TOWER — State Sen. Grant Hauschild met with officials from Tower and Soudan on Feb. 10 to discuss the upcoming legislative session. He also asked about any concerns the city might want to have him address once the legislative session is underway.
This was part of a tour to visit northern mayors, including the cities of Babbitt, Hoyt Lakes, and Ely.
Hauschild met with Tower Mayor Dave Setterberg, Councilor Joe Morin, clerk-treasurer Tammy Mortaloni, interim ambulance supervisor Jen McDonough, sprint medic Liz Smith, and wastewater supervisor and Breitung Chair Matt Tuchel. After the meeting, they toured some ongoing projects, including the restoration of the city’s historic fire hall, the new water filtration plant, the county garage the city recently purchased, and the projects at the city’s harbor.
Hauschild was impressed with the renovations at the old fire hall and the city’s plans to relocate city hall offices to the building, which actually served as the city’s first governmental building as far back as 1895.
Setterberg thanked Hauschild for his support for city projects and the funding for rural ambulance services, as well as the creation of the new sprint medic pilot project. Liz Smith, one of the paramedics rotating into service in the Tower area, was also at the meeting. Paramedics from the Virginia Fire Department have been taking rotating shifts to serve in the area.
McDonough talked about the sprint medic program and the new collaboration that is growing between the Tower and Virginia services. The sprint medic program is also serving the Cook, Orr, and Nett Lake areas with a second staffer and vehicle.
“As a new EMT, you can pick their brains,” she said, “and we are learning the best ways to put our patients first.”
McDonough explained how the program was working, the data they are collecting, and the positive financial implications for the small-town ambulance service.
Hauschild was excited to hear first-hand feedback about the program, which he had worked hard to obtain funding for. The Legislature increased funding for rural ambulance services, with some money going to fill budget gaps and some funding two sprint medic pilot projects.
“We were wondering if we should have just used the money to bolster the local services,” he said. “It is good to hear this about the pilot project.”
Hauschild said the Legislature will need to determine if this is a model the state should continue to fund and possibly expand.
“We have to provide if it’s worthwhile,” he said, “which I am sure we can do.” But he added that there are no guarantees.
McDonough also said the paramedics assigned to Tower are helping her in other ways, such as training her to more efficiently use the software systems they use to record calls and care.
Setterberg said the ambulance service is also being proactive and working on a possible collaboration with the Ely-Bloomenson Hospital to help provide oversights and higher levels of patient service. He said the Tower Area Ambulance Commission is also looking at the idea of setting up a taxing district.
Hauschild said a Senate committee is looking at allowing EMS taxing districts, which would help rural services address some of their funding issues.
Tuchel talked about ongoing water and wastewater projects, and thanked Hauschild for his support in addressing funding gaps. Tuchel also talked about the innovative rapid infiltration system the city and township plan to use to expand the capabilities of their joint wastewater treatment ponds to allow for increased development. The current pond system is at capacity, and it feeds its treated water into Lake Vermilion. This new system means they do not need to construct a costly fifth treatment pond because it uses a natural deposit of underground gravel to filter water, which will not be directly discharged into the lake, and will also decrease water treatment costs in the years ahead.
Morin discussed ongoing Tower Economic Development projects, including the harbor development set to be underway this summer, and the possibility of the construction of a privately funded 30-unit apartment building on Main Street on a large vacant city-owned lot.
Hauschild told the city to keep him informed not just of larger funding needs, but of smaller funding gaps that need to be filled. He said that sometimes they do end up with smaller amounts that can be dedicated to specific projects.
Hauschild said one thing they hope to accomplish this session is a change in how seasonal recreational properties are taxed for school levies. Right now, he noted, while these properties do get assessed the levy amount, the money does not flow to the district but instead goes to the state general fund. He is hoping to get that issue resolved.
With the composition of the upcoming Legislature still split, with a tie in the house, and a one seat Democratic majority in the Senate, he is not sure if they will be able to pass a bonding bill in this session.
“I don’t know what the politics will be,” he said. “The needs are higher in the rural areas, but Republicans in these areas are not supportive of higher tax spending.”