Area News | Home | Marketplace | Community

Return to Archived Stories


Paynesville Press - November 24, 2004

County Board revises zoning ordinance

By Michael Jacobson

The Paynesville Township Board of Supervisors took the following actions at their meeting on Monday, Nov. 15.

*The board adopted a revision to its zoning ordinance spelling out its procedures for conditional-use permits. The ordinance, drafted by the township's attorney, explains how to apply for a conditional-use permit, that conditions can be attached by the township board, and how the township will enforce the permit and its conditions.

The township requires conditional-use permits for building accessory buildings on plats without a primary structure but usually requires that a primary structure be built within a certain length of time. Property owners can request for extensions for conditional-use permits.

This ordinance addition was published in the Paynesville Press on Wednesday, Nov. 17, and has taken affect.

*The board voted again to place two unpaid fire call bills on the tax bill. One property owner protested the fire call bill by arguing in a letter to the board that the notice on the burning permit to call before burning did not have a box to check. The property owner did not call before burning, the fire department was called about the fire, and was dispatched.

The township's policy is to bill property owners whenever the fire call is charged to the township. (The fire department's expenses are divided on the basis of the number of fire calls by each entity, so the township's share of these costs is determined by the number of fire calls in the township.)

The second property owner protested their fire call bill by arguing in a letter to the board that the fire call was cancelled.

In both cases, the fire department counted these calls, so the township board reapproved charging the property owners and putting the bill on their property taxes.

*The board accepted the resignation of treasurer Sharon Wendroth, who has agreed to stay until the board finds a replacement. The board will advertise for this position before appointing a new treasurer and intends to interview applicants before its meeting on Monday, Dec. 20.

Wendroth has offered to help the new treasurer learn the township's books and do the year-end reports this year. The new treasurer will need to stand for election in March.

*The board approved vacating a portion of Rolling Lane Road following a public hearing. The portion of the road to be vacated lies entirely within property owned by the Lake Koronis Assembly Grounds, which requested the road vacation.

*The board approved a variance for Gil and Mary Boechter, who moved an accessory building along Brooklane Road. Though they moved the building farther away from the road, it still did not meet the setback requirement of 30' from the road right-of-way, only being 12' away, requiring an 18' variance. Because this permit was done after-the-fact, the township tripled its site permit fee.

*The board set a public hearing for a road vacation request and for a variance request from Lee and Barbara Lund on Monday, Dec. 20, at 8:30 p.m. The Lunds' property sits in a plat, dating back to 1886, for the Townsite of Koronis, in what was North Paynesville. A road right-of-way next to the railroad (now a state trail) has never been vacated. Also an old alley runs through the Lunds' property.

The Lunds have requested a variance to build a new storage shed on their property that exceeds the maximum size permitted for their lot acreage.

*The board approved an after-the-fact site permit for the Lunds, dealing improvements done in 2000 and 2001, with a triple fee as penalty.

*The board set a public hearing for a variance request from Willard Schultz for Monday, Dec. 20, at 8:45 p.m. Schultz wants to move his garage to within 33' of Lake Koronis Road. Other garages by Veteran's Memorial Park are 38' from the centerline.

*The board set a public hearing for a preliminary plat for Kevin Wall on Monday, Dec. 20, at 8:55 p.m. Wall wants to split his 10-acre parcel into two lots.

*The board set a public hearing for a variance request for Paul Bugbee, owner of BugBee Hive Resort, for Monday, Dec. 20, at 9 p.m. Bugbee wants to build a storage shed that would only be 50' from the centerline of Crestridge Road, not the required 63'. The storage building is part of the resort's development plan previously approved by the township and county.

*The board set a public hearing for a conditional-use permit for Mike Kotschevar for Monday, Dec. 20, at 9:05 p.m. Kotschevar needs a conditional-use permit to expand an ag-related business on land zoned for agricultural use.

*The board reviewed progress for acquiring right-of-way to extend the Lake Koronis Recreational Trail from the city to the city beach. The trail committee has verbal commitments from several land owners to allow the trail to run on their property but still needs another commitment. A federal grant has been acquired to pay a large share of this part of the trail.



Contact the author at editor@paynesvillepress.com   •   Return to News Menu

Home | Marketplace | Community