Longtime Schroeder township clerk Doug Schwecke was voted Schroeder Citizen of the Year at the annual meeting. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
Once again, Phil Bonin was elected moderator for the Schroeder township annual meeting held Tuesday, March 10.
With nothing too exciting on the agenda, only 18 people attended the meeting.
Incumbent supervisor Rick Anderson ran unopposed and received 20 votes to retain his supervisor position.
Carla Messen also received 20 votes to retain her treasurer position, and Anna Green got 17 write-in votes to become the new township clerk, replacing Doug Schwecke, who is retiring.
Longtime Schroeder Clerk Doug Schwecke was voted Schroeder Citizen of the Year. Doug announced earlier that he would not run for the clerk position.
The 2021 Schroeder levy was set at $50,000. Most years, the township waits until the continuation of the annual meeting, which is held mid-August to set the final levy, but because the township has a healthy fund balance in the general fund, it was decided to set the levy at this meeting instead of waiting.
Schroeder cemetery
Bruce Martinson reported that there are 306 cemetery plots in the Schroeder cemetery. Of those, 125 are occupied, 255 have been sold, and 51 are unsold.
There was no talk of filling up the empty plots anytime soon, but Martinson did worry that heavy excavators were now being used to dig graves. He worried the weight of the machines would collapse current graves, and he suggested only small excavators be allowed for these jobs in the future.
Road and bridge
Rick Anderson gave a tidy 2019 Road and Bridge report. He said it was a quiet year except for routine maintenance. Other than ordering five culverts for potential installment for this year and next, Rick said not much else was done on the roads.
Recreation report
Tina McKeever gave the recreation report and noted that over the last few years, the township has put up a Little Free Library and a bench at the community center, both acquired through funds awarded from the Great Place Race sponsored by the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. The steps at the community center have been stained, and the ball field fence repaired, etc., she said, adding she was looking for ideas for the coming year.
Commissioner’s report
Cook County Commissioner Ginny Storlie, who represents the west end townships on the county board, talked about the county’s efforts to have the PILT money restored to its former payment to St. Louis, Lake, and Cook County. The forest service is currently re-appraising land in the BWCAW and will determine what the payments to counties will be. In the meantime, Cook County received $2 million from the PILT payments this year, but Storlie said the county board is keeping that money set aside until they learn what the future PILT payments will be. It will take two to three years for the new appraisal to be completed, she said.
Next, Storlie asked people to fill out their 2020 census forms, noting that the U.S. has $680 billion to distribute to communities based on their 2020 census count. She also added that our area could lose representation in Congress if the District is redistricted based on the census.
Last, Storlie talked about the county’s efforts concerning the Coronavirus. She said interim County Administrator Rena Rogers was working on a plan for county workers. She noted that St. Louis County implemented a plan calling for up to 80 sick days for their employees. Also, some jobs could be done from home, and the county is looking to see which jobs those are. Storlie said,
“It is wise to have a plan even if you might not have to use it.”
Fire Fighters and Rescue Squad
Phil Bonin also gave the Fire Fighter and Rescue Squad report.
Schroeder volunteer firefighters received 16 calls last year, four more than in 2018, he said. The EMS squad was called out 55 times, with 16 calls taking place in Schroeder.
Both Tofte and Schroeder share in the cost to operate the combined rescue squad. Bonin said it was time to look at replacing the 1979 fire truck with a newer used fire truck.
Post Office hours
The Schroeder postmaster asked the township to send a letter to the U.S. Postal Service asking to have the hours changed at the Schroder post office. Currently, the post office is open four hours in the afternoon from 12:30-4:30 p.m. The request is to have the post office open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Currently, the postmaster has to come early on his own time to sort the mail. Steve Schugg asked that the township’s letter include asking the postal service to pay the Schroeder postmaster for time spent sorting mail. The voters in attendance agreed with Schugg and the township board will include that suggestion in the request for new hours.
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