Balsam Township

09/24/2026

August 20, 2026

The regular meeting of the Balsam Town Board was called to order at 6:30 PM by Vice Chairman Brent Bradley. Present were supervisors Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley, Treasurer Lacy Wolff and Clerk Rebecca Olson. There were 3 visitors.

The minutes of the July meeting were approved on a motion by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

The Treasurer’s Report was given. There was a balance of $421,776.42 in the checkbook. A motion to approve the treasurers report was made by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried. The bills were read. A motion to pay Claim #36799 thru #36827 totaling $26,563.68 plus payroll in the amount of $2,705.96 was made by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

Communications:
Communications were read.
BVFD: Assistant Fire Chief Troy Beckner reported that Justing met with Bonnie with Stearle, and forms will be signed by the Clerk. The relief association funds are doing well, and this makes it possible to raise the retirement a couple hundred dollars, with no effect to the fund. A couple members will be retiring in the near future, so this will be a topic of discussion at the department. Paul may be out of area for quite a bit next year due to National Guard Duties.

There were 10 runs last month, including 1 vehicle rollover, 6 medical, and 3 fire calls. A couple members will be starting EMR class in Cohasset. The summer gun raffle and open house went well with a good local turnout.

Park report: Tammy Card reported mowing has been steady. The hydrant near the rink is still leaking. The ditch near the culvert that the county replaced is washed out.

Jerrad stated he met with the new playground company. The playground may move closer to the pavilion. Additional insurance will be put on the new sign. Jerrad has applied for multiple grand sources, including Lake Country Power, Mesabi Metallics, and Minnesota Power. The parking area near the rink should have fresh class 5 put on to define the parking area.

Cemetery: There was no report
Hall report: There was no report.
Old Business: There was no old business.
New Business: There was no new business.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:02 pm on a motion Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

Respectfully submitted, Rebecca Olson, Clerk

09/17/2026

Mesabi Metallics will be at our township meeting at 6:30PM 9/17/26 to share an update on their progress.

06/22/2026

May 21, 2026

The regular meeting of the Balsam Town Board was called to order at 6:30 PM by Vice Chairman Brent Bradley. Present were supervisors Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley, Treasurer Lacy Wolff and Clerk Rebecca Olson. There were 5 visitors.

The minutes of the April meeting, the 2026 BOE minutes, Road Tour minutes, and Park Inspection minutes were approved on a motion by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

The Treasurer’s Report was given. There was a balance of $321,754.23 in the checkbook. A motion to approve the treasurers report was made by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried. The bills were read. A motion to pay Claim #36707 thru $20,967.75, plus payroll in the amount of $3,145.16 was made by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

Communications:
Communications were read. Two variance were presented, and recommend to approve the permits on a motion by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried. Water tests results were received with results as normal.

BVFD: Assistant Chief Troy Beckner reported that there were 20 calls last month. There were 12 medical calls and 8 fire, including a mutual aid call with Nashwauk for a grass fire, and several trees on power lines. One fire burned 7 acres and another burned 14 acres. The DNR was very active in supporting the fire suppression. There were no structures that were damaged, but a couple boats and a dock was lost in one fire. The DNR has been invoiced for a few of those fires for reimbursement.

At the business meeting, an application was received from Dave George. Dave was on the fire department in the past, but has since retired from his job, and would like to join the fire department as an associate member. The application was approved on a motion by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

Park report: Tammy reported the grass is growing, paint has been applied to picnic benches, and some tables. More paint will be purchased for a second coat. Mark will be helping Tammy throughout the summer.

It was brought to the attention of Jerrad Bergren that the new sign (going in the same location of the old sign) would be in the road right of way. A special use permit was approved by Karen Grandia, and signed by Jerrad Bergren, allowing the installation of the sign in the same location.

A 3rd bid for the playground will be obtained. Ideas from the public will be sought. The board is trying not to duplicate the surrounding playgrounds, so there is a variety for those that visit the local playgrounds.

John Kannas stated he wanted the baseball fence to be left standing. He believes it will come back around, and that it will see use again later. If maintenance is an issue, just let it grow up.

Cemetery: Tom Behrner reported that the cemetery sign is in need of replacement. Gordy Davis offered to donate a large rock, that would be engraved with “Balsam Cemetery” Donated by the Davis family. A motion to accept the donation was made by Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried. There was some discussion of winter, and not being able to see the rock when snow was plowed. The decision if a second sign will be purchased will be made next.

There was some discussion of deeds being sold back to the township. It was stated that the township can refund the amount of the original purchase, less the filing fee required to change the deeds back to the township.

Hall report: There was nothing to report from Kelly. The sheet rock in the clerks office has been removed, and the bottom batt of insulation is removed as well. It is now ready for the next step with the hall updates.

Old Business: SBS submitted an updated bid for the re-pavement of the tennis courts. The bid increased by $15,112 from last years bid, stating increase in fuel, labor, and material cost. Hawkinson was reached out to for an updated quote, but did not respond. The tennis court fence is removed, and the grant money needs to be spent this year. Jerrad Bergren made a motion to accept the increased bid for $96,100 to repave the tennis court, and finish the parking lot paving at the same time, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

New Business: There was no new business.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:32 pm on a motion Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,
Rebecca Olson, Clerk

05/05/2026

They are seeking volunteers to help collect donations for the Itasca ReStore following the Scenic 7 garage sale on Sunday, May 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 218-999-9001 to volunteer.

04/30/2026

04/18/2026

March 19, 2026
The reorganizational meeting of the Balsam Town Board was called to order at 6:30 PM by Chairman Jerrad Bergren. Supervisors Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley, Darrin King, Treasurer Lacy Wolff, Clerk Rebecca Olson, and 7 guests were in attendance.

Supervisor Jerrad Bergren was sworn in. Clerk Rebecca Olson was sworn in. Jerrad Bergren made a motion to make Darrin King Chairman, Brent Bradley second, motion carried. Jerrad Bergren made a motion to make Brent Bradley Vice Chairman, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

The minutes of the February meeting were read and approved by Brent Bradley, Darrin King second, motion carried. The Treasurer’s Report was given. There was a balance of $369,008.98 in the checkbook. A motion to approve the treasurers report was made by Brent Bradley, Darrin King second, motion carried.

The bills were read. A motion to pay Claim #36629 through Claim #36660 totaling $31,218.77 plus payroll totaling $2,060.00 was made by Darrin King, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

Darrin King made the motion to keep the following wages for 2026 going forward:

Supervisor wage will remain the same at $175 per monthly meeting
Chairman wage will remain the same at $25 per monthly meeting
Treasurer wage will remain the same at $275 per month
Clerk wage will remain the same at $550 per month
Additional meetings will remain the same at $75
Additional All Day meetings will remain the same at $100
Extra officer work will remain at $16 per hour
Hall Administrator monthly fee will remain at $75 per month
Park Maintenance rate will remain at $20 per hour
Shop Labor Rate will remain at $40 per hour
Use of personal equipment will remain at $10 per hour
Fire Chief wages will remain at $325 per month
Assistant Fire Chief wage will remain at $200 per month
2nd Assistant Fire Chief wage will remain at $150 per month
Mileage with a trailer will remain at $1.50 per mile
Maintain using the Current Federal Milage rate, $.725 per mile
Brent Bradley second this motion, motion carried.

Darrin King made a motion to increase the following Wages :
Custodian will increase from $20 to $21 per hour
Park Maintenance rate will increase from $20 to $21 per hour
Cemetery Sexton rate will increase from $20 to $21 per hour
Snowplow rate will increase from $25 to $30 per hour, plus hr. wage.
Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

Brent Bradley made a motion to sign the road agreement with Itasca County, with the addition to grade Big Balsam Camp Road 2x per month due to no dust control in 2026, Darrin King second, motion carried. The road agreement was signed and both copies will be mailed to the county.

Communications were read. The following Announcements were made:

The Board of Equalization will be held on April 29th, at 9AM. The park inspection will begin at the hall on 4/29/2025 at 12:00PM, and the road tour will follow the completion of the park inspection. The spring short course will be held April 2nd in Grand Rapids.

Greg Stolz, Itasca County Environmental Services, asked if they could use the hall parking lot the weekend of “The Scenic Sales” on opening fishing weekend in order to collect goods for Habitat for Humanity after the sales are complete.

Fire Department: Paul Saville reported it was reported there were 16 calls last month, consisting of 11 medical calls, and 5 fire calls, including 1 mutual aid with Nashwauk, 2 mutual aid calls with Bigfork, 1 brush fire, and 1 snowmobile fire.

Park and Rec: There was no hall report.

Cemetery report: Tom Behrner reported that the Johnson boys are willing to help with the mowing this summer again. 2 plot sales will be discussed when the snow is gone. He asked Mark Lofgren to help with servicing the lawn tractor. The Thistledew Crew will be used to edge the stones.

Hall: Zach Severson, Northworx, LLC submitted a bid for removing the molded drywall in the clerks office in the amount of $1,988. Brent Bradley made a motion to accept the proposal as submitted, Darrin King second, motion carried.

Old Business: Bids for the Hall work were due back today, at 5:30pm. The notice was published for two weeks, Jerrad also reached out to Hawk and Boldt Construction, but only one bid was received from Hammerlund (TNT) in the amount of $149,985. Brent Bradley made a motion to accept the bid as submitted for the listed repairs to the hall, Darrin King second, motion carried.

New Business: There was no new business.

Darrin King made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:13 pm, Brent Bradley second, motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,
Rebecca Olson, Clerk

04/17/2026

Public Notice of Filing Dates
NOTICE OF FILING FOR THE 2026 STATE GENERAL ELECTION
ITASCA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
The following is the notice of federal, state and county offices that will be voted for at the state general election to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The candidate filing period will be open between Tuesday, May 19, 2026 and Tuesday, June 2, 2026, during office hours. All candidate filings and fees must be received by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
Note: Filing offices will be closed Monday, May 25, 2026, in observance of Memorial Day.
Candidates may file in person or by mail if the filing is received during the filing period. Candidates who will be absent from the state during the filing period and meet the requirements of Minnesota Statutes section 204B.09, subdivision 1a, may arrange to file during the seven days immediately preceding the candidate’s absence from the state.
This notice is provided pursuant to Minnesota Statutes section 204B.33 and is based on current law.
FEDERAL OFFICES (Must file at Office of Minnesota Secretary of State, Veterans Services Building, 20 West 12th Street, St. Paul, MN 55155)
United States Senator
United States Representative District 8
STATE LEGISLATIVE OFFICES (May file at Office of Minnesota Secretary of State or County Office of residence) State Senator each for District 2, 3, 6, 7
State Representative each for District 02B, 03A, 06A, 07A
STATE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS (May file at Office of Minnesota Secretary of State or County Office of residence)
Governor & Lieutenant Governor
Secretary of State
State Auditor
Attorney General

JUDICIAL OFFICES (May file at Office of Minnesota Secretary of State or County Office of residence)
Supreme Court Associate Justice – each: seat 1, 2, 4
Judge of the Court of Appeals – each: Seats 1, 7 (5th Congressional District), 13, 15 (3rd Congressional District), 18
Ninth Judicial District Court Judge – each: Seats 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22

COUNTY OFFICES (Must file at Itasca County Auditor’s Office, 123 NE 4th St, Grand Rapids, MN 55744)
County Commissioner each for District 1, 3, 5
County Attorney
County Auditor/Treasurer
County Recorder
County Sheriff
One Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor each for District 1, 4, 5

Candidates for city, township, school district and Northern Itasca Hospital District offices (without primaries) may file for office at their respective clerk’s office beginning July 14, 2026 through July 28, 2026.
/s/Katharine Johnson, Itasca County Elections Specialist

04/13/2026

Important Information Regarding Assessment and Classification of Property

This may affect your 2027 property taxes

Notice is hereby given that the Board of Appeal and Equalization for Township of Balsam in Itasca County, Minnesota, shall meet on April 29th , 2026, 9:00am, at the Balsam Memorial Hall. The purpose of this meeting is to determine whether taxable property in the jurisdiction has been properly valued and classified by the assessor, and to determine whether corrections need to be made.

If you believe the value or classification of your property is incorrect, please contact your assessor’s office to discuss your concerns. If you are still not satisfied with the valuation or classification after discussing it with your assessor, you may appear before the local Board of Appeal and Equalization. The board shall review the valuation, classification, or both if necessary, and shall correct it as needed. Generally, an appearance before your local Board of Appeal and Equalization is required by law before an appeal can be taken to the county Board of Appeal and Equalization.

Rebecca Olson

Clerk of the Township of Balsam



Notice to the Residents of Balsam Township

​The Park inspection will take place at the Balsam Memorial Hall on Wednesday , April 29th, 2026 at 12:00 P.M. ​

​The Annual Road Tour will begin after the completion of the park inspection at the Balsam Memorial Hall on Wednesday , April 29th, 2026

Balsam Township Residents are welcome to attend these meetings.

Rebecca Olson

Balsam Township Clerk

218-245-0146

03/20/2026

February 19, 2026

The regular meeting of the Balsam Town Board was called to order at 6:30 PM by Chairman Jerrad Bergren. Present were supervisors Jerrad Bergren, Brent Bradley, Treasurer Lacy Wolff and Clerk Rebecca Olson. There were 5 visitors.

The minutes of the January meeting, the Audit and Budget meeting, and the minutes from January 28th meeting were approved on a motion by Brent Bradley, Jerrad Bergren second, motion carried.

The Treasurer’s Report was given. There was a balance of $370,922.74 in the checkbook. A motion to approve the treasurers report was made by Brent Bradley, Jerrad Bergren second, motion carried. The bills were read. A motion to pay Claim #36602, and Claim #36605 thru #36627 totaling $18,932.07, plus a missed claim payable to Northland Lawn and Sport for $445.21, plus payroll in the amount of $1,987.53 was made by Brent Bradley, Jerrad Bergren second, motion carried.

Communications:
Commissioner Casey Venema updated the board on the latest workings of the Itasca County Board. He stated both the Scenic Range News and the Herald will remain the legal publication for the county. There has been slow movement on the progress of the Hwy 169 corridor coalition. The next segment that would be the potential to make into a 4 lane would be from Taconite to Marble. Then it gets harder due to Mud Lake and Snowball Lake due to Environmental impacts. Some safety issues are in the works of being addressed, like the intersections near the east exit out of Bovey and 169, and the intersection of Taconite and 169. Also the intersection of Co Rd 21 and 169 may be changed in order for a safer entrance to the flow off opposite traffic. 4/28 will be a land classification meeting, that should approve approximately 3,000 acres of tax forfeited various parcels to be sold. The Balsam County Garage was listed on the county auction site, with no bids. It was listed again for a lower price, with no bids. It will now be listed with a realtor in order to sell it. The Ambulance service fee for the Nashwauk Ambulance will be included in the March tax statement. It is believed that it will be spread out over the service district evenly per parcel, rather than weighted on value of the parcels.

The March Township Elections will be held March 10th, noon – 8PM. The annual township meeting will be held March 10th, 2026 at 8PM. The Board of Equalization will be held April 29, 2026 at 9PM. The Park Tour was scheduled to be held April 29th, 2026, at 1PM, and the Road Tour will begin at the conclusion of the Park Tour on the same day.

BVFD: Fire Chief Paul Saville reported there were 6 medical calls and 1 fire call last month.

Park report: Jerrad Bergren reported the Grand Rapids Community Fund did contribute an additional $2,000 to help with the park improvement. The 2nd request of the Blandin Foundation has been submitted. There is still a pot of money in the public works grant from 2025, so an application can be submitted to the IRRRB as soon as we have formal bids on updating the Hall. Bids will be posted for in the Scenic Range Paper, and discussed at the March meeting. The Blandin Foundation wants to pay for a new sign. The bid from Eck Design for the sign and install was $10,095.35. The digital message board came from Baldwin Creative in Grand Rapids, for a 4’x8’ sign was $26,145. A down payment will be given to Baldwin next meeting.

Ted reported the rink is sad due to the warm weather. Discussion was held, as most rinks are closing down due to the short cold season left. The rink will be closed down for the season.

Mark Lofgren reported that in discussion with Tammy, they will wait to purchase a new trailing lawn mower until the current mower fails completely.

Cemetery: There was no report

Hall report: Kelly reported there are no rentals in February.

Old Business: Brent Bradley reported asking some of his contacts regarding the potential OSHA requirements coming for needing 2 sets of fire gear. The consensus was there is no way that any small department would be able to sustain that requirement and that there would need to be a separate guideline for small departments if the OSHA requirement was to put in place. He recommended that the Fire budget did not need to be increased for that requirement at this time.
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New Business: There was no new business.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 on a motion Brent Bradley, Jerrad Bergren second, motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,
Rebecca Olson, Clerk