Palmer Township held its annual meeting on Tuesday, March 11. Barb Keenan was voted to serve as the meeting moderator, a role she has fulfilled in the past. 

Tax Levy Proposal

Last year, the township spent about $82 thousand over what was budgeted, but that was in order to take advantage of fixing up some roads while they had access to ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding. 

Over the past several years, Palmer has worked to keep their tax rate the same or to lower it when possible. 

For the recommended budget, Treasurer Roger Johnson found the five year average cost of budget items and added it all up with a bit of a buffer. 

The board also wished to move some of their excess funds, which most of the time sit in bank accounts, into the CD account so that the money they have makes better interest for them. This decision was not brought to vote, as most of the residents assembled agreed that fell into the jurisdiction of the town board, but it was generally agreed upon. 

The board presented the assembly with proposed levies at two, three, four, five, and six percent increases. One resident asked the board for a recommendation on how much of an increase the township should adopt. Board member Steve Demeules responded that the decision was up to the assembly, but he recommended any increase be sent directly to the road fund. The assembly voiced their general agreement to this. 

Some debate ensued, with some residents promoting raising the levy higher so as to pay for more road projects without the ARPA assistance. Some reminded the assembly that some of the elderly residents were on a fixed income and this would hurt them. One resident motioned to raise the levy six percent, but the motion failed for a second. Another motioned for a five percent increase, and this motion passed. 

Election Results

During the township election, board member Mike Ganz received 132 votes for his reelection bid, while Shelly Peyton received two votes. 

Treasurer’s Report

The treasurer noted a beginning balance for the year at $1,234,211.97 and an ending balance of 1,266,428.96. One resident asked whether the township had any income sources other than taxes, and the board responded there were some, such as park and town hall rentals, and the cable franchise fee, but they were not substantial income sources. 

Fire Protection

The township recently signed a new contract with the Clear Lake Fire Department. The cost for fire services will increase by 10% this year since the department was underfunded in years past, relying on grants for their operating levy. 

Roads Report

Last year, the township was able to spend $384,019.38 on road maintenance, thanks in great part to the ARPA funds they received from the federal government. The town board continues to focus on crack filling, brushing, and snow plowing to keep the roads in the best condition possible for as long as possible, though further maintenance and reclaiming roads would cost more. 

Park Report

The pickleball court will be poured sometime in mid-April and will be ready for players near the end of May (the concrete needs to rest for that amount of time first). The town board purchased a new mower to help in park maintenance and intended to put the old one up for sale on Facebook Marketplace. 

The town board ordered some new trees and got a good deal with the seller, with the trees being 50% off. 

In total, the township spent $82,346.32 on parks last year.

Lake Association

The Lake Association has 228 members, but the leaders of the association would like to have over 300 by the end of 2025. The lake association completed several projects with the idea to clean and protect the lakes, including an Alum feasibility study, twice-monthly water testing, and a carp study. 

In the carp study, it was found that the carp numbers were far higher than they should be. Carp are not only a species that produces more waste than normal fish, but they search for food in the soil at the bottom of the lake, which stirs up settled phosphorus and makes the lake cloudy with algae. Alum (aluminum sulfate) can help to manage the problem by binding to phosphorus. 

The lake association applied for two grants, one of which they will hear about within a few weeks. On Saturday, April 12, there will be a guest speaker from Carp Management who will give a presentation at town hall at 10 a.m.