TOWER— The council worked through a light agenda in their first meeting of the new year on Monday, confirming several appointments to city committees and commissions and opting to drop the frequency of their regular meetings from twice a month to just once.
Clerk-Treasurer Michael Schultz said the change in meeting frequency would free up several hours a month for him to work on other city matters. “It does take a long time to prepare a packet to make sure everything is in it,” said Schultz.
Council member Joe Morin said he doesn’t mind meeting twice a month and said he was concerned that some issues might not progress quickly enough if the council only meets monthly.
But Mayor Dave Setterberg said that councilors conduct much of their work in committee meetings anyway and that the council could always hold special meetings as needed to advance decisions. “I’d rather Michael spend the time on other things,” he said.
The change in meeting schedule will begin in February, which will allow the council to complete its annual appointments at their second meeting in January, set for Jan. 24.
In other business, the council discussed management of the city’s forest lands. The council recently established a forestry committee to investigate how to re-start management of city timberland, which has been largely ignored for more than a decade due to an inactive forestry board. Setterberg said he had talked with DNR forestry officials who had indicated they could provide assistance to inventory the harvestable timber and begin to develop cutting plans.
Morin was enthusiastic about the idea. “We should go through everything we’ve got, using [St. Louis County’s] Land Explorer and then have a full catalog of what we own and what’s there,” he said.
He said he would contact the county land department to see what forestry services they might be able to offer the city.
Once some of that work is completed, the committee will work to re-engage the city’s forestry board to review and approve possible timber sales.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a bill of sale for the disposition of the city’s third ambulance. The council had approved the sale of the vehicle at its Dec. 27 meeting. The proceeds from the sale will go to the ambulance replacement fund.
• Approved a corrected version of the city’s water and sewer rate chart.
• Authorized the clerk-treasurer to engage the planning and zoning services of consultant Tony Jeffries as needed in 2022, up to a total of $5,000.
• Made the following council appointments for 2022:
Acting Mayor, Joe Morin
Airport Commission, Sheldon Majerle
Tower-Breitung Wastewater Board, Dave Setterberg, Majerle.
Ambulance Commission- Kevin Norby.
Forestry Board, Setterberg, Majerle.
Tower Economic Development Authority, Morin, Tom Suihkonen.
Planning and Zoning, Morin, Norby.
Lodging Tax Board, Majerle.