The Canton City Council met for its first meeting of the new year on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Prior to the meeting, a Public hearing was held regarding the city’s proposal to vacate various streets and alleys within the city limits.
The council had been looking at this issue as part of its preliminary planning for a major streets project coming up in future years. Within the city limits, there are a handful of alleyways and full street right-of ways-that are technically owned by the city, but are not used by the general public and have not been maintained by the city for a very long time. Many of these are overgrown by grass and in practice have been absorbed into the lawns/properties of the neighboring landowners.
The city had proposed to “vacate” these right-of-ways, which would divide the land evenly between the adjoining landowners. The land would then become private property.
A handful of Canton residents came out to voice their opinions on this plan. All who spoke were opposed. While the roads/alleys may not be used by the general public, many are still used by local residents to access the back of their properties. While a friendly agreement among neighbors may preserve that access in the short term, future neighbors may choose to deny access if the public right of way was eliminated. Concerns were also raised about the costs of surveying the land, and potential increases in property taxes. The overall consensus from the public was that things were fine as they were, and there was no really compelling reason to make any changes.
The public hearing was adjourned and most residents left, as Mayor Josh Nordsving opened the regular meeting. After a few routine motions, council members began deliberation of the alley issue and consideration of the public’s input. Councilor Jason Magnuson offered that they should simply follow the consensus of the residents, and leave things alone. Councilor Kristy Zeigler expressed her concern that some of the streets in question may be useful to the city in the distant future, depending on where/how the city grows. It would be far harder for future councils to reclaim the right-of-ways through eminent domain. Councilor Randy Gossman noted that with the public skeptical, the city would be creating a lot more problems than they would solve, and they should just leave it alone.
When the street project gets underway, the city will need to undertake a survey of the whole town. Most board members felt this would be a better time to revisit the issue. No action was taken, meaning that the resolutions to vacate failed, and the status quo will continue.
The rest of the agenda items progressed in relatively quick succession. Deputy Clerk Barb Kerns gave a reminder for residents to maintain their water meters, especially with the upcoming cold snap. City Clerk Anne Koliha gave a report on the city’s financial audit, and her work to get a grant to continue restoration of the train depot. A reminder was given that the joint meeting with the Mabel City Council and M-C School Board is coming up on January 17. Public works had nothing to report.
The only other item which led to significant discussion was the approval of the city’s contract with Fillmore County for law enforcement services. Like many small towns in the area, Canton does not have its own police department, and instead contracts with the Fillmore County Sheriff for police service. The current contract in question is worth $44,000/yr. It guarantees the city a certain number of dedicated officer hours within Canton, as well as more immediate access to deputies for non-emergency situations, including enforcement of the city’s ordinances. Without a contract, city residents would only get on-demand service from county police it the event of an emergency. In a non-emergency, a deputy would “get there when they get there.”
Counselor Gossman questioned the value for the city. He felt that without a contract, the situation for residents would be no different than it is for the vast rural areas surrounding Canton, where cops still show up in an emergency, and deputies are still commonly seen out on the roads. He pointed to other very small municipalities such as Rushford Village and Whalan, which do not contract with the county but still seem to have a sufficient police presence. He felt the city really didn’t need to spend this extra money, and that in a city of Canton’s size, $44,000 would go a long way towards other priorities such as road maintenance.
The rest of the council did not share those views. Councilor Jen Dowling made a motion to approve the contract, and Kristy Zeigler seconded. The motion carried, with all members except Gossman voting yes.
Nordsving motioned to adjourn the meeting at 6:55. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, February 14 at 6 p.m., with the public invited to attend.
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