The Santiago Township Board met last Wednesday for their October meeting, with the 59th Street agenda item taking up just over an hour of the 90 minute meeting.

Ken Hanson, Pastor of the Becker Christian Center and Mark Hughes, a church elder and teacher at the affiliated Jubilee Christian School, spoke to the board about the past, present and future of maintenance efforts on 59th Street.

Hanson started his presentation by complimenting the board and contractor John Herbst for doing a wonderful job of maintaining the road in front of the church and school.

Hanson and Hughes took turns speaking of the past agreements surrounding road maintenance and what role financially the church has played in those efforts.

“We would like to come across as good neighbors,” Hughes told the board.

However, Hanson and Hughes went on to contend that while the board was now asking the church congregation to pay towards the maintenance of the road, there had been a motion on January 10, 2018 that stated the church would not be asked to pay for future road improvements.

At issue was a semantic disagreement as to whether adding gravel to the road constituted a road improvement or ongoing maintenance.

Hughes contended that adding gravel is an improvement, while the board seemed inclined to believe that it was maintenance.

Hughes noted that they had recently received what he called a contract from the township that outlined a cost-share agreement, and that he would refuse to sign that or any other agreement that amended what had originally been agreed to back in 1998 when a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) was issued to the church and school.  He said the congregation had been in touch with a law firm and was prepared to litigate the issue if they did not get a favorable outcome at the meeting.  He was adamant that no new agreement or contract would be signed by the church. 

Supervisor Jeff Anderson noted that after a summer meeting between the parties, the board had sent the draft proposal as a starting point to see what could be agreed to in solving the issue moving forward.

In the past, the church had apparently paid for half of the cost of the gravel (every five to 10 years) to help maintain the road.

Hanson noted that the church and school are 501(c)-3 non-profit organizations and therefore they believed they should not have to pay and funds towards the road maintenance.

At times, the discussion was contentious, as Hughes said he felt he was being bullied as a result of the letter the township sent, while Anderson noted that the taxpayers who lived on the road and in the township would like to know that the church is contributing to the costs incurred.

Supervisor Dave Jehoich reiterated that he re-read the minutes from 2018 and he had indeed made the motion to not charge the church, but again that it referred to future improvements and not ongoing maintenance.

Hughes responded that there had been a 25 year precedent on the matter and that perhaps the township was trying to charge the church to “plug a hole” in the budget. 

Anderson went on to read aloud the Sherburne County minutes from the meeting for the original approval for the CUP, which noted a condition that the congregation help to provide upkeep of the road from their property to Co. Rd. 16.

“I am glad you are here to explain to the residents the churches position that you do not want to pay anything for ongoing costs,” Anderson said.  

Hughes reiterated that they did not want to pay anything, but that he thought he could convince the church board to honor the original agreement and to pay for half of the cost of the gravel (but not grading or spreading the gravel) moving forward.

At times, members of the public directed questions of Hanson and Hughes, with one citizen telling them to work things out with the board and not trust lawyers to become involved.

The board concluded that it would not be going back to charge any past dollars for the road upkeep and would send a new agreement (which Hughes again stated would not be signed by the church) calling for gravel to be applied every 5 to 10 years and the church would pay for half the material.

In Other Business, the Board:

• Heard from Sgt. Kevin Grams regarding last month’s 96 total calls for service, which included 34 traffic stops as well as vandalism on the newly tarred 67th Street;

• Heard from members of the Santiago Lions Club about the new storage building that was constructed at the park.