Vote on March 11 for fiscal responsibility in Greenvale Township

Lawsuits have been filed under the leadership of Charles Anderson, former clerk Jane Dilley, supervisor David Roehl, supervisor Scott Norkunas, and treasurer Wayne Peterson who must all be deemed guilty of fiscal irresponsibility. Anderson was asked what information was missing in a public meeting. His response was “We don’t know.” Dakota County District Judge Cynthia McCollum ruled against the plaintiffs, stating, “The township has not shown that it is unable to conduct business, or has been harmed.” Further, “The Court finds the Township is not entitled to the extraordinary remedy of mandamus and equity requires that this lawsuit be dismissed.” The judge further labelled this lawsuit in her decision as a “fishing expedition” and stated the township is not entitled to eight years of personal emails. Lawsuit records are free to view to the public online. Case #19HA-CV23-3168.

The amount of money the citizens of Greenvale have paid is now astronomical. As of the end of 2024 the amount paid for attorney fees and board member meeting attendance was $109,978. This amount did not accrue any benefit to the citizens of Greenvale. Rather this amount of money was spent on a vindictive, unnecessary lawsuit that was being pursued as a matter of “principle.” Whose principle? Certainly not the citizens of Greenvale. The town board has unanimously approved an appeal to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. This will incur even greater costs to the citizens of Greenvale with no return on investment. Some have asked, “Why don’t the Langers just turn materials over and be done with it?” Answer: because the Langers have already submitted the complete package of materials required.

In reviewing the Proposed Taxes for 2025 as sent out by Dakota County, I see that the amount of taxes assessed on my real estate for Greenvale (103 acres) has increased by 25.5% or $428.44. Yes, we all pay taxes but that does not justify the reckless spending on legal fees that provide no direct benefit to citizens. This is MALFEASANCE. By contrast land that our family owns in Waterford Township (120 acres) will incur an $11.50 increase or about 1%. Our town board chair could have demonstrated courage and leadership by bringing the frivolous lawsuit to a halt, but instead the town board behaved as puppets with strings being pulled by one who wants vindictive, hateful behavior to continue. It appears the funds to pay the attorney bills associated with the Langer lawsuit are coming from the 4M (Minnesota Municipal Money Market fund) which is an investment account to store unneeded money. The Greenvale treasurer’s report of March 21, 2024, shows a 4M balance of $191,782. In the July 18, 2024 treasurer’s report the balance in the 4M account was $156,691. The November 2024 treasurer’s report showed a 4M balance of $88,109. The 4M account had been spent down $103,673 in less than a year. It may be assumed that these funds went to pay legal bills to attorney Couri. No benefit from this expenditure was realized by township citizens.

Now we are being asked to approve a township levy that includes large tax increases for property owners. CONSIDER: A home in Greenvale on Dresden Ave. valued at $454,000 will pay $753 township levy, a 26% increase over 2024. Directly across the road in Waterford Township a home valued at $404,700 will pay $514 township levy, a DECREASE of $51.11. Perhaps it is time to reject the proposed Greenvale budget at the annual meeting and force the town board to reign in their reckless governance. It is also time to see a change in leadership with a move to Responsibility.

–Greenvale Property Owner