Special Board Meeting Follow-Up...
The special meeting of the village board was convened at 5:35PM with Trustee Zabel absent but expected soon thereafter.
In the audience were news reporters, two members of the MATC staff and two school board members. It appeared that there were also individuals from both Waste Management and, possibly, from Veolia.
The discussion on MATC secession centered on the desire by some that a 'co-signature' be provided for the village board to assert its approval of the filing. There was discussion that since the village is one of several taxing entities, if the village were included, the others would need to be, too. This was settled when Trustee Langer offered a motion to have a supporting letter attached to the filing by the school district. After the second, that motion passed unanimously (with Zabel absent).
The discussion on the possibility of a referendum regarding road repairs dealt with debt levies, budget trade-offs, and state gas tax proceeds. It became apparent that there was no support for a referendum and that trustees felt it was their responsibility to determine how best to handle the issue without incurring more debt. Trustee Vanderheiden offered a motion that was seconded by Trustee Langer to that effect. That motion passed nearly unanimously with Trustee Zabel abstaining since he had arrived midway through this discussion.
The discussion concerning Waste Management and the current labor issues as those were impacting the village followed. While President Kempinski and Administrator Schornack indicated that each had received calls about delayed pick-ups, the other members of the board were either moot or expressed that they had received no calls. Discussion as to what would constitute sufficient grounds for action against Waste Management went back and forth. It seemed to be agreed that there was not sufficient cause to proceed at this point. Trustee Werderman offered a motion, seconded by Trustee Langer, that this topic of discussion be added to the agenda for the regularly scheduled Board meeting to be held on September 15th. That motion passed unanimously.
President Kempinski gaveled the meeting to adjournment.
Harley 105th Anniversary Impact From The Police' Perspective...
I was curious as to how the police department viewed the 105th anniversary given the thousands of bikes in our area nearly all hours of the day and night. Chief Pete Hoell indicated that there was one minor injury accident involving a motorcycle. He mentioned that he had now experienced the 95th, 100th and 105th reunion celebrations and said, "Overall, as far as I'm concerned, this was a great event and we'll be looking forward to the 110th."
He also provided an anecdote that I think provides a great overview of the typical attendees:
"I was off duty with my kids driving east on Holy Hill Rd. in Richfield on Friday. I was following a couple of Harley bikes eastbound when a high performance bike (crotch rocket) came from the other direction (westbound) and did a short wheelie from the stop sign. The biker in front of me was wearing colors, long grey curly hair; typical stereotype of a biker one may think of from earlier years. When he saw the wheelie and as the high performance bike drove by, the Harley biker made his displeasure of this act very clear and scolded him by shaking his arm and pointer finger at him. It was a really good example how ethical most Harley bikers are, how willing they are to step up regarding the issue of safety and good behavior."
Nuff said!
