Orrock Twp. recently lost its treasurer, Janine Arnold, who resigned at the end of last year. Fortunately, former board supervisor, as well as the treasurer before Arnold, Gary Goldsmith agreed to take up the mantle of the role until a replacement could be found, as well as to train the newcomer in the role.
A special meeting was held earlier in the month to interview candidates for the treasurer position. Three candidates were interviewed. Supervisor Paul Ellinger recommended one of the candidates for the job, Kellie McConville as the candidate he felt had the best experience. Supervisor Anne Felber recommended another candidate, but was outvoted, and McConville was named the new treasurer, though she was not in attendance at the meeting to accept her position.
Sheriff’s Report
Sgt. Darek Barrett noted several stop arm violations over the past month, with motorists not stopping for school buses.
In 2023, there were 137 calls for service, which increased to 173 in 2024.
Barrett also noted that he would no longer be the representative for Orrock. The position will be taken up by Sgt. Alex Dean at the next regular meeting.
Reorganizational Meeting
The meeting dates for 2025 will continue to be the fourth Wednesday of each month January through October, as well as November 19 and December 17. Meetings begin at 7 p.m.
Supervisor Anne Felber was elected as the new chairperson. Supervisor Paul Ellinger retained his seat as vice-chair.
There was some debate regarding the road authority position. Adams served in the position for several years including in 2024. Supervisor Paul Ellinger was a big advocate for keeping Adams in the position since he has a lot of experience and can be available to meet with contractors during the day. Felber pushed back on his stance, saying it was important to train new board members for the position. Ellinger motioned to elect Adams but the motion failed. Supervisor Dalton Keiderling then motioned to appoint the board’s newest member, Supervisor Peter Owen, who won his election on a road-based platform. Owen confirmed he could be available during daytime hours to meet with contractors, and he won the appointment.
Next there was discussion on how supervisors should be paid. Felber was of the opinion supervisors should be paid for additional meetings attended, such as the Sherburne County Association of Townships, in addition to the regular monthly meeting. Ellinger again voiced opposition, saying the position of supervisor should be one of public service primarily, and not a form of employment. He also raised concerns over what should be considered a valid meeting. Treasurer Gary Goldsmith recommended sending the issue to the policy committee, so the board kept it the same for the time being.
Cannabis Agreement with County
The county has created an ordinance regarding cannabis growers and sellers in the county. Adams noted that Micheal Couri, an attorney who specializes in working with townships, recently stated at the SCAT meeting that if the townships didn’t mind whether they had a cannabis business in the township, they should sign on to the agreement with the county. If the township definitely did want a cannabis business, they may want to consider creating their own ordinance. The board agreed they did not care to explicitly have one, and they did not want the responsibility of enforcing the ordinance.
Road Overlay Bids
Bids were opened on Monday. Nine were received. OMG Northwest was the low bidder for the base project and the alternative project.
The board discussed whether it was worth overlaying 180th St., which was the alternate, or just letting the road go back to gravel, since it’s in such poor condition.
The representative from WSB recommended approving the base project only and thoroughly researching the pros and cons of letting the road go. They can always make a change order later.
Adams pushed to include the road, as he believed it would be cheaper in the long run considering potential damage to equipment and gravel grading.
There is one family living on that road only, so some of the supervisors were hesitant to spend the money.
The family who lives on the road spoke in favor of overlaying the road.
The board chose to award with the alternate, but they will discuss it again at the next meeting to determine if they’d like to make a change order and drop the road.
In Other Business, the Board:
• Set the board of audit to occur after the February regular meeting;
• Set recycle day for May (?) and applied for the recycling grant;
• Discussed sending letters to property owners who have been keeping vehicles (a truck and a boat) in the right of way;
• Heard there has been an issue with people throwing dead deer carcasses on Ann Lake.