Nearly 100 township officials gathered at the courthouse Tuesday to share and discuss concerns ranging from illegal dumping in a ditch to the recent installation of a new rural addressing system.

Wednesday, February 13, 2002

Nearly 100 township officials gathered at the courthouse Tuesday to share and discuss concerns ranging from illegal dumping in a ditch to the recent installation of a new rural addressing system.

&uot;This is the first meeting of its kind,&uot; said County Commissioner Dan Belshan, who organized the meeting. &uot;It is an opportunity for the county to identify problems and brainstorm.&uot;

Representatives of the 20 townships in the county told commissioners that many rural residents apparently suffer from garbage dumping and abandoned cars either on public or private properties.

They claimed that the current legal system has little effect to clean up the trash or punish such unlawful acts, and asked the county to take action.

New fees imposed on construction and installation also drew questions.

To comply with the state universal building code, the county board decided to charge a flat-rate fee on required inspections. But township leaders pointed out that rural residents have a hard time understanding why they have to pay for replacing windows and installing a new furnace.

Stray dogs, structures in bad shape, and new house number signs for the rural addressing were among other questions.

Belshan said that he wants to assemble answers for the questions by April.

Two of the five county commissioners, Belshan and Glen Mathiason, are elected from the rural area where townships hold a strong influence, while the districts for the other three commissioners include urban and suburban areas of Albert Lea.

Chairman Dave Mullenbach, whose district is strictly within the Albert Lea city limit, said the meeting was important for all commissioners in terms of broadening their perspectives. &uot;We always have to see the big picture to be a good commissioner,&uot; he said.