GREENWOOD TWP- A question that failed by a 194-97 vote in the March 2020 election will again be on the township ballot in 2021. The Greenwood Town Board, at their Tuesday meeting, voted to place the question of whether or not to switch from an elected clerk and treasurer to appointed (hired by the town board) positions.
Supervisor Carmen DeLuca said he wanted to “put that option out there.”
“I don’t think people were informed last year,” DeLuca said.
Chairman Mike Ralston said Option B would not create a combined clerk/treasurer position but would give the town board the authority to appoint employees to both positions. He noted that the process to hire a combined clerk/treasurer involved voting on a separate measure.
Interim clerk Deb Spicer said she was in favor of the switch.
“It is advised highly that the clerk and treasurer get along with the supervisors,” she said.
Former Clerk Sue Drobac often clashed with board members, though she was very popular with the voters, easily winning reelection. Last March she was reelected with a 186-102 margin over challenger Deb Spicer.
Drobac resigned as clerk in September after having her hours and pay cut by the town board in July, stating she could not complete her required duties in the time allotted. The board then appointed Spicer as interim clerk to serve until the next election. Elected treasurer Pam Rodgers also resigned in late July, and the board appointed Belinda Fazio as interim treasurer.
The vote to place Option B on the ballot was 4-0, with Supervisor Paul Skubic absent. Ralston said Skubic had been in the hospital for over a week with COVID-19 but was starting to get better.
Broadband survey
Ralston said the participation rate of township residents in the broadband survey by provider CTC has been disappointing, with only 14 percent of the number of households needed requesting service. CTC will need responses from more than 1,500 additional township property owners before making a decision on whether to provide service to the area, Ralston said.
“That being said, maybe Byron Beihofferr’s comments about broadband not being a priority for residents several months ago are ringing true,” he said. “But I do believe the township is more in support than what the survey results said.”
Ralston said he has been in contact with all the local organizations and agencies working on increasing broadband in the area.
The board decided to place ads in the two local newspapers to remind Greenwood property owners they can still respond to the CTC survey. Ralston said people can complete the survey from any location, so snowbirds and summer residents should complete the survey also, not just year-round residents. You can find the survey at https://join.connectctc.com/front_end/zones.
In other business, the board:
• Heard an update from Tammy Mortaloni on CARES Act funds spending.
• Acted on two resolutions that were discussed and signed, but never passed by motion at a previous meeting.
• Heard that the township attorney rates will be increasing in 2021 to $220 per hour for general work and $240 per hour for development work.
• Voted to have St. Louis County oversee the township’s Board of Appeal and Equalization, instead of having the town board oversee it. They noted the township can change back in two years, if they desire.
• Passed a motion to allow the fire chief to have a township credit card with a credit limit of $1,000. This will simplify spending on smaller items. At this time, Fire Department Administrative Assistant Tammy Mortaloni told the board, she and Chief Dave Fazio often purchase items with their own funds and then get reimbursed by the township. Having a department credit card would simplify purchasing, she said, noting many vendors are requiring payment up front instead of working with purchase orders.
• Fazio told the board that five EMRs had completed their recertification classes, which were offered at the town hall. He thanked the Vermilion Club, which donated the pizza the department ordered for lunch during the training. He also thanked Marilyn Mueller, who made a donation to the department in memory of Pat Trancheff’s mother, who recently passed away.
• The board thanked Floyd Bailey for donating three bocce ball sets. The town board will not be sending in an insurance claim on the stolen recreation equipment, which included bocce sets. The township also authorized the recreation committee to spend up to $500 on new equipment.