EAGLES NEST TWP- The Eagles Nest Town Board approved a year-long moratorium on any new short-term rental properties in the township, unless they have received zoning approval from St. Louis County or are in the process of gaining approval. The motion was 4-1 with Supervisor DeAnn Schatz voting against.
The town board had brought up the idea last month, and since that meeting sent out letters to all known or suspected short-term rental property owners explaining the new policy. The board resisted the idea of postponing the vote for another month to ensure that all owners had been notified.
Short-term rentals in the township are already technically overseen by county ordinance and must meet health department, safety, insurance, and other rules to operate legally.
“Whoever is operating a short-term rental should know the rules,” said Supervisor Kurt Soderberg.
“I always want to give people the benefit of the doubt,” said Schatz.
The township posted the information on their website, and the Eagles Nest Lakes Association also sent out a special mailing to all its members.
“The buzz in the community has certainly been there,” said Soderberg.
The moratorium will give the township time to decide if they want to enact a more restrictive ordinance than the current St. Louis County rules. The board noted they have the option of lifting the moratorium in less than a year if they come to a decision before then.
Addie Wales, who owns and manages a short-term rental in the township said she she knew of some very responsible and long-time hosts who just recently found out that short-term rental permits were required.
“Most hosts are responsible and make sure guests follow the rules,” she said. Wales said she is in the process of expanding, and currently has the financing in place to construct another rental home. She said they are going through the process to be certified by the county right now, so board members noted the moratorium would not affect this new rental. Her first rental property, she told the Timberjay, had been permitted by the county and state since the summer of 2021, when she began renting it out.
Area realtor Mark Larson, from Wildwoods Land Co., said he has sold many cabins in Eagles Nest Township and that short-term rentals are a way to help people afford cabin upkeep.
“It’s not a bad idea to research it,” Larson said. “But the majority of short-term rentals are very respectful.”
Larson said there are only eight to ten of these rentals currently operating in the township.
“Even if that doubled in the next year, it wouldn’t be bad,” he said. “It’s not a huge number, so why do you need a moratorium?”
Larson suggested they just move forward researching the issue. He also wondered if the moratorium could only apply to properties in a residential-zoned area, as opposed to other parts of the township with mixed-use, non-shoreland designations, that are usually larger acreage parcels which can be zoned for commercial use.
The township will create a committee to review the county short-term rental ordinance and to make a recommendation to the town board. Anyone interested in being on the committee should contact the township clerk.
Ambulance issues
Fire Chief Larry McCray told the board that all the townships in the Tower Area Ambulance Service area have accepted the idea of a double subsidy payment in 2023, except for Greenwood Township.
“Tower is reluctant to order the unit until they hear something positive from Greenwood,” he said. “Hopefully they will pay for their share for the service. Greenwood has the largest number of calls that the service responds to.”
The board voted to accept the updated ambulance agreement contract.
Supervisor Frank Sherman reported on the informal group meeting to discuss future options for the ambulance service.
“There is now consensus among all the members, except Greenwood, that there should be a joint powers board to run the ambulance service,” he told the board. Sherman reminded the board that Greenwood had hired their own consultant to create a plan.
“Greenwood has stopped attending ambulance commission meetings or our joint group meetings,” he said. “They have not made their financial contributions that are needed to order a new ambulance. Somebody might have to make an intervention to have Greenwood live up to their commitments.”
Soderberg said ambulance issues are not just a problem for Tower.
“The Ely Ambulance needs a bailout,” he said, adding that Ely is also seeking a way to properly fund their service.
“Every parcel benefits from the ambulance,” Soderberg said. “Everybody can use the service.”
Fire Department
McCray told the board he has been in a discussion with the joint Morse/Fall Lake Fire Department about a possible merger with Eagles Nest.
“The likeness to our department is staggering,” he said. “Our budgets are in line with each other.”
McCray said Morse/Fall Lake has some equipment that Eagles Nest does not have and would be interested in storing some, such as a water rescue boat and a wildfire truck, in Eagles Nest’s lower garage.
He noted their department brings three firefighters on duty during times the DNR calls for Red Flag Days, and one of them could be stationed at Eagles Nest. They also have six paramedics on their roster, as well as a member who is a certified instructor and would oversee department trainings. He said Morse/Fall Lake was excited about the idea of bringing Eagles Nest into their department.
Morse/Fall Lake operates under a joint powers agreement, and their Chief, Ed Krueger, reports to the joint powers board. Eagles Nest would then become the third member of that board.
Budget-wise, McCray said, it shouldn’t affect what Eagles Nest is currently spending on its fire department.
McCray said he had a positive discussion with his department members.
McCray, who is running unopposed for a seat on the town board, will step down as chief if elected. He previously told the board that he hadn’t found any current members interested in taking over the chief’s position.
The board held an impromptu celebration in honor of long-time fire department member Rob Mattson, who recently resigned from the department. Mattson joined the department back in 1991, McCray said, in time to help fight the Mother’s Day fire, and eventually served as the department’s assistant chief.
Other business
In other business the board:
• Passed a motion accepting the Park Land Outlots 5 and 7 by a 4-1 vote with Schatz voting against. The board will wait until spring to review and discuss encroachments on these parcels.
• Heard an update on the OHV trail issue. Bud VanDeusen made a presentation to the St. Louis County Board on the issue, relaying the township’s opposition to any formal route through the township, since there is already a route that runs south of the township.
• Heard the township is looking at upgrading the audio-visual technology at the town hall.
• Heard that the repairs of the township road damaged by flooding this spring will get underway soon, and the township is working on getting FEMA grants to cover some of the cost. They approved a quote from Low Impact Excavators for $60,332 for the installation of culverts, tearing out the damaged culverts, and providing access to the landowners during the construction period. The township was able to purchase the culverts for around $13,000. There will also be engineering costs of approximately $10,000. The town board had approved spending up to $100,000 on the project.