Green prepayment for discount. Review of claim formatting for Art Johnson Trucking. After review of claims and on motion by Nytes/Croatt, all claims were approved as presented for payment, including checks 7184-7197 and one ACH/EFT totaling $28,386.36; carried unanimously. Roll call vote: Wermerskirchen – yes; Croatt – yes; Nytes – yes. Treasurer advised Supervisors to transfer amount for all claims from savings to checking. On motion by Croatt/Nytes, transfer from savings to checking in the amount of $28,386.36 approved; carried unanimously.

Hutton presented the following items.

1.       Review revisions to January 2026 Treasurer Report. On motion by Croatt/Nytes, Treasurer’s Report for January 2026 as revised accepted and approved as presented; carried unanimously.

2.       Review of February 2026 Treasurer Report. City of Jordan has not cashed check from 12/10/2025 yet. Taylor DuCharme to email City of Jordan to follow up. There was an issue with the credit card payment account that Hutton resolved. Review of escrow and funds. On motion by Nytes/Croatt, February 2026 Treasurer’s Report accepted and approved as presented; carried unanimously.

3.       Discussion of possible calendaring issues when setting meeting dates at annual meeting next month (4/2, 7/2, and 10/1 regular meetings may need to be pushed out, which would push out the workshops those months).

Tom Johnson provided an update regarding the following issues.

1.       Resident on Willow Lane contacted Wermerskirchen regarding damaged mailbox. Johnson and Haag to work with resident regarding repairs. Johnson has attempted calls to resident but has not received a return call yet. Johnson will drop off temporary mailbox until mailbox can be repaired. Supervisors agreed that in the future any resident whose mailbox is damaged should be mailed a letter.

2.       Township is doing well with plowing road maintenance this winter.

3.       AJT does pretreating for another township using Scott County pretreat solution and asked if Helena Township wanted this service also. There was discussion of benefits and risks. Taylor DuCharme to check with other township regarding costs. Issue tabled for the time being.

4.       Johnson contacted Haag about pushing snow drifts from St. Benedict and Juniper and Haag gave the okay.

Supervisors presented the following items for discussion.

1.       Wermerskirchen brought up mailbox replacement policy. Board discussed policy and addressing different scenarios, facts, and circumstances.

2.       Workplace Safety Review scheduled for next meeting with Haag.

3.       Supervisors to attend upcoming Scott County meeting due to Meyer plat matter being pulled from consent agenda. Notice of quorum has been posted.

4.       Review of Jordan Rural Fire Association meeting, including budget items and number of calls total versus number applicable to township(s) only (townships pay about half of Jordan fire budget but only account for 55/391 or 14% of calls).

5.       Discussion regarding upcoming annual meeting preparation.

6.       Pond scraping update by Wermerskirchen. It will not be scheduled this year. Delaying until next winter may be better according to Andrew Vistad in case there are other ponds that need attention and all can be done at once to save money.

Taylor DuCharme presented the following items/report.

1.       Scott County emailed 2026 settlement schedule.

2.       Jordan Rural Fire Association follow up regarding scheduling for meeting with Bob Ruppe, Belle Plaine Township, Sand Creek Township, and St. Lawrence Township for later in February. Taylor DuCharme to contact other townships regarding rescheduling meeting for 2/18/2026 because of scheduling conflicts for other proposed dates.

3.       MAT intermittent leave email and Township Tuesday.

4.       Logo use in emails.

5.       Recycling grant money available for 2026 and cohosting event with Spring Lake Township and Cedar Lake Township. Discussion of promoting a cohosted event as well as Mosquito Control tire recycling.

Carlberg presented the following items/report.

1.       Township was not awarded tree grant request of $10,275 (out of $7M available there were $23M in grant applications). Discussion of requesting donation from Jordan Fire Relief Association. Croatt to send draft letter to Carlberg to review and prepare for signature at the next meeting.

2.       Joe Wiita sent a crack/chip seal email for 2026 planning purposes.

3.       Wermerskirchen asked Carlberg to have a presentation/review of the new website ready for the annual meeting. Wermerskirchen also asked Taylor DuCharme about possibility of power point.

The annual audit was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. but started at 6:25 p.m. Audit began with review of Treasurer and Clerk documents by Supervisors.

1.       Review of Treasurer’s and Clerk’s records and balance reconciliation, including summaries of money received and disbursed from 1/1/2025 to 12/31/2025, including review of tie outs and balancing between Treasurer’s records, Clerk’s records, and bank statements. The checking account balance is $1.00 over Treasurer and Clerk records after Treasurer and Clerk reviewed each other’s records. Clerk to review records again after meeting and over weekend to attempt to find $1.00 to balance records. Review of Treasurer’s records of bank balances and bank account statements.

2.       Reviewed and confirmed Treasurer and Clerk records matched on identification of three disbursements/orders and deposits/receipts from Treasurer’s records, Clerk’s records, and bank records.

a.       Supervisors reviewed the following disbursements/orders.

i.      Wermerskirchen – Check 7044 payable to New Prague Rural Fire dated 5/1/2025 in the amount of $36,573.93.

ii.    Croatt – Check 7026 payable to Art Johnson Trucking Inc. dated 4/3/2025 in the amount of $4,977.00.

iii.  Nytes – Check 7080 payable to Steve Rynda Construction and Landscaping LLC dated 7/10/2025 in the amount of $490.00.

b.       Supervisors reviewed the following deposits/receipts.

i.         Nytes – Deposit from the State of Minnesota (ORI) dated 6/11/2025 in the amount of $166.65.

ii.       Wermerskirchen – Deposit from Scott County dated 6/18/2025 in the amount of $301,482.60.

iii.     Croatt – Deposit from the savings account to the checking account dated 6/11/2025 in the amount of $99.642.34.

3.       Motion by Croatt/Wermerskirchen to confirm Treasurer and Clerk books and reports match and reconcile to bank (except for $1.00), approve Clerk’s Annual Audit Report as presented, and approve Treasurer’s audit report as presented; carried unanimously. Supervisors, Treasurer, and Clerk signed the Clerk’s Summary of Receipts and Orders for submission to the Minnesota Office of the State Auditor by Clerk and Supervisors and Treasurer signed Treasurer’s Report.

At 7 p.m. on motion by Nytes/Wermerskirchen, meeting continued workshop on 2/18/2026; carried unanimously.