Tuesday night marked an important yearly milestone in the exercise of democracy, as some area townships held their annual meetings and local elections. This reporter had the chance to visit all three townships on his government beat in an attempt to report on the grassroots efforts of citizens in maintaining and supporting local government control. A special thanks to all three township chairs for their extra efforts in sharing information with the Patriot for this update.
Santiago
Starting on the north end of the county, the first annual meeting was Santiago Township, where long-time public servants Supervisor Dave Jehoich and Clerk Kathy Woolard were each re-elected with 19 votes.
Among the crowd were some familiar faces, including the Harshmans, who are fixtures at every meeting, along with Don Pappenfus, a former supervisor and the father of current board member Jeff.
Board chair Stuart Nelson moderated the meeting, where the citizens approved a motion to increase the supervisor pay to $110 a month.
Palmer
From there, it was a mad dash (obeying all speed and traffic laws) west along CSAH 3 to Palmer Township, where Clerk Amy Bragelman was sharing the minutes from the 2021 Annual Meeting.
A total of 14 residents were in attendance at the meeting, which was moderated by Keith Bragelman.
Topics for discussion included the amount paid out in 2021 for gopher bounties ($556), as well as a report via Zoom from Treasurer Roger Johnson.
Chairman Mike Ganz received 34 votes to remain in his seat, while the citizens voted to increase the local levy by four percent.
Becker
The last stop was the historic Becker Town Hall, where moderator Bryan Olson conducted the citizens’ business by leading those in attendance through an impressive packet of information.
Road projects for 2022 will include a cost sharing agreement with the City of Becker on 127th and 153rd, while in 2023 there are plans for a joint venture with the same two jurisdictions joining Clear Lake Township to re-construct 97th Ave.
The Patriot was approved as the official newspaper of the township, while the 2023 levy recommendations were presented. These included an increase of $5,000 in the General Fund, $50,000 additional to the Roads and Bridge Fund and $20,000 to the Fire Fund.
Brad Wilkening was re-elected to his supervisor seat with 30 votes, while other agenda items covered included roads, a Monticello Hospital Board update from Mark Swanson and the Board of Audit report.
Township residents can circle March 14, 2023 on their calendars, as that is when citizens will gather once again to participate in local government democracy!
