GREENWOOD TWP- The Greenwood Town Board got down to business at their meeting Tuesday, but first listened to over a half hour of public input. The professionalism that the board was trying project was somewhat hampered by a t-shirt worn by clerk Debby Spicer that read “I have neither the time, nor the crayons, to explain this to you.”
The board did come to consensus on most issues relating to financial procedures that have been plaguing the township since the March election, specifically what financial duties are the responsibility of each officer.
The board unanimously passed an internal control policy drafted by supervisor John Bassing, with some additional details added by board chair Lois Roskoski. The two-page document details procedures for the handling of township receipts and expenses, who is responsible in what order, and how payroll is verified. It details how the clerk and treasurer both maintain independent records of township finances, verifying their balances at the end of each month, as well as doing a bank reconciliation. The town board then reviews all claims for payment.
Roskoski told the board that Spicer has been trained to do payroll and has added more detail into the monthly payroll report. Fire department payroll is verified by the department captains, to make sure totals are correct.
During Jeff Maus’s treasurers report, he publicly asked why the clerk had inserted a blank page into the emailed packet stating, “as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, 2024, the treasurer did not submit any information.” Maus told the board he had sent an email to the clerk the morning of July 3 saying he did not have all the financial information required for an accurate and complete report.
“She could have noted that I was working on it,” he said.
“I will not put out documents until I feel, to the best of my ability, they are accurate,” Maus said. Maus said there was incomplete information on the Frandsen bank statement, because the newly-formed road account was not yet included, and the LPL Financial statement had some contradictory information which he was not able to get resolved by July 3. Maus said he was able to get the correct data from both Frandsen and LPL by the day of the meeting and had copies of the treasurer’s report for the board and meeting attendees.
The board also passed a motion, at the request of Roskoski, to allow the clerk to have access to all financial files held by the treasurer. The vote was 3-2 with Bassing and Stoehr voting against. Roskoski noted the clerk is the official custodian of all township files.

Arsenic
Roskoski told the board that according to the Minnesota Department of Health, the requirements of the federal drinking water standard for arsenic are not enforceable at a “transient noncommunity public water system,” which is how the outdoor spigot at the town hall is classified. This water supply must meet standards for contaminants such as bacteria and nitrate, which can have health impacts from acute exposure.
The township will continue monthly testing of the water and post the results by the spigot. The township is also tracking when water filters and the filter system substrate are changed, and this information will be posted in the clerk’s office.
Arsenic is a naturally-occurring mineral in the ledgerock in the area, and arsenic levels in water can vary widely. The high arsenic levels were noted a couple of years ago, and the township installed a special filtration system which after a few hiccups did remove almost all the arsenic from the water, but test results this spring showed levels rising again.

Township Rd. 4136
Roskoski told the board she had sent a large packet of information, with nearly 60 exhibits, to the township attorney, who will review them and give advice on whether or not the road is officially the township’s responsibility.

Fire department
Chief Maus reported the fire department had nine fire calls and 15 EMS calls in June. The EMS calls had an average of 3.9 personnel responding (58 responders for 15 calls).
“That is very high for our area,” Maus said. “Hats off to our EMRs for serving so well.”
Maus said he had been in contact with the Minnesota Department of Transportation over the status of the parking lot helicopter landing zone.
“We have no license or waiver for it currently,” he said. “If they can’t issue a license or waiver, it opens up the township for liability.”
Maus said they have not inspected the site in person, but looking at images online show problems with the power lines and tree cover in the area.
“It’s not because of pickleball,” he said. “It was a revelation to me.”
The landing zone used at the Y Store also has issues with powerlines, Maus noted.
“The helicopters need a glide path with certain ratios.”
The township will ask someone from MnDOT to attend the next township meeting, either virtually or in person, to discuss the issue.

Public input
Lee Peterson asked the board to form a committee to contact Ely-Bloomenson Hospital to give township input on the hospital’s ambulance plan, but no action was taken by the board.
Peterson also complained about a new sign posted for the Greenwood walking trail, saying he didn’t care for it. “It kind of surprised me. It’s a red hot trail, blazing sun, and dead tree. It is not going over big.” Bev Peterson said the old sign blended in better.
JoAnn Bassing asked the board members if they understood the CTAS Schedule 1 financial forms, and asked if the board could receive some training so they understand the reporting. JoAnn Bassing also commented on the minutes from the special meeting that detailed reasons for not following the state data practices act, asking why following this act would have a negative impact on the township’s insurance coverage through the Minnesota Association of Townships. John Bassing said the township does not receive errors and omissions coverage through MAT, so this wouldn’t make a difference. Clerk Spicer said the township was still hoping to get this coverage through MAT in the future, so it would impact that coverage being reinstated. Currently, the township has to purchase errors and omissions coverage through a different carrier at a higher cost, due to past litigation against the township.
Sue Drobac asked why more information from the meeting packet was not available for the public at the meeting. “The public needs to be able to follow along during the meeting,” she said. Roskoski said the packet information is emailed to anyone who requests being on the mailing list. A motion to have copies of information for the meeting, including minutes, financials, important documents, and payroll available at each meeting was approved unanimously.
One copy of all the information is available for the public to review, to comply with the open meeting law, but this must remain on the counter.
Steve Lenertz asked the township to reconstitute a local board of appeal and equalization so that local residents can have board members present, who have a better view of the local area. He said some county assessing policies are overstating the amount of shoreline on lakeshore properties.
Jet Galonski commented on past board action regarding the fire department and its lack of transparency, and complimented Roskoski on being more transparent.
Mike Ralston, former board chair, again asked Jeff Maus for a full fire department roster along with training status. He also criticized the behavior of Bassing and Stoehr at the special board meeting.

Other business
In other business, the board:
• Rescheduled the August board meeting to Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 6:30 p.m. due to the primary election set for Aug. 13. It will need to be posted as a special meeting, which means no changes can be made to the agenda once it is posted.
• Removed the agenda item on brushing Township Rd. 4136 until they receive more information on the status of the road from the township attorney.
• Discussed what rules the board follows in their meeting, since it was noted the board does not follow Robert’s Rules of Order. “MAT training says not to adopt formal rules,” said Roskoski, “it will get ourselves in trouble.” Bassing asked if the board would be following rules that follow state laws, such as conflict of interest and laws regarding financial matters. “There are laws, and there are rules of order,” Roskoski said.
• The board thanked Linda Smith for the new hand-painted Greenwood Trail sign she had generously donated and installed.
• Will look at creating a mission statement for the township.
• Will hire former treasurer, and CPA, Pam Rodgers on an hourly basis at a rate of $25/hour to get the CTAS accounting program fully functional on the clerk’s computer.
• Discussed creating a process for annual employee evaluations, as specified in the township’s personnel policy. Such evaluations have not been done to anyone’s knowledge.
• Will advertise for a cleaning person for the town hall.
• Heard the parking lot paving project will begin shortly. The pad for the pickleball courts will be installed at the same time.