Last week, Orrock held its final town hall meeting for the calendar year. This was the final meeting for board member Eric Peterson, and the final meeting with Brenda Kimberly-Maas serving as clerk. For the first meeting of the new year, Gregg Felber will take his place on the board, Chris Weber will take over as clerk, and Brenda Kimberly-Maas will step down to the role of deputy clerk.

Replacing Corrie Silverberg

Chairman Corrie Silverberg officially resigned from the board after announcing his retirement last month, having served on the board for eight years. Despite winning reelection, he and his wife decided to jump at a deal on a plot of land outside of Orrock, disqualifying Silverberg from serving on the board. He was still present at the meeting as an audience member, and to submit his formal resignation.

Bryan Adams was named the new chairman, and Paul Ellinger stepped into the position of vice-chairman. 

To replace Silverberg’s position on the board, the board members decided to go through a hiring process to find a candidate to appoint to the board, rather than hold a special election. The board was not in favor of an election because they did not expect many candidates to have interest in the position, and they didn’t expect that many residents would turn out to vote in a special election.

The appointee will serve for two years on the board, until the next general election. Any resident of Orrock who is a registered voter is eligible to apply for the position. Applications must be submitted to the clerk or the deputy clerk via mail or email by Jan. 12. Applications are available at OrrockTownship.com.

A special meeting will be held Jan. 14 to interview the applicants.

Town Hall Updates

The long-awaited town hall updates have finally arrived. 

A new security system was installed, which included a keypad that could be programmed with individuals’ codes, so the clerk will always know who has entered the building. 

A projector was also installed, so the audience can follow along with the notes and packet information available to the board members.

Not all the changes have been rolled out just yet. More will come in January.

Software Updates

Along with the new tech, Orrock town hall will be implementing some new software. They will be transitioning from Go Daddy for their file-sharing services to Microsoft 365 Government, which offers easier access to documents for all its users. The township will hire Net Pro at $640 to make the transition.

Road Grant Application

Orrock Twp. will be applying for a grant from the state for road work, though the board members were not optimistic about their chances to receive it. In order to have the best chance at winning the grant, the township would need to have a road that presented a significant hazard – a location where several accidents have occured, or which can become dangerous. The board could not think of any one place that met that criteria. They also were granted some road funding for another project recently, and it won’t look good to ask for another grant so soon. Nevertheless, they will try their best, since the maximum amount a township can be granted is $1.125 million, which could go a long way in the road budget.