The Santiago Town Board met last Wednesday to discuss final preparations for the winter season and to hear several reports on township affairs.
Sgt. Andy Ochs of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office was at the meeting to report on 48 calls for service in the last reporting period. Vehicle versus animal collisions have been on the rise and he also reported on one structure fire and several medical calls. Ochs noted that traffic enforcement continues within the township, but no new reports of vandalism have been received.
Supervisor Dave Jehoich reviewed the road report and stated that the contractor had finished grading the roads and with the recent colder temperatures, they should be well prepped for winter.
Next up was the fire department report and firefighter Steven Reid was able to show the board an American flag table that was donated by a local craftsman. It is being offered for sale with the proceeds helping to fund equipment purchases for Station 2.
It was also reported that the department had received the new rescue truck that was purchased from Zimmerman. However, there had been an error on the invoice resulting in an underpayment of $2,000. The board approved using money from the Fire Truck Fund for this additional sum since the rest of the CARES Act money had been returned to Sherburne County.
All agreed that the truck was still a great addition to the department at a very reasonable cost, and it was the honorable thing to do to pay the rest of the amount since the price had been agreed upon.
As soon as the new rig is equipped, striped and put into service, the current rescue truck, a 2002, will be made available to purchase. Because it has just 75,000 miles and is heavy duty in construction, the firefighters believe there will be a strong market for the extremely clean and well cared for truck.
In the building report, discussion was held regarding the installation of the new siding and the supervisors believe it should be accomplished in the next couple of weeks. This will secure the building for the winter months and it was noted that the dumpster location has been communicated to the contractor so it will not interfere with the department getting trucks in and out of the building.
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Clerk Kathy Woolard reported that the board of equalization has been set for April 5, 2021 and it was learned that the plan is for the county to do it virtually. More discussion will be coming after the first of the year as to the details for how this will work for any citizens interested in appealing their property valuation.
Woolard also announced that Jehoich’s term on the Sherburne County planning board will expire at the end of the year. Since he was interested in continuing to serve, the board voted unanimously to reappoint Jehoich to a new three year term. Supervisor Jeff Pappenfus will again serve as the alternate.
The next meeting for Santiago will be January 13, at which time the board will carry out the business of reorganizing for 2021. As always, the meeting will be held at the township hall starting at 7 p.m.
